Even the thought of acquiring lice infestation is enough to give you goosebumps. But the truth is that every year about 6 to 12 million of children is affected by head lice.
Head lice are six-legged small parasites that live on the head and hair shaft of humans and feeds on human blood. They do not spread any kind of disease, but they bite the scalp and results in an itch that results in an uncontrollable desire to scratch and causes irritation. A lot of scratching may lead to infection. Thus, it becomes important to eliminate them completely.
But getting rid of lice is a frustrating job. They are of a size of sesame seeds, crawl very fast and reproduce quickly. Also, lice spread easily on direct head to head contact or sharing contaminated hair brush or clothing of the victim.
Lice infestation is more common in children, but adults may also acquire it.
The symptoms of lice infestation are as follows:
- Feeling as if something is crawling over the head.
- Itchy scalp with an intense desire to scratch uncontrollably.
- Tiny bugs in hair.
- Nits and nymphs can be easily located.
- Red bumps on the scalp
Lice becomes a matter of disgust and compels you to look for a solution to get rid of them. But, the worst part is that lice have now become more resistant to conventional treatments. Also, over the counter treatments are toxic as they contain insecticides and pesticides. Exposure to them may cause asthma, skin rashes or other serious side effects such as seizures.
So what’s the solution?
Home remedies for lice are the perfect solution of the lice problem and the best part is that they are totally safe to be used.
Top 9 Natural Home Remedies for Lice Infestation
- Nit picking and combing- This is the first thing you need to do. Give a regular session of nitpicking and combing along with the home remedies for lice discussed below. For this use a special lice picking comb. Better purchase a fine toothed metal comb as they are neater and it is quicker to remove lice from them.
- Vinegar- The acetic acid in vinegar creates a toxic environment for the lice. Also, it kills and dissolves the nits. This makes them easy to be combed out.
To use vinegar for lice treatment mix it with the equal amounts of mineral oil and apply it to the hairs and scalp thoroughly. After 10 minutes, rinse off your head with plain water. Repeat this 3 times in a week and in a couple of months you will get rid of lice.
If you do not have white vinegar you may also use apple cider vinegar for the same purpose.
- Baking soda– Baking soda has the ability to cut the exoskeleton of the lice through their sharp edges. Mix baking soda with clean water and rub it thoroughly but gently onto your scalp and hairs. Leave it for 10 minutes and then rinse it off with plain water. This is followed by combing your hair.
- Mayonnaise- Loaded with lots of oil the high viscosity of mayonnaise causes the lice to suffocate and thus kills them. Apply mayonnaise over the scalp properly and cover your head with a shower cap. Leave it overnight and then shampoo in the morning. Repeat this once in a week.
- Olive oil or almond oil– Both are excellent home remedies for lice. They cause them to suffocate and slows their crawling. Thus, They can very easily be combed out. Apply either almond oil or olive oil liberally all over your scalp and hair. Leave it for an hour and then comb them out or pick them out. This is followed by shampooing your hair. This can be repeated every day for a week or two.
- Neem oil– Neem oil is a natural insecticide. Its smell suffocates the lice and kills them. Add 5-6 teaspoons of neem oil to your shampoo and have a head bath.
- Sesame seed oil– Being antifungal, antibacterial and a natural insecticide you can also use sesame oil to get rid of lice. Below, is a DIY home remedy to get rid of lice where sesame oil is an important ingredient.
Take 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, a few drops of tea tree oil, one tablespoon of neem oil, a few drops of eucalyptus oil, and a few drops of lavender and rosemary essential oil.
Now rinse off your hair with apple cider vinegar and then pat it dry with a towel. Now apply this oil mixture on your scalp and hair thoroughly. Wear a shower cap and leave it overnight. This is followed by combing your hair in the morning and then shampooing. Repeat this daily for a week or if needed for 2 weeks.
- Hair dryer– Studies show that hair dryer can kill lice and nits. So you can use this method just after having a hair wash to get rid of lice. When you dry your hairs better first divide your hairs into sections. Start with scalp and then slowly move the dryer towards the tips of your hairs. Do not use hair dryer for more than 60 seconds for each section of hair.
- Garlic– The smell of garlic is so pungent that it suffocates the lice and ultimately kills them. Take 9-10 cloves of garlic and crush them. Mix them with 2 tablespoons of lime juice and apply it over the scalp and hair. Quantity may differ according to the density and length of the hair. After a half hour comb your hair. This is followed by shampooing and again combing your hair.
Try out any of the above-mentioned natural home remedies for lice infestation and do tell us how effective you found them to get rid of lice problem. It is always advised that the other family members and close friends should also be checked for the lice infestation. To be on the safe side they should also try any of the home remedies for lice once even if life infestation is not obvious.
