It’s that time of year again, children are back in school and working on projects together. Sitting close together and touching heads and suddenly your child comes home itching his or her head. You know you have to look and check even though you dread the most likely culprit. Lice. You find nits and red welt like spots on your child’s neck. Now what do you do? You could go to the local pharmacy and get some of that over the counter chemical stuff, but you know it’s a chemical and chemicals all have risks. So what are your alternatives?
Olive Oil
Grab your bottle of olive oil, an old towel, a shower cap and a small toothed comb. This treatment can be done using the oil straight out of the bottle or for maximum results pour it into a small jar and set it into a larger jar of hot water. Once the oil is warm begin by gently combing it through the hair. Once hair is saturated (make sure to get scalp as well) twist hair up on head and using a plastic clip pin hair to head. Cover with a shower cap and leave in for a few hours to over night.
Comb through hair with fine tooth comb after leaving in hair a few hours to overnight. Clean comb in white tissue or cloth and keep combing until there are not more lice or nits. Wash hair thoroughly and repeat combing after washing.
Mayonnaise
Use mayonnaise in the same fashion as using the olive oil. Do not warm mayonnaise.
Vaseline
Vaseline or petroleum jelly works well on extreme or difficult cases. I have a friend who is a hairdresser and this is what she recommends to cases that are just plain stubborn to get rid of. Follow instructions under olive oil for application and removal See * for additional removal tips.
Tea Tree Oil
Use a tea tree oil shampoo at least three times a week when getting rid of an active lice infestation. Use once a week thereafter to help keep them away.
Listerine
Use either regular (gold color) or blue listerine on the hair (note: if the child has blond hair the blue may slightly tint the hair). Simply comb it through hair and allow to dry. Nit comb and watch the dead bugs fall out. Use every three days for best results. There is no need to rinse the listerine out of the hair but if desired it can be rinsed after nit combing. The odor will dissipate as hair dries. You may wish to put the listerine in a spray bottle to make it easier to apply.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is often used in conjunction with the listerine. It helps to loosen the “glue” that the nits are attached with. Ideal as a weekly rinse on hair and can be left in if desired. The odor will dissipate as the hair dries.
Coconut Oil
Lice don’t like coconut oil. Whether it’s the smell or the consistency it works. Use as a conditioner and leave in hair for a few hours or overnight. Comb out nits. It can be *challenging to remove from hair as it’s a very slippery oil.
Lice Free Gel or Spray
I found this product in a health food store. It worked very well and is a great product that doesn’t use chemicals. It’s not always readily available however, If you’re living in a large town area some drug stores carry this product otherwise it can be ordered online at Licefree.com.
*Many people swear by using Dawn dish soap for the washing part. Since Dawn gets rid of grease it works very well to remove any residual oils from hair.
Never leave young children unattended with plastic shower cap on head. Plastics can suffocate.
For additional treatment try putting a towel in the dryer and wrapping the head with hot towel over the plastic shower cap.
Make sure to wash all of child’s bedding thoroughly in hot water after treating child for lice. Bag up stuffed animals that can’t be washed and leave in a sealed bag for two to three weeks in order to kill any nits or lice that may be living on them. Do this to any items that can’t be safely washed.
This treatment may need to be repeated weekly for up to 3 weeks to completely get rid of all nits. If a single nit is missed it can reproduce rapidly so be sure to check your child daily for any signs of re infestation.