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Top Home Remedies for Head Lice

Head lice are a common problem for school aged children and are miniature parasites that reside on the hair shafts and scalp in order to feed on blood. Lice is spread by coming into contact with someone that is currently infected. More often than not, lice is transferred from person to person through play dates, sporting events, school interactions, sleepovers, the sharing of clothing items and more. Most commonly, head lice infection is determined by excessive itching in conjunction with bumps on the scalp that are red and inflamed.

Top Home Remedies for Head Lice

Combing out head lice can rid them, but it will take a great deal of effort and time. Additionally, lice tend to reproduce extremely quickly which makes it a difficult task to remedy the infestation within a few days. Fear not, there are several home remedies that can remove the parasites from your children and home easily and efficiently.

Garlic

Garlic has an incredibly strong fragrance that will suffocate the head lice to death.

Option #1
· Eight to ten cloves of garlic are to be ground into a paste and mixed with two to three teaspoons of lime juice. This mixture is to be applied onto the scalp and left there for at least 30 minutes. At the conclusion of the 30 minutes, the mixture is to be thoroughly rinsed from the scalp with hottest temperature of water than can be sustained without discomfort or injury.

Option #2
· Combine green tea, fresh garlic juice, lemon extract and shampoo and conditioner. Place the mixture onto the scalp thoroughly and then cover the entire head with either a shower cap or towel for at least 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minute time, wash hair regularly. Repeat this once per week for a maximum of two months.

Baby Oil

It is heavily believed that baby oil is able to suffocate head lice as well. When using baby oil as a home remedy for head lice, the followed steps are to be taken:

1. Apply baby oil to the head and comb hair slowly. This will cause lice to begin to slowly fall from the head.

2. Wash head completely with laundry detergent and hot water.

3. As you prepare for be, place white vinegar on the scalp and cover with either a shower cap or towel.

4. Upon awakening in the morning, remove the cap or towel from the head and wash with your current shampoo and conditioner.

This process works best when it is repeated for a maximum of four consecutive days.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is able to smother and kill head lice quite effectively.

Option #1
· Before going to bed for the night, apply a generous amount of olive oil to the head and scalp. Cover the head with a shower cap or towel. Upon waking in the morning, slowly comb out the dead parasites from the head and wash head with an herbal shampoo that contains tea tree oil.

Option #2
· Combine a half cup of conditioner with a half cup of olive oil and add a small amount of liquid soap. Apply the mixture to the head and scalp and let it stand for a minimum of an hour. At the end of the hour, rinse hair and apply a conditioner. In order to remove the dead lice bodies, comb the hair slowly and thoroughly. To achieve the very best results, the process is to be repeated a week later.

Salt

Salt allows for head lice infestations to be remedied by way of suffocation. Yes, salt will suffocate the lice to death. The following will guide you through the process of the at home salt remedy:

1. One quarter cup of vinegar is to be mixed with one quarter cup of salt thoroughly.

2. Spray the mixture over the head and scalp until the hair becomes damp. Cover the head with a shower cap and allow the mixture to stand for no less than two hours.

3. At the conclusion of the two hours, shampoo and condition hair as usual.

This treatment must be repeated every three days until all traces of the infestation have vanished for a full 24 hours.

Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly prohibits the movement of head lice. The following will guide through how to use it to remedy head lice:

1. Before going to bed, a thick layer of petroleum jelly is to be applied to the scalp

2. The head is to be covered, tightly, with a shower cap.

3. Upon waking up in the morning, baby oil is to be used in order to remove the petroleum jelly from the head.

4. Thoroughly comb hair to remove the head lice

This will need to be repeated over the course of several nights. Continue this treatment until there are no signs of head lice for a full 24 hours.

Tea Tree Oil

Many are not aware that tea tree oil is an all-natural pesticide. This reasoning alone makes it an incredibly effective remedy for head lice infestation. The following will guide you through how to properly utilize tea tree oil:

1. One ounce of shampoo, three tablespoons of either olive oil or coconut oil and one teaspoon of tea tree oil is to be mixed together.

2. The mixture is to be applied to the hair gently. Once the mixture has been thoroughly applied, cover the head with a shower cap of towel. Allow the mixture to stand for approximately an hour and a half. At the end of the allotted time, rinse hair thoroughly with hot water.

3. Comb hair slowly while hair is still wet in order to remove the dead head lice.

Do NOT apply tea tree oil directly onto the scalp.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil will prevent lice from moving about, therefore preventing them from reproducing and multiplying upon the head and scalp. The following will guide you through the proper implementation of this remedy:

1. Begin rinsing the hair completely with apple cider vinegar and then allow the hair to dry

2. Once the hair dries, the scalp and hair should be completely saturated with coconut oil. Cover the head with a shower cap and allow it to stand for a minimum of six hours or overnight

3. Once the mixture has been permitted to stand for the appropriate amount of time, comb the hair slowly and wash as you would normally.

To increase the effectiveness of this treatment, add several drops of anise essential oil to the coconut oil before saturating the hair and scalp. This method of treatment needs to be repeated every day for a week in order to be effective.

Read about more useful home remedies here.

Resources

Head Lice source
What to Do When Your Child Has Lice
The Most Common Questions About Head Lice