Anise oil Anise oil may coat and suffocate lice . A 2018 study of natural remedies for lice in children found that anise oil was one of the most effective natural remedies. Although other natural remedies were frequently effective, anise oil was one of just two that permanently eliminated lice.
Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid similar to naturally occurring pyrethrins. Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs.
Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits. Only items that have been in contact with the head of the infested person in the 48 hours before treatment should be considered for cleaning.
1. Can vinegar kill lice eggs? Vinegar is one of the classic home remedies for lice. However, if you are trying to find out how to get rid of nits using vinegar, you should know that using vinegar to kill nits or lice eggs is totally ineffective.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
HAND SANITIZER "STUNS" LIVE LICE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME MAKING IT EASY TO BE REMOVED WITH NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER WILL DISSOLVE THE "GLUE" THAT HOLDS NITS TO THE HAIR MAKING THEM EASY TO REMOVE WITH A NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER CAN BE USED DAILY.
Sometimes it will be easier to remove the nits if you wet the hair with white vinegar while you are combing the nits out. Vinegar helps loosen the "glue" that holds the nits to the hair. Separate and comb small sections of hair at a time.
Rinsing the hair with white vinegar before washing may help dissolve the glue that holds the nits to the hair shafts.
Heat Method:
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
Because the active ingredients have remained the same all these years, new generations of head lice have become immune to them. Once lice become immune, the product no longer works. Scientists call this resistance.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense.
Left untreated, head lice can lead to secondary infections, which can be serious. Bacterial infections, such as impetigo, can occur when scratched bites become infected; this can have serious consequences if not treated properly.
A preventative shampoo and spray can break the life cycle. A shampoo that kills lice before they can lay eggs is critical for closing the “bridge” from one head to another.
Prevention of Head Lice
Weekly head checks and the use of mint spray is your best defense. Mint Spray Recipe: Put 10 drops of mint essential oil into 16 ounces of tap or bottled water in a spray bottle. Spray on hair at least daily.
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline).
Like olive oil, many moms swear by this (other options: styling gel or mayonnaise). The thick jelly supposedly suffocates lice by clogging their breathing holes. For best results, coat the hair and scalp, cover it overnight with a shower cap, and wash out the next morning. Comb for nits.
Vinegar contains properties that kill and get rid of nits and lice. This mixture should be applied directly to the whole scalp. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of warm water. Next, distribute this mixture onto the scalp and cover your hair with a hair cap.
Ivermectin (Sklice). This lotion kills most head lice, even just-hatched lice, with just one use. You don't need to comb out lice eggs (nits). Children ages 6 months and older can use this product.
Mechanical removal or 'comb and conditioner' method
The conditioner does not kill lice but stuns them for about 20 minutes enabling easier removal. The long toothed metal comb will remove nits and the stunned head lice. Wipe the comb on a white tissue and check for any lice or nits.
Shaving the head does not cure lice. The itching should go away within a few days, but the medicated treatment will need to be repeated in 5 to 7 days to kill any new lice that may have hatched since the first treatment.
Generally, if no live crawling insects are seen three weeks after the treatment, it's safe to assume that they are gone. Nits would have hatched by that time if they were alive. Nits and their shells may remain in the hair for some time but won't be viable.
Many people with head lice have no symptoms at all. It's impossible to diagnose head lice based on symptoms alone since the only symptom that matters is the presence of lice. However, experiencing the following symptoms suggests it is time to check the scalp: frequent unexplained itching of the head or scalp.
Listerine contains alcohol that kills lice. Applying a dilute vinegar solution afterward can loosen the glue that holds nits to the hair shaft and make them easier to remove. Lice also could be smothered with coconut oil.
Active lice are challenging to physically catch and remove when running around the scalp. Carefully blow-drying the hair on the head can slow them down, but they are still difficult to remove from the head and relatively few are removed by nit-combing.
You might think "does bleach kill lice?" Thankfully, bleach is effective for disinfecting and killing lice.