How To Get Rid of Head Lice Naturally

Updated on January 8th, 2020
natural remedies to get rid of lice naturally

One of the biggest nightmares, for most mothers of school-going children, is the fear that the moment their children start school, they would be coming home with a head full of lice. Even though the whole scenario is not as scary as it might seem, working with getting rid of all that lice might actually be quite hard and also quite a long battle at that. Follow here to know about the top remedies for head lice.

Getting rid of the adult lice as well as the immature ones are not as tough as they might seem but then when it comes to getting rid of their eggs which are incidentally called nits are a whole different matter altogether since that requires a huge amount of constant vigilance on a parents part.

Natural Remedies For Head Lice

There are quite a few different ways of combating head lice. Here are a few:

  1. Lice Comb
  2. Head Lice Treatment
  3. Repeat Treatment
  4. Essential Oil Treatment
  5. Rubbing Alcohol
  6. Apple Cider Vinegar Treatment
  7. Clothing and Bedding

1. Lice Comb

lice comb
Image: ShutterStock

You can always get lice to comb for your child and comb the adult and immature lice out of the hair but then, it requires a whole lot of effort as well as you need to keep at it for quite a few days to get all of them out.

It is also required to oil the hair with almond or olive oil before combing them and make sections to make sure you have gone through the entire head of hair. Rinse the comb under running hot water constantly as you go to get the dead lice out.

Once the lice comb treatment has be used, it is essential that you give your child’s hair a good wash with a regular shampoo to clear out any remnants of the lice.

2. Head Lice Treatment

A pediculicide has been found to be the quickest way to get rid of head lice(1) in most cases since most of them are formulated to kill both lice as well as their eggs. Follow below steps for head lice treatment.

But if you do not find one that works for both, make sure to find one that works best for killing the crawling lice. This kind of pediculicide will need to be applied at least twice or thrice before the infestation is completely gone.

When using a pediculicide, make your child wear old clothes since after you are done with the treatment, you would want to throw away the infested clothing; and make then sit in the washroom while you are applying the treatment to their hair and scalp.

It is important that you read the instructions given on the back of the bottle to get the best out of the pediculicide. Let the treatment sit for an hour or so but not more as it might be harmful for your child’s hair and then wash off with warm water.

Do not use any kind of shampoo for at least 2 days after the application of the treatment.

3. Repeat Treatment

After exactly two weeks of the first treatment, it is necessary that you repeat it all over again to be sure that the infestation is completely gone since most lice that hatch from the left-over eggs that might not have got cleaned during the first treatment; need to be done away with all over again.

4. Essential Oil Treatment

Remedies for head lice
Image: ShutterStock

Alternatively, you can also try one of the essential oil hair treatments that also work with getting rid of head oil quite well, but the results might vary from children to children.

You can use neem, tea tree or lavender oil for this treatment as they have been known to work the best while working with lice.

Mix equal quantities of coconut oil or olive oil with any of the three previously mentioned essential oils and massage it on the hair and scalp and keep on for 12 hours or atleast overnight. Next morning make sure to comb out the hair and to a regular shampoo.

Repeat the process every 2-3 days for atleast 15 days to get rid of the lice altogether. Since all of these oils have antibiotic properties, they help fight the lice better as well as working towards giving the damaged hair better protection and moisturizing.

5. Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol when mixed with essential oils can also be used as a treatment for lice. Mix 15 to 20 drops of essential in in 100ml rubbing alcohol and spray on the hair and scalp to saturate it fully.

Leave on for a minimum of 12 hours and then cmb off the dead lice the next morning before washing the hair off with a regular shampoo. Repeat every 3 days for a minimum of 15 days to get rid of all the lice.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar Treatment

Apple cider vinegar -
Image:ShutterStock

Apple cider vinegar has been known to be quite beneficial for hair when it comes to the scalp as well as hair issues. Which is why trying out a treatment with apple cider vinegar is not just cheap but also healthy for the hair.

Take equal quantities of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle saturate the child’s scalp and hair with this mixture.

The acid in the vinegar will not just work with loosening the nits but will also help with killing the adult as well as the immature lice. Keep the mixture on for a maximum of 3 hours before combing the hair and washing off with a mild shampoo.

Make sure to repeat the treatment every alternative day for a minimum of 10-day to clear out all the lice as well as the nits.

7. Clothing and Bedding

It is highly essential that you make sure to wash all the clothing along with all the bedding that your child uses in hot water. So, as to make sure to get rid of any stray lice that might get stuck to the clothing or any eggs that might have been laid on the bedding while your child was sleeping.

Also, make sure to wash all stuffed toys and any fabric that your child might have come in contact with as they might be possible places of lice manifestations.

Lice do not normally have a long life after they have jumped from a person’s head but that does not mean that extra precautions should not be taken. Also, make sure to wash all hairbrushes and combs with warm water along with other hair accessories.

View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Scroll To Top

Sign up for our Newsletter !
Get access to quality &
Natural Health Tips right from the Experts
Subscribe !
Send this to a friend