Head Lice Remedies: BEWARE of Harmful Head Lice Treatments

With so many head lice remedies available on the market today and so much differing advice on treating head lice infestation it can be a daunting task finding the right information.

What should you do first?  Buy over the counter lice medication at your local pharmacy, should you rush to your doctor for something stronger that requires a prescription, or tryout some head lice remedies which you can easily prepare at home.

Although some would argue that you are wasting your time with do-it-yourself home lice remedy cures and will warn you that they are very messy and smelly and don’t really work too well.

You have to ask yourself the question what did our parents and grandparents use before there was a drug store on every corner.  Some of the natural remedies they used must have worked?

Over the counter non-prescription lice medication use both chemical and pesticides to kill the adult louse and will often include a small nit comb in the packaging.  When using these treatments it is of the utmost importance to read the instructions and apply the medication strictly as recommended

Many of the head lice shampoos, non drip mousse preparations and gels are intended to be applied to dry hair since wetting the hair before application will only dilute the active ingredients and reduce the overall effectiveness off the treatment.

It is also important to leave the shampoo (or other preparation) on the hair for the recommended time period.  Washing out the solution too soon and the headlice may not die, on the other hand, leaving the solution on the hair for longer periods than recommended will increase the risk of skin irritation and possibly other hazards.

Natural head lice remedies are less researched and are not subject to thorough medical tests that over-the-counter and prescription treatments undergo before being approved.  Nevertheless, many parents swear by the effectiveness of using more natural treatments which are not as toxic.

A simple home lice remedy that is commonly recommended as ‘smothering agent’ to kill the head louse is mayonnaise, petroleum jelly and olive oil can also be used.  The purpose of this treatment is to suffocate the louse by applying thick oil-based products to the scalp.  This is usually applied just before bedtime along with a plastic wrap around the head.

In the morning the hair is thoroughly shampooed and washed out and may even require multiple shampooing causing irritation of the scalp.  Using a medicated dandruff shampoo could be helpful in reducing irritation.

Another head lice remedy mixture contains half white vinegar and half olive oil in a plastic spray bottle, you will also need a special nit comb, or you could even use a pet flea brush.

Shake well then spray on the hair whilst combing the hair with a nit comb, when finished wash the hair with suitable shampoo. (The purpose of the vinegar is to destroy the glue which holds the louse egg onto the scalp: more information at headliceremedies.org)

A less messy solution to using ‘smothering agents’ is to make your own lice shampoo.  A typical mixture would include 12.5 ounces of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 4 ounces of white vinegar, and 2 ounces of tea tree oil.  Put all the ingredients into a squeezy bottle and shake well to mix all of the ingredients.

Use this mixture as a regular hair shampoo leaving it on for approximately 5 minutes, then rinse out thoroughly and apply conditioner to the hair to soften it. Used on a daily basis you should see results in about 7 – 10 days, just be careful it doesn’t get into the eyes and mouth.

More recently with the advances in technology you can now purchase battery operated lice combs. One type of comb ‘MagiComb’ has two sets of side by side vibrating teeth that glide through the hair.

The manufacturers of the MagiComb claim that the vibro-teeth can pull even the smallest lice and nits off the hair and scalp and will not pierce the skin or pull the hair.  Then there’s the ‘Robi’ comb which actually electrocutes the head lice! killing any hair lice in its path even the ones that have just hatched.

If you are unfortunate to encounter a strain of head lice which is immune to the active ingredients found in over-the-counter non prescription products and do-it-yourself head lice remedies, your only option is for a much stronger prescription medication.

Just be aware that some prescriptions may include a powerful pesticide known as Lindane which is very effective against all strains of head lice and succeeds were all other treatments have failed, on the downside, Lindane is a neurotoxic pesticide and can be potentially harmful to all children.

Finally, you could spend a small fortune on head lice remedies, some will work better than others but just remember this, a 99% extermination rate is not enough.  If you leave just one nit (one louse egg) they can and will come back.

Find more details here and view current special offers on a range of head lice treatments : lice combs : headlice shampoos

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