How do I get rid of head lice with just home supplies?
Hi Senrii (and others). I run a lice removal/treatment service in the Los Angeles area. The one important ingredient you do not have in your home is a good lice/nit comb– something which is highly recommended. However, to answer specifically how to do it without any special materials, here’s how…
You can smother the adult lice with household materials. But you have to do this repeatedly. I would recommend doing a smothering treatment every 4 days for 2-3 weeks if you are not doing any combing.
The way it works is this– take sunflower oil, olive oil or coconut oil. If you do not have any of these, use whatever cooking oil you have. Thoroughly cover the hair in this oil. What happens is the oil covers the breathing holes of the lice and newts (juvenile lice). But it still takes hours for them to asphyxiate. You should cover the oiled hair and leave it for 6-8 hours (i.e. sleep with a shower cap). Then use the finest toothed comb you have and comb the lice out before washing your hair.
Another household ingredient you can use is Cetaphil hand lotion. Cover the hair with the lotion and blow-dry it. This will have a similar smothering effect. And after 6-8 hours in your hair, comb it out with the finest comb you have.
DO NOT use mayonnaise, even though many people recommend it. The reason is that if it is effective (and I’m not sure it is), it will start to rot on your head if you leave it on long enough to actually work (blech!).
Vinegar can’t hurt, so long as you keep it out of your eyes. But at this point, vinegar treatments haven’t been shown to be effective in actual clinical trials.
The reason you have to do this repeatedly is that the nits (or eggs) are very hard to kill without serious poisons. If you do not have a good nit comb to remove them, then you are basically killing the adults, waiting for the remaining eggs to be born, then killing those as they are born. That is why it is important to repeat the smothering treatment every 4 days. The hatched bugs will reach sexual maturity in 7-10 days. So you want to smother them and get them out well before they have a chance to mate and lay more eggs.
Don’t forget to vacuum couches, rugs and car seats, and wash and dry bedsheets and clothing at the highest temperature they will tolerate.
Good luck!
–Rona
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You really need to just get some medicine. I caught lice all the
time when I was a kid and I would experiment with it to try to kill
it. Nothing works. I have tried vinegar, mayo, gas, fingernail
polish remover and pretty much anything you can name.
……oh and also hairspray does not kill them. Why
wouldn’t you want to go buy treatment for this? You should
really just go out and splurge. At lest you will be rid of
this.
pull a Brittney and shave your head!
Shannon M on May 15, 2010
at 7:56 pm
DO NOT use mayonnaise, even though many people recommend it. The
reason is that if it is effective (and I’m not sure it is),
it will start to rot on your head if you leave it on long enough to
actually work (blech!).
Joshpeth R on May 15, 2010
at 2:38 pm
cut your hair with sizzors and then were a hat until it grows
in. remember to cut your head balld
The way it works is this– take sunflower oil, olive oil or
coconut oil. If you do not have any of these, use whatever cooking
oil you have. Thoroughly cover the hair in this oil. What happens
is the oil covers the breathing holes of the lice and newts
(juvenile lice). But it still takes hours for them to asphyxiate.
You should cover the oiled hair and leave it for 6-8 hours (i.e.
sleep with a shower cap). Then use the finest toothed comb you have
and comb the lice out before washing your hair.
Lice is nothing to play with and I dont understand why you would
consider spending money for treatment a waste of money !
Personally, I would pay any price if I had head lice !!!!!! I dont
know any home remedies, but suggest paying, therefore, being sure
it will take care of it.
#1 Marine Wife on May 15,
2010 at 1:27 pm
You can’t use home supplies, and get rid of Lice. You need
to go to the pharmacy, and buy the right products. I’m sure
there is something under your kitchen cabinet that would kill the
lice, and most likely yourself in the process. Be smart, and just
get the right stuff. Good luck with that.
I’ve heard of using mayonnaise before. I’m not sure
how long you’re supposed to leave it in though.
You are going to need to go get something for that somehow. I
don’t think that going to the store to get some NIX is
wasting money.
βεℓℓα
SpαÃøni ♥’s
βαtmαn on May 15,
2010 at 6:47 pm
I’ve also heard of using white vinegar too.
Hi Senrii (and others). I run a lice removal/treatment service
in the Los Angeles area. The one important ingredient you do not
have in your home is a good lice/nit comb– something which is
highly recommended. However, to answer specifically how to do it
without any special materials, here’s how…
on May 15,
2010 at 8:35 pm
Another household ingredient you can use is Cetaphil hand
lotion. Cover the hair with the lotion and blow-dry it. This will
have a similar smothering effect. And after 6-8 hours in your hair,
comb it out with the finest comb you have.
The reason you have to do this repeatedly is that the nits (or
eggs) are very hard to kill without serious poisons. If you do not
have a good nit comb to remove them, then you are basically killing
the adults, waiting for the remaining eggs to be born, then killing
those as they are born. That is why it is important to repeat the
smothering treatment every 4 days. The hatched bugs will reach
sexual maturity in 7-10 days. So you want to smother them and get
them out well before they have a chance to mate and lay more
eggs.
Vinegar, or kerosene, but be really careful
mayo. no joke, it suffocates them, but mayo on your head then
take like a grocery bag and tie it over your hair. no shaving no
bleaching. it works!
Don’t forget to vacuum couches, rugs and car seats, and
wash and dry bedsheets and clothing at the highest temperature they
will tolerate.
use mayo,put a shower cap on and wait 2 hours before washing.you
will want to do this more than one time!I would do this for about
three days just to be on safe side!But then you run into the
problem of you still have to treat your whole house!Carpet even
needs to be treated.so you will have to buy bedding and carpet
spray for lice,or you will keep getting them!
shave your head its really the only way
Kit Kat on May 15, 2010 at
6:29 pm
You can smother the adult lice with household materials. But you
have to do this repeatedly. I would recommend doing a smothering
treatment every 4 days for 2-3 weeks if you are not doing any
combing.
Vinegar can’t hurt, so long as you keep it out of your
eyes. But at this point, vinegar treatments haven’t been
shown to be effective in actual clinical trials.
Demon child on May 15, 2010
at 3:57 pm