5 Effective Remedies To Treat Head Lice At Home

For a mother, how scary it is to discover that her kid has got head lice? I am sure, many of you have gone through this experience already, and that’s why, I thought of sharing this article on the best home remedies for lice that give 100% result. Not only kids, even adults can get lice. Most common symptoms of head lice are excessive itching in head specially near the neck area, a ticklish feeling on the scalp, irritation behind the ears etc.

You can get infected with head lice by coming in contact with an infected person while playing, during sleepovers, sharing combs etc. Good news is that you can now get rid of them with the help of below mentioned home remedies for head lice.

# Garlic

Lets start our list of best home remedies for head lice with garlic. Garlic has a strong aroma that suffocate the lice. Lice are actually not fond of strong aroma and that’s why they cannot survive the smell of garlic. Lets check out how to use garlic as home remedies for head lice.

How to use garlic

- Take 8-10 garlic cloves and grind them to make a paste. To the garlic paste, add 2-3 tsp of lime juice. Apply this paste thoroughly on the scalp and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. Rinse off with hot water and mild shampoo.

- Alternatively, make a thick paste by mixing fresh garlic juice with cooking oil, lemon juice, green tea, some shampoo and conditioner. Spread this mask all over the scalp and hair. Wear a shower cap and wait for about 30 minutes. Wash off with a mild shampoo. Repeat these home remedies for head lice once or twice in a week for couple of months to get best results.

# Baby Oil

Baby oil is considered as one of the best home remedies for head lice. It is believed that baby oil can suffocate the lice and eventually kill them. Applying baby oil on the hair makes the hair slippery and it also becomes difficult for the eggs or the nits to stay attached to the hair shaft.

How to use baby oil

Apply generous amounts of baby oil on the scalp and hair and massage for few minutes. Cover the head with a shower cap. Do this at night and let the baby oil sit for overnight. The next day use the nit comb to remove the lice and the nits from the scalp. Use a mild shampoo to get rid of the oil from the hair. Repeat this entire process at least 2-3 times per week to kill head lice.

# Baking Soda

Next comes baking soda on our list of home remedies for head lice. Its a very powerful ingredient to get rid of head lice. Baking soda helps to give relief from the itchiness on the scalp due to head lice. Baking soda helps in removing moisture from the scalp and thus makes it difficult for the head lice to survive there. When used in combination with other natural ingredients, baking soda works effectively to kill head lice.

How to use baking soda

Lets check out few of the most effective home remedies for head lice using baking soda –

- Mix together baking soda and hair conditioner in 1:3 ratio. Apply this mixture on the scalp and hair. Next comb through your hair part by part and after every combing session wipe it on a paper towel to remove the adult lice, baby lice as well as the nits. Once you are done with combing all the sections of the hair, rinse off with a mild shampoo. Repeat this home remedies for head lice at least couple of times in a week for effective result.

- Alternatively, you can dust the head with baking soda and then apply some olive oil onto the scalp. Cover the head and go to sleep and let the baking soda and olive oil do the work overnight. In the morning, apply some hair conditioner on the hair and scalp. Use more baking soda and comb through the hair with a nit comb. You may have to repeat this amazing home remedies for head lice quite a few times to get rid of the lice and nits.

- Mix together a tsp baking soda and a cup of all purpose flour. Rub the mixture on your scalp gently and let it sit for ten minutes. Wash off with any mild shampoo. The flour particles along with the baking soda will help to get rid of the nits.

- Here is another very effective home remedies for head lice using baking soda. Combine together 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of vinegar and juice of half lemon in a bowl. Mix them well and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Divide your hair in small sections and spray the mixture. Once you cover your entire scalp, cover your head with a shower cap or a towel. Wait for 2 hours and then use a mild shampoo to rinse off the solution. Repeat this home remedies for head lice 2-3 times in a week for best results.

# Tea Tree Oil

When it comes to natural lice repellent, tea tree oil scores way more than other ingredients. It is a superb natural remedy to get rid of head lice and that too with 100% result. Tea tree oil has natural insecticidal and ovicidal effects, which means it has the ability to kill the lice as well as the nits. Tea tree oil contains two major components that are responsible for its natural insecticidal properties – 1,8-cineole and terpinen-4-ol. According to researches, 1 percent tea tree oil solution can actually kill 100 percent head lice within 30 minutes.

How to use tea tree oil

- Apply a few drops of tea tree oil on the scalp and hair affected by the parasites. Leave it on overnight and in the next morning, use a fine nit comb to comb through the hair and remove the lice and the nits.

- Alternatively, you can mix together 1 tsp tea tree oil, 3 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil and some shampoo. Apply the resultant mixture all over the scalp and hair and then, wear a shower cap to cover the head. Wait for 30-35 minutes and then, wash off using warm water. While your hair is still wet, comb through using a nit comb to remove the dead lice and nits.

- Add 6-7 drops of tea tree oil in some coconut oil and massage the scalp thoroughly with the concoction. Wait for an hour and then, wash off with mild shampoo and follow up with a conditioner.

- Here is one more natural treatment to kill the head lice. Take some coconut oil and add 3-4 drops of lavender oil as well as 5-6 drops of tea tree oil. Mix well and apply this combination on the scalp and hair. Leave it on overnight and wash off with shampoo the next morning. Don’t forget to comb through the hair with a nit comb to remove the dead lice and eggs.

# Vinegar

Lets get one thing clear, vinegar will not kill the head lice. But we still suggest you to use vinegar as home remedies for head lice. Why? Well, vinegar is the result of two biochemical processes – alcoholic fermentation and acid fermentation. During acid fermentation, the micro organisms present in the air convert the alcohol into acetic acid. Normally, vinegar has acetic acid concentration of 5%, and this acetic acid will help to loosen the glue that helps the nits to stay attached to the hair shafts. You need to use a good nit comb to comb through the hair and remove the nits. However, the acetic acid cannot destroy the outer protective shell of the nits, therefore, cannot kill them.

We can use white vinegar, wine vinegar as well as apple cider vinegar to get rid of nits.

How to use vinegar

Combine equal parts of vinegar and water and apply this onto the scalp, specially in the neck area and behind the ears as well. Make sure to cover the entire scalp with this solution. Wait for few minutes and then, rinse off. Use a nit comb to comb out the nits. Repeat this process daily until you see no more nits on the scalp and hair.