Some Ways to Kill Head Lice

"The biggest problem today is that lice have become resistant to the over-the-counter stuff," said Anna Albano-Krosche, owner of the head lice removal salon, The Lice Lady of Westchester in Elmsford, N.Y.

Natural remedies can get rid of lice, they're just not as well studied as commercial treatments. Here are a variety of home remedies, over-the-counter, and prescription treatments used to treat head lice.

First things first: Take a deep breath and don't freak out if your child has head lice. Sure, they're gross (just talking about them can make your head itch), but they're not actually harmful to health.

It's best to approach lice as a war on many fronts: You need to use a variety of techniques to kill not only adult lice, but also their tiny eggs (called nits), which are glued to the hair shaft. The nits can survive treatments that kill the adults and vice versa (These bugs have evolved over a millennium to live in hair, so they're tricky).

It's best to steel yourself for weeks or months of vigilance since lice can reappear due to repeated exposure or a missed nit. What doesn't help is panic.

Nitpicking and combing

The gold standard for head lice removal, you'll need to do this in conjunction with almost all other treatments. First you comb hair section by section with a special comb (you can buy one at the drugstore) to remove lice and nits.

Years ago Albano-Krosche spent hours extracting nits by hand from her kids' hair. These days, she wields a fined-toothed metal comb. "It's so much quicker and cleaner and neater," she said. After a comb-through, she uses a magnification light to find and pick out any strays.

"No matter what kind of (lice-killing) product you use, the combing it the key," she said. You cannot get rid of lice until you've picked every last egg, she noted.

Olive oil

This kitchen staple is thought to be an excellent smothering agent. Lice supposedly suffocate and die when the ooze plugs their breathing holes, but it needs to be applied overnight under a shower cap because lice can survive without breathing for hours. You'll also have to comb to remove nits, but the olive oil should help loosen them from the hair shafts.

Hair dryers

In a study, hot-air methods proved highly effective in killing nits, but less so in eradicating live lice. An old-fashioned bonnet dryer killed nearly 89% of nits but just 10% of lice, while a blow dryer using direct heat got rid of nearly 98% of nits and 55% of lice. So use a hair dryer on freshly washed hair to increase your chance of eradicating the little buggers.

But never use hot air after applying a chemical lice treatment. Some may contain flammable ingredients

Ivermectin

Approved in February 2012, ivermectin lotion 0.5% (brand name Sklice) comes from bacteria found in soil. It paralyzes and kills lice and their eggs and can be used with kids over 6 months of age. In clinical trials, roughly three-quarters of patients were lice-free after a single application (without nit combing) two weeks after treatment. Fewer than 1% experienced side effects, such as eye and skin irritation.

Apply the lotion to dry hair and scalp. Rinse after 10 minutes.

Hair styling gel/petroleum jelly

There's not a lot of research that proves that applying thick, hair-stiffening styling gel or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) kills head lice, although like olive oil, many moms swear by it. The goo supposedly suffocates the bugs by clogging their breathing holes.

One study found petroleum jelly worked better than other home remedies. However, the National Pediculosis Association cautions that Vaseline may not work and is difficult to remove. (Styling gel should be easier to wash out.)

Here's one approach: Coat the hair and scalp, cover it overnight with a shower cap, and wash out the next morning. Comb for nits. Repeat the treatment one week later.

Mayonnaise

It's a great binder for macaroni salad, but does mayonnaise cut it as a head lice treatment? Lice can open and close their breathing holes to avoid suffocation, so there's no guarantee that it will work. The National Pediculosis Association has received conflicting reports on the success of this home remedy.

People who've tried it recommend using real, full-fat mayonnaise. Slather it on liberally and pop on a shower cap. Let the mayo do its thing overnight. Shampoo and comb for nits in the morning. Repeat one week later to kill any lice that hatch from nits that survive the treatment.

Vinegar

Some people believe vinegar will dissolve the sticky glue that the female louse uses to attach her eggs to hair shafts. The acetic acid in vinegar is considered helpful in prepping hair for nit combing after using a bug-killing treatment.

Like many lice home remedies, there's no proven evidence of a clinical benefit.

Often, white vinegar is recommended—either straight up or diluted with water.

Prevention

Lice are just as happy to invade a squeaky clean head as a dirty one, so frequent washing is no guarantee of preventing an infestation.

The best advice is to avoid head-to-head contact. And don't make it easy for them to crawl from one head to the next. Keep long hair in a tight ponytail or braid. Other tips: Don't share combs, brushes, barrettes, hats, scarves or pillows. Albano-Krosche suggests adding a couple drops of an essential oil, such as tea tree oil, to your own grooming products to ward off the bugs.

Source: Health