How to Get Rid of Head Lice
Traditionally, treatment for head lice has revolved around the use of chemical shampoos to kill off the louse. However, use of the shampoo does not guarantee that the infestation will go away; at least not on the first round. To get the low down on shampoos, visit FemPlace.com.
Many shampoos are not able to kill off the active nits. Once these nits hatch, the lice come back. This causes parents to think that the shampoo just did not work in the first place, rather than understand that a second round of shampoo treatment is required. In some cases, though, the lice may have developed a resistance to the chemicals in the shampoo, making any shampoo that contains that chemical ineffective.
In either case, a parent may end up washing their child’s hair repeatedly with these chemical shampoos, which is never a good idea. Other parents, though, are understandably hesitant to wash their child’s hair with what is essentially an insecticide. This why many parents and professionals have begun to turn to natural head lice shampoos and treatments.
Home Remedies for Killing Head Lice
Because lice breathe through vents in their sides, most head lice home remedies focus on smothering the lice in some way. One of the most often cited methods to treat head lice is mayonnaise. However, not only does mayonnaise smell rather unpleasant on your head after a while, it can also be difficult to get out, causing you to walk around with a head full of rancid mayonnaise.
Head lice olive oil treatment is thought to be one of the best natural alternatives for killing off head lice. Again, this method is effective because it suffocates the lice, causing them to die. Additionally, olive oil is easier to get out of your hair than other smothering solutions (and it’s a great conditioner for dry hair). Other smothering agents that are often cited include butter, petroleum jelly and mineral oil.
Tea Tree Oil
After the oil or petroleum jelly is applied, add a few drops of tea tree oil and rub into the hair. Some treatments even call for wrapping your child’s head in plastic. However, this can pose a serious suffocation hazard and should be avoided.
Nit Removal
Perhaps the most effective method of head lice removal is to manually remove each and every nit. Obviously, this is very time consuming but when used in conjunction with head lice shampoo or a home remedy for head lice, it is the best way to get rid of the lice. There are many specialty combs available on the market, even electronic ones, which can help make the search for lice and nits simpler. Some are even reimbursable as an FDA approved medical device. Lice combs are also the first step in head lice prevention.
However, head lice treatments don’t just stop at the head. It will also be necessary to do quite a bit of cleaning if you, your child or your family has a lice infestation. Any and all clothes, towels and bed sheets that have been used within the last two weeks by the affected person must be washed in hot water and placed in the dryer for a minimum of 20 minutes. Other items, like toys that cannot be washed, should be placed in plastic bags and sealed off for two weeks. In the meantime, the infested person’s mattress should not be used for at least 48 hours. Any brushes that have come into contact with the infested child’s hair should be soaked in very hot water for at least 15 minutes.
