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What are the Different Lice Home Remedies?

Anna T.
Anna T.

Some of the different lice home remedies include manual lice and lice egg removal and the application of various oily substances on the hair to suffocate the lice. People also occasionally use shampoos containing tea tree oil to remove lice, but this is not always effective. There are many people who prefer lice home remedies over chemical-laden lice-removing shampoos, but these home remedies are not necessarily proven to work. If home remedies for getting rid of lice are ineffective, it will probably be necessary to use a product containing chemicals to completely kill all the lice that are present.

Many people try to get rid of lice by going over the scalp and hair with tweezers and lice combs. Tweezers tend to be helpful for plucking out live lice, and lice combs are generally useful for combing lice eggs out of the hair. It might be necessary to repeat this process three or four times before all the lice are completely gone because lice and lice eggs are so small that they tend to be easy to miss. Even though this method requires patience and persistence, it is typically an effective alternative to chemical lice removal.

A head louse.
A head louse.

Another one of the popular lice home remedies is to coat the scalp in an oily substance, such as vinegar, olive oil, or mayonnaise, and then cover the scalp with some type of cap so the oily solution can remain in place overnight. The idea behind this remedy is that the oil will suffocate the live lice. Sometimes this process works, and sometimes it doesn't. Even if it does work, it will still be necessary to manually go through and pick lice eggs out of the hair because otherwise the eggs will hatch in a few days, and the lice infestation will begin again.

Mayonnaise may help with lice.
Mayonnaise may help with lice.

There are shampoos available containing tea tree oil that may help with killing lice. Many people use tea tree products for help with various scalp problems, including dandruff and psoriasis. Tea tree is considered a type of natural pesticide, and for this reason it might be beneficial for killing lice. Most people report that lice home remedies involving tea tree oil do not work as well as most other home remedies for lice. If this method is attempted for lice removal, it might be a good idea to combine it with manual lice removal or coating the scalp with an oily substance overnight to help boost its effectiveness.

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    • A head louse.
      By: Carolina K Smith MD
      A head louse.
    • Mayonnaise may help with lice.
      By: picsfive
      Mayonnaise may help with lice.
    • Mayonnaise is sometimes used on the hair to kill head lice.
      By: Alexandra
      Mayonnaise is sometimes used on the hair to kill head lice.
    • A layer of olive oil on the scalp might help kill lice.
      By: Luis Carlos Jiménez
      A layer of olive oil on the scalp might help kill lice.
    • Applying petroleum jelly to the hair may help to kill lice.
      By: Graça Victoria
      Applying petroleum jelly to the hair may help to kill lice.
    • Tweezers can be useful for removing lice by hand.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Tweezers can be useful for removing lice by hand.
    • Tea tree oil, rosemary and neem work for some people to get rid of lice.
      By: Voyagerix
      Tea tree oil, rosemary and neem work for some people to get rid of lice.