15 Home Remedies About How to Get Rid of Head Lice

Head lice are annoying and unhygienic; they live in your hair. Everyone has had head lice at least once in their life. They are the source of a lot of embarrassment and humiliation. Head lice also cause itching. Children usually get them easily from other children, grownups can also get head lice. The classroom and playground are two very common places where head lice are transferred from one child to the next. Do not get too close with a person who has head lice, as they can easily jump from their head into yours. Avoid sharing hair accessories or other objects with such a person.

“Head lice can be the source of a lot of embarrassment but you do not need to hide away, use any of these easy ways to get rid of head lice for good.”

15. Garlic

The strong smell of garlic can kill head lice by suffocating them. Here is how to get rid of lice using this garlic remedy.

• Take 10 cloves of garlic and grind them together into a paste.
• Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the paste.
• Mix well and apply this paste on your scalp.
• Coat each and every strand with this paste and leave it on the hair for 30 minutes.
• Wash your hair with warm water.

Repeat this process at least thrice every week.

14. Salt

Salt helps in the removal of head lice. Here is a simple DIY recipe that requires salt and vinegar. To use this head lice treatment, follow these steps:

• Mix equal amounts of both salt and vinegar.
• Pour the salt and vinegar solution in a spray bottle.
• Section your hair and spray thoroughly.
• Leave it in your hair for 2 hours and wash with lukewarm water.
• Run a nit comb through your hair when you step out of the shower.

This should kill all head lice if it is done every other day.

13. White Vinegar

White vinegar contains acids that kill head lice. All you need to do is pour some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray your hair. Leave it in your hair for an hour and wash with lukewarm water. Repeat this process twice each week for good results.

12. Essential Oils

Essential oils help get rid of head lice; one example is tea tree oil. It is one of the best home remedies for lice you can try. Do not apply it on the scalp, especially if you have sensitive skin.

• Mix your shampoo with some tea tree oil. You can also use a shampoo that already contains tea tree oil.
• Apply this mixture in your hair and wash after 10 minutes.
• Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar.
• Run a nit comb through your hair.

11. Apple Cider Vinegar

Rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar can help eliminate head lice. You can also use apple cider vinegar after some other application for better results. Her is how to get rid of head lice using apple cider vinegar.

Apply coconut oil to your hair after the rinse, leave it in for 1 or 2 hours and wash with shampoo. Run a good quality nit comb through your hair.

10. Use a Flat Iron

Using a flat iron regularly damages your hair; the one good thing it does is it prevents the head lice from developing.

Using your flat iron on high setting can effectively kill all eggs and live head lice. Flat iron your hair after using an anti-lice treatment. To use this head lice treatment follow these suggestions.

• Turn your flat iron on the highest setting.
• Run it slowly through your hair.
• You will feel the heat from the flat iron kill the head lice.

This will damage your hair, so you have to be prepared for that outcome. Getting rid of head lice comes at a price.

9. Use Sesame Seed Oil

Sesame seed oil limits the movement of head lice. When you apply a lot of oil to your hair, the head lice have a hard time moving as quickly. In home remedies for head lice, this is really effective and quick ones.

• Coat your hair with sesame seed oil; you can also use warm coconut oil.
• Let the oil sit in your hair for about 10 minutes.
• Divide the hair into sections and run your nit comb through them.

The nits and head lice will be easier to kill if their movement is somewhat impaired.

8. Mayonnaise

This remedy is a little messy, but it helps remove head lice. Learn how to get rid of head lice using this mayonnaise treatment.

• Coat your hair completely with mayonnaise.
• Cover your hair with a shower cap and go to sleep.
• Remove the shower cap when you wake up in the morning.
• Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar.
• Shampoo and condition your hair with your usual products.
• Run a nit comb through the hair.

Repeat this process twice a week.

“Head lice are annoying and embarrassing; they are a common problem for children and women. You can easily get rid of head lice within a week with some care.”

7. Dye Your Hair

This is a drastic measure, go for this option if nothing else works. The ammonia present in hair dyes helps kill live head lice. Choose this option if all other methods have failed.

• Buy any good hair dye available in the market
• Follow the directions written on the box.
• Run your nit comb through your hair once you have finished with the dying process.

6. Comb Them Out

Use a nit comb. Nit combs are good for the removal of lice; they can be used after you have washed your hair with an anti-lice shampoo. Nit combs have their teeth spaced very close together. Head lice in all stages of their life get trapped in the comb and are removed. To use this amazing head lice treatment follow these suggestions:

• Wet your hair using a water spray.
• Part your hair in different sections.
• Use your comb on one section at a time.
• Run your comb from the root to the tips.
• Check your comb for head lice and kill them if found.
• Repeat this process a few times in one section before proceeding to a different section.
• Run your comb in different directions. This helps to trap the head lice.

5. Wet or Damp Hair

Head lice can get lost in your dry hair. It is easy to lose sight of one even if you just saw it a second ago. They move quickly and hide in your hair.

Wet or damp hair limits their movement; it narrows their chances of escape. Run a nit comb through your hair when it is wet or damp. This increases your chances of finding head lice and getting rid of them.

4. Anti-lice Shampoo

This is probably one of the simplest home remedies for head lice but you need a good shampoo for this. You can find a lot of shampoos in the market that target head lice and help in their elimination. If you have a sensitive scalp then you should avoid using such shampoos as they contain ingredients that might irritate your scalp further. Use only a small amount on children.
Such shampoos can strip off the natural moisture in your hair; apply oil or conditioner on your hair when you get rid of the head lice to nourish them back to health.

3. Keep Checking Your Hair Regularly

It is foolish to assume that only one application of any head lice treatment will rid you of your problem, it won’t. You need to work attentively. Head lice require hard work; you need to check your hair every day. If you leave your hair as it is after one or two applications, the head lice will come back. Head lice mature fast and they lay eggs even faster. You need to remove all head lice and all eggs to be completely free of them. This requires you to keep checking your hair regularly.

2. Practice Good Hygiene

A good hygiene is very important for all things and the first step if you really want to know how to get rid of head lice effectively.  Wash your hair with a good shampoo every other day. Do not increase the gaps between showering your hair. A dirty head is the perfect home for lice.

Wash your hair with a good anti-lice shampoo twice every month, even if you do not have any head lice. This will help prevent head lice and get rid of them in an early stage, if they do occur.

1. Start Early

Start early with your treatment. Do whatever you are planning to do immediately; waiting will cause you a lot of harm. Head lice grow and give eggs with each passing day. It takes a minimum of one week to completely get rid of them, and that too only if your hair is checked regularly. Prolonging the treatment will cause the head lice to spread from the head of one individual in the family to all of the rest.

Therefore, start early if you want to get rid of head lice fast.

Do’s

• Invest in a good nit comb.
• Practice good hygiene.
• Use an anti-lice treatment.
• Check your hair regularly.
• Be patient.
• Consult your doctor before doing anything if you are pregnant.

Don’ts

• Don’t go many days without washing your hair.
• Don’t share hair accessories with someone who has head lice.
• Avoid sitting too close to people who have head lice.
• Don’t continue any of these treatments if you develop a reaction.
• Do not expect your hair to be free of head lice after only one or two applications.