Home Remedies for Head Lice 

Head lice are very small parasitic insects that live on the human scalp and survive on blood that they draw from it. Although they do not actually cause any serious harm, head lice are unbelievably annoying. Some of the signs of head lice include an itchy, inflamed and irritated scalp. They tend to be the most common among preschool, elementary and middle school aged children.

Causes of Head Lice 

Head lice are very contagious and spread from human to human, which is the main reason that they are the most common among school aged children. A child can get lice by sharing combs or brushes, clothing or bedding with someone who has been infected with lice. Keep in mind that head lice can be caused when you come in contact directly with them or their eggs, which are called nits.  

Home Remedies for Head Lice 

If you have noticed nits, you can try to get them off of your child's head by using tweezers or a nit comb. Although this can be effective, it is generally time consuming. 

Apply mayonnaise to the scalp. Leave it on overnight, preferably with a shower cap to prevent messes. The reason that it works is because it smothers the head lice.

Rinse the scalp with alcohol. A 100% alcohol solution can be used or you can mix it with 50% water if it burns due to an irritated scalp. 

Apply Listerine to the scalp using a cotton ball or cloth. Use a shower cap to prevent the Listerine from getting in the eyes. Leave it on for one to two hours before rinsing out the hair.  
Use a cotton ball to apply vinegar to the scalp. Use a shower cap and leave it on for one to two hours before rinsing it out. 

Olive oil can be used the same way that mayonnaise can be. Overnight, it will smother head lice. Note that almost any cooking oil will work the same way. Oil and vinegar can be used in combination with one another.  

Use a conditioner, which will make the hair very slippery, so the lice will have a hard time clinging to the hair. It is believed that vanilla or coconut conditioners work best, due to a chemical that is found in them. 

After you wash your hair with regular shampoo and conditioner, apply Coconut Oil to the scalp. 

Denorex, a shampoo used to treat dandruff, is believed to kill or prevent head lice.  

Mix lemon or lemon juice and butter. Apply  it to the scalp and leave it there for no longer than one minute. Rinse the scalp thoroughly.  

Tea Tree Oil can be mixed with regular conditioner or shampoo and applied to the scalp. 

Shave the head and make sure that no nits have remained attached to the scalp.  

Mix an egg yolk and vinegar together. Apply it to the scalp and rinse after 2 hours.

Soak 15 almonds in about 1 cup of water. Then, mix it with lemon juice and apply it to the scalp. After 1 to 2 hours, rinse the scalp thoroughly with warm water.

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