Head Lice Removal: Effective Ways to Get Rid of Head Lice
However, there are ways to speed up the treatment process in the short term. Whatever method you use, make sure you repeat it every week.
Use Homemade Topical Medications
Learn how different natural products can get rid of lice. Some vegetable oils can kill lice and eggs, including tea tree oil, anise oil, and ylang-ylang oil. Other products that can suffocate head lice are used in shower cap treatments, such as mayonnaise, olive oil, petroleum jelly, or butter. These alternative treatments are preferable to over-the-counter medications because they are less expensive and non-toxic.
Mix tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil. Take 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil, and 1 teaspoon of eucalyptus oil, and mix with 2 tablespoons of conditioner. Apply this mixture to your child’s scalp, leave it on overnight, and wash it off the next morning. Then use white conditioner to treat head lice. In a well-lit area, use a comb to remove dead lice and eggs from your child’s hair.
- As long as one of these two methods works, the head lice should be dead within twenty minutes.
Make a nighttime treatment with essential oils and olive oil. Mix 60 ml (4 tablespoons) of olive oil with 15 to 20 drops of essential oil. Use a cotton ball to apply this mixture to the patient’s scalp. Massage gently into the scalp until completely absorbed. This should be left on the patient’s head for at least 12 hours. The next morning, comb your hair with a comb and then wash it. Available essential oils include:
- Tea tree oil
- Lavender oil
- Peppermint oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Red thyme oil
- Nutmeg oil
- Clove oil
Use Night Shower Cap Therapy
Prepare some products that will suffocate the head lice. You can suffocate head lice with olive oil, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, butter, or mayonnaise. The amount of product should be enough to cover the entire scalp. For example, 4 tablespoons of Vaseline is enough.
Prepare your work area. After gathering the products, choose the room you want to treat. Find a room without carpet so you can clean it thoroughly after doing this. Perfect for the kitchen, bathroom, or any outdoor location. Be prepared with gloves, a few clean towels, a bucket of hot water, and a shower cap. Have the patient sit on a stool high enough for you to easily play with his hair.
Be safe. Remember to wear disposable gloves. During any treatment, cover the patient’s eyes with a towel to prevent oil from accidentally getting into the eyes.
- Nighttime shower cap therapy is not recommended for younger children. Shower caps may suffocate your child; instead, try this method during the day.
Apply a generous amount of product to the patient’s hair. Make sure the product is applied to the patient’s entire head, as close to the scalp as possible, and cover all hair. Have the patient put on a shower cap? The shower cap shouldn’t be too loose, but it shouldn’t be too tight either, just be comfortable. Wear a shower cap for at least 8 hours.
Take off the shower cap. Washing the patient’s hair with shampoo should remove the product from the hair. For greasy products like petroleum jelly, kitchen soap will work well. Comb your hair with a comb to remove dead lice and eggs.
Follow-up Care
Even after an overnight treatment, you (or the patient) must brush your hair every night for three weeks to make sure there are no new lice. Use a specially designed lice comb. The teeth of this comb are made of metal. The teeth are long and closely spaced. Do not use plastic combs or free combs as they may contain head lice.
Repeat treatment after one week. Currently, available head lice removal products cannot kill all eggs. These treatments kill lice that have already hatched, but the eggs hatch at different times, so new lice may develop after treatment. Repeat treatment within 7 to 10 days. Follow the previous steps and do it again. This will kill any new and adult lice.
Check the hair. Use a comb to break the hair into small sections and check each section for eggs, live or dead lice. If you find that you still have head lice after your second treatment, consider a different method, or use your doctor’s prescription. No matter what, head lice cannot go untreated.
Go to the doctor. You should see your doctor immediately when you notice lice. You may need to make a follow-up appointment. If you or your child doesn’t get better within three weeks, see a doctor. Additionally, if your child’s scalp is itchy and the skin is broken, an infection may develop. Also, seek medical advice if you are concerned about this.
- There are many topical medications available to treat head lice. Some are available over-the-counter (OTC) and others require a prescription. Lice may become resistant to certain medications, so if one medication doesn’t work, you may want to try a different one. Before using medicine, be sure to talk to your doctor.
- Permethrin 1% Cream (over-the-counter)
- Malathion (Marathon) 0.5% Milk (prescription only)
- Pyrethrin 0.33% Shampoo (over-the-counter)
- Benzyl alcohol 5% milk (prescription only)
- Spinosad 0.9% (prescription only)
- Ametin 0.5% topical milk (prescription only)
Clean the house and wash items. Lice do not survive long if they fall off a person because they cannot feed. Although lice will die within a day or two as long as they are unable to feed on human blood, it is still beneficial to clean the house and wash items to prevent reinfection. Complete the following steps:
- Wash all linens in the washing machine, as well as any items the patient is currently wearing and those worn two days before treatment. Set the washing machine to hot water (55°C) for cleaning.
- All washed items are machine-dried on high heat.
- Take dry-clean-only clothing to the dry cleaner.
- Put the hair comb in hot water at 55℃ and soak it for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Vacuum all floors and furniture. Pay particular attention to areas where infected people have been.
- Do not use disinfectant spray. These sprays are harmful to humans.
Tips
- Head lice can survive for up to 2 days after leaving the scalp.
- Head lice do not transmit disease.
- Animals do not spread head lice; head lice only feed on human blood.
- Do not use kerosene on your child’s head. Using kerosene is dangerous and may catch fire.
- Add tea tree oil to your shampoo to get rid of head lice. You can also put some in hair gel or hair lotion. Use this to take care of your child’s hair every day, which can effectively drive away lice!