Before you begin to treat your child (or yourself) for head lice, you should first ensure that they do indeed have head lice. This is worthy of mention as the condition is commonly over-diagnosed which can lead to parents and health professionals overlooking other possible causes.

The symptoms of head lice include an itchy scalp and visible red lumps on the head and neck area. Lice, unlike mites and other pests, are also visible to the naked eye. A quick search of the hair then should yield the presence of live lice moving around on top of the head and/or of tiny white oval shaped specs attached to the sides of hairs which are nits AKA lice eggs. Once you’ve identified the presence of these symptoms you can then look into using a home remedy for head lice.

It is possible to have nits with no infection of live lice, so if you are able to find eggs but no movement then it is possible to solve the problem with a simple thorough hair wash using regular shampoo combined with a nit comb which is finer than a regular comb – just wide enough for hairs – and will drag nits off of the individual hairs. In fact a thorough shampoo and comb is perhaps the simplest and most effective home remedy for head lice eggs. If you want to be even more thorough in your search however you can additionally use a pair of tweezers and use them to carry out a ‘search and destroy’ mission for any nits that may have been missed during the shampoo and fine comb. As lice can be hard to find however it may simply be that you failed to spot them, after a thorough wash then ensure to check regularly for the re-appearance of nits.

In this case something more drastic is required as a home remedy for head lice. Many products can be found that are specifically designed for the removal of head lice such as ‘Rid and Nix’ and ‘Ovide’. These treatments then take the place of regular shampoo when washing and combing hair. Using a product such as Rid and Nix should dispose of the problem within 7 to 10 days of treatment.

Some parents and patients however prefer to look for natural home remedies and alternatives to medicinal solutions – and these are particularly suitable for those with sensitive skin or scalps and can also save money.

If you or your child fall into those categories and you’d prefer not to use chemicals, there is many a home remedy for head lice that can provide a suitable alternative. One method is to simply do regular searches and remove both nits and live lice from the hair and scalp using tweezers (obviously you will require assistance in order to treat yourself this way). Even if you do use anti-lice shampoos it is still necessary to use a fine comb and possibly tweezers as these shampoos will not kill off all the eggs and otherwise the eggs will simply hatch at a later date resulting in more head lice.

If you still wish to use a head lice home remedy however in order to thoroughly treat a child or yourself without relying on a bought product, there are various things you can find around the house that will have a similar effect. The idea here is to use a substance that will lubricate the surface of your scalp and smother any lice. Common examples include mayonnaise, Vaseline and olive oil; with herbal alternatives including tea tree oil and essential oils. Each is as effective as the other as a home remedy for head lice. To use these you are required to cover the entirety of your scalp and hair as best as possible after washing then leave it on over night. This is obviously a rather messy procedure and it is advised that you lay a towel over your pillow or use a shower cap. Ensure that you wash off thoroughly after (actually some people believe it is the difficult act of completely covering, then completely washing the head and scalp that leads to effective removal of the head lice).

Another common home remedy for head lice is dog shampoo. These contain many of the same ingredients that exist in human lice products such as ‘pyrethrins’ and ‘permethrin’ as well as essential oils which as mentioned can be used as herbal remedies. Similarly washing up liquid can be used to more thoroughly cleanse the hair than would be possible with regular shampoo. Neither of these remedies is particularly advised however as both include many chemicals and ingredients that can cause irritation to sensitive skin, particularly around the head, and would be painful if allowed to get into the eye.

In conclusion then the best advice is simply to wash thoroughly and then attempt to comb or tweeze and survivors out of the hair. Repeat this over the course of several days until you’re happy that the problem has been dealt with. This is not only the most simple home remedy for head lice, but also the most effective and cheapest. Finally, make sure that upon removing the nits and lice you don’t allow yourself or your child to come into contact with other individuals who may have head lice. Head lice can not jump or fly so the only way to transmit them is to touch heads. Exercise caution if you know they’re going around and you should be able to avoid the problem. Alternatively you could always give your child a wet shave…

Mack LeMouse

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