What repels head lice? Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Nix out lice. From the #1 pediatrician-recommended lice removal brand*, Nix Lice & Bed Bug Killing Spray for Home will kill lice and bed bugs and is effective for up to 4 weeks. It's easy to use – simply spray on affected areas such as bedding and furniture.
Although peppermint extract for lice is a useful strategy against lice infestation, it has not been proven to kill or eliminate lice in an area. This is a widespread myth, as many natural lice treatments use peppermint oil. However, peppermint oil is ineffective at killing living lice on the head.
Blow dry your child's hair. It has to be thoroughly dry down to the scalp to suffocate the lice. Expect this to take 3 times longer than normal drying.
Vinegar does not kill lice, nor does it harm lice eggs.
Hair bleach contains strong chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, ammonium persulfate, and stearyl alcohol. Unfortunately, these chemicals still do not guarantee to kill all louse and will not penetrate the hard casings of nits.
Heat Method:
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
The conditioner does not kill lice but stuns them for about 20 minutes enabling easier removal. The long toothed metal comb will remove nits and the stunned head lice. Wipe the comb on a white tissue and check for any lice or nits. Keep combing until no more appear on the tissue.
It is not usually possible to get rid of lice in one day, as an infestation needs to be treated. However, there are treatments that can help get rid of lice and symptoms caused by lice more quickly. Lice infestations must first be treated by improving the hygiene of the infected person.
Anise oil
Anise oil may coat and suffocate lice . A 2018 study of natural remedies for lice in children found that anise oil was one of the most effective natural remedies.
The alcohol kills lice through asphyxiation by closing the respiratory spiracles of the louse (4). Thus, it is effective in killing lice but not the nits or lice eggs. A second treatment with benzyl alcohol after a week can kill any newly hatched lice.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
Our own experimentation has shown that lice can be doused in Lysol and survive seemingly unscathed.
Technically, bugs will die in undiluted bleach, but they will also die in the home when off the head for several hours (with or without bleach). We provide our clients with safer alternatives, for example: Will bleach kill lice on household surfaces? Yes, but keeping the hair in the home protected is more effective.
Head lice can survive in chlorinated water, and are firmly attached to the hair when a person is under water. It will also have no impact on the nits or eggs. So, swimming in a hot tub or pool is not a good solution if you're wondering how to treat head lice.
Either washing done with a water temperature of at least 50 degrees C or drying is necessary to kill head lice and nits.
Suffocate the Lice
Soak your child's head in olive oil or coconut oil. Cover with a shower cap for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight). When ready, remove the shower cap, and separate the hair into small sections, then use a metal nit comb to carefully remove the lice and eggs. Rinse the hair well with shampoo.
Use heat. Wash any items used or worn by the person in hot water, and dry them on high heat. Lice and nits die when exposed to temperatures higher than 130 F for more than 5 minutes. Wash anything that touched the person's skin or scalp, including jackets, hats, scarves, pillowcases, sheets, and headbands.
Can vinegar kill lice eggs? Vinegar is one of the classic home remedies for lice. However, if you are trying to find out how to get rid of nits using vinegar, you should know that using vinegar to kill nits or lice eggs is totally ineffective. Vinegar has no negative effect on the lice eggs.
Since eggs do not need a host to survive, they will continue to live until a nymph hatches from it. A louse will ultimately die without a human host. However, it can still live for 1-2 days on a pillow or sheet.
There have been a few studies to see how effectively isopropyl alcohol kills head lice. Participants saturated their hair with rubbing alcohol for eight hours (eight hours!). Afterward, they reexamined the participants and found that the adult lice and eggs were still alive and well.
Unfortunately, there's no science behind lemon juice being an effective agent against head lice and nits. It may even irritate scratches on your child's scalp. Vinegar, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, methylated spirits, mouth wash, hair straighteners and dryers are also not recommended home remedies.
Does saltwater kill lice? Saltwater may kill lice, but it depends on the type of salt that's used. Table salt does not work effectively to kill lice or nits. Kosher salt and sea salt could potentially work, but they are not likely to dissolve enough to be effective.