Lice and nits are usually a nightmare when we have children at home. Beyond personal hygiene, these tiny insects are becoming more resistant to pesticides and treatments. Therefore, every time we see a child scratching his head, we feel terror.
If you are unlucky enough to have a case of lice and nit infection in your home, don't panic.
How to kill lice and nits
There are various natural, homemade and medicinal treatments to remove lice and nits from the hair. However, not all of them are equally effective, since this plague is difficult to exterminate and tends to reappear at any time. For that reason, you should be very attentive to any signs of lice appearance such as constant itching. The faster you detect them, the easier it will be to get rid of them. To learn how to spot them fast, check out our How to Tell If I Have Head Lice article.
Here are some of the most effective methods to kill lice and nits . If you are wondering what is the best treatment to get rid of lice, take a look at our suggestions.
Get rid of lice with vinegar
Vinegar is often used as a pesticide, since the acid fermentation of its composition has antiseptic properties. Containing a low dose of acetic acid, vinegar dissolves the grease adhered to the scalp, where lice and nits stick.
For this reason, vinegar can be a very effective lice remedy. This is how you should use this formula to eliminate lice with vinegar :
- Wash your hair well with normal shampoo and water.
- Heat 20 ml of white vinegar for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Apply the vinegar directly on the scalp. Do it slowly, rinsing all the infected areas.
- Using a nit comb, carefully comb through the hair. When you feel the contact with the hot vinegar, the lice and nits will be attached to the comb with each pass over the hair.
- When you finish combing your hair, wait an hour and wash your hair again with water and shampoo to remove any traces of vinegar from your scalp.
Apply the vinegar wash once a week, until the plague is completely extinguished from the scalp if you cannot eliminate it that same day.
Eliminate lice with natural oils
Essential oils for lice are an excellent alternative to eliminate lice and nits. If concentrated formulas of natural oils are applied properly, in one night you can get rid of these insects.
Some of the most effective natural oils against lice are:
- Tea tree ( Melaleuca alternifolia )
- Lavandin ( Lavandula hybrida )
- Jojoba ( Simmondsia chinensis )
- Geranium ( Geranium )
- Eucalyptus ( Eucalyptus Globulus )
- Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris )
- Oregano from Greece ( Origanum heracleoticum )
- Pennyroyal ( Mentha pulegium )
- Neem ( Azadirachta indica )
Tea tree oil for lice with lavandin
It is possible to extract natural oils from all of these plants, which can be used to rinse the infested scalp. One of the most effective combinations that you can use to eliminate lice with natural oils is:
- 25 drops of tea tree oil
- 20 drops of lavandin
- 15 drops of eucalyptus oil
- 15 drops of geranium oil
To apply this oil, follow the steps below:
- Dissolve the oils in 100 ml of edible vegetable oil
- Mix the oils well and apply them slowly to your scalp before going to bed.
- In the morning, it is necessary to pass the nit comb through all the hair, carefully combing it to remove all the lice and nits attached to the hair.
- Wash your head well with normal shampoo and water. She combs again with the nit comb once the bath is over.
Tea tree oil with thyme
Another recipe for essential oils for lice that you can apply contains the following ingredients:
- 10 drops of tea tree
- 8 drops of eucalyptus oil
- 7 drops of thyme oil
- 50ml jojoba oil
To prepare this natural remedy against lice and apply it to your hair, do the following:
- After thoroughly mixing the formula, apply to the scalp.
- Cover your head with a swimming or bathing cap and leave on for 2 hours.
- Comb with the nit comb, wash your hair well with water and shampoo and comb again with the nit comb.
Neem oil with olive oil
Finally, we leave you another recipe for oils for lice, this is what you will need:
- 15 drops of oregano from Greece
- 15 drops pennyroyal mint
- 15 drops of Neem oil
- 50 ml of olive oil.
To use this home remedy against lice , follow these steps:
- Mix well and apply to the scalp first thing in the day.
- Leave it on for an hour, covering the head with a swimming or swimming cap.
- Comb the hair well with the nit comb before and after washing your head with water and shampoo.
Any of the mixtures you want to use is completely natural, so you can apply the product to your hair several times a day until the plague is completely eradicated and new infections are prevented.
Get rid of lice with mayonnaise
Homemade mayonnaise can also be effective against lice and nits. With it you can prepare a hair mask, as long as the infected person is not allergic to mayonnaise or vinegar. This is what you will need to make this home remedy to kill lice and nits.
- 1 cup and ½ of oil
- 1 egg
- juice of ½ lemon
- Salt
Now, prepare the mayonnaise for lice following these instructions:
- Manually beat the egg (with a blender or mixer it thickens very quickly) and add the oil little by little. Keep beating until you get a thick mixture.
- Slowly add the lemon juice and salt. Beat carefully until you get a creamy texture.
Now, apply the mask on the hair :
- Add 10 drops of vinegar to the mayonnaise.
- Apply the mixture on the scalp.
- Cover your head with a swimming or bathing cap and leave for a couple of hours.
- Wash your hair well with plenty of water and a mild shampoo.
- Comb the hair with the lice comb.
In addition to being toxic to lice and nits, the mixture gives hair shine and silkiness. Apply once a week until the nits are gone.
Get rid of lice with garlic
Garlic's acidic odor can be deadly against lice and nits if used properly. To achieve this, you will need:
- 1 head of garlic
- ½ hot water
- Juice of 1 lemon
To apply garlic for lice to hair with lice, follow these steps:
- Crush the garlic in a pot.
- Add hot water and juice, mix.
- Slowly apply to the head, massaging the entire scalp.
- Leave the mixture to act for two hours, covering the head with a swimming or swimming cap.
- Wash hair with plenty of hot water and shampoo. Then carefully comb with the nit comb.
Apply this method once a week or as long as you suspect the presence of lice and nits.
Eliminate lice with nit comb and anti-lice shampoo
As we have seen, the nit comb or lice comb is the great ally in most lice treatments. This special comb has the function of removing all the lice and nits that remain attached to the hair, after leaving their camps on the scalp, intoxicated by the product used.
To exterminate this annoying infection quickly, there are also various shampoos whose formula has been created exclusively to kill lice. Some of the best options are:
- Anti-Lice Conditioning Spray: Apply this powerful anti-lice spray to freshly washed hair. Comb with the nit comb and apply the product twice a day, after each bath.
- Lice and nit treatment kit : The 5-minute treatment includes a lotion against the plague, the nit comb and a powerful anti-lice shampoo. The lotion is applied to the scalp, the nit comb is passed and then the head is washed with plenty of water and shampoo to remove the dead lice. The treatment is odorless and free of pesticides.
- Tea tree oil lotion: Tea tree oil is applied in combination with the shampoo you use on a daily basis. Of Australian origin, this natural product works as a purifier, preventing future infections, as well as irritations, dandruff and acne on the scalp. After each bath, pass the nit comb to remove the lice attached to the hair.
The best lice treatment
It is always good for your health and your pocket to appeal for natural remedies for lice . However, many of the methods against lice require several applications and a lot of patience to kill the entire infestation. And the most desperate thing is knowing that, at any moment, these tiny insects can appear again.
Also, not all treatments are equally effective in all people. Some scalps better assimilate natural oils, for example. Others, meanwhile, resist the action of vinegar without problems. On the other hand, attacking the pest early is also crucial when applying these treatments, as adult lice reproduce quickly.
Therefore, the best treatment for lice that we can recommend is to have a lice box at home and always examine your children's scalp when they arrive from school, or when observing the most terrifying symptom of this infection: itching. When the child scratches his head, check with a magnifying glass and nit comb in hand.
If the suspicions confirm the threat, consult your doctor about the best anti-lice shampoo available in the local market, considering possible allergies and the degree of progress of the infection. If you prefer to go natural, we recommend using vinegar for lice . It is the easiest and most effective method to remove lice before they wreak havoc on the scalp.
