Head Lice Removal

The start of every new school year is a problem for parents who often are faced with the problem of head lice.

Pediculus capitis or louse are small parasitic insect that live mainly on the scalp and neck hairs of their human host. Their six legs give them the ability to grasp hair shafts easily. Although for many years thought of as a product of an unhealthy environment, these parasites are uninhibited by the personal hygiene or sanitation practiced by the host.

They are usually transmitted by direct head-to-head contact with the hair of an infected person, but they may be transferred with shared combs, hats, and other types of hair accessories. They may also remain on other items such as bedding, clothing, or upholstered furniture for a brief period.

Though the female can lay up to six eggs a day, and up to one hundred in a life cycle, there are usually no more than twelve active lice in the head of a host at one time. There may, however, be viable eggs or eggs that have recently hatched. No treatment should be performed unless active lice or viable eggs are seen. Do not assume that itching of the scalp or a feeling that something is crawling on the head means head lice are present. Without a magnifier and experience, sometimes dandruff, hairspray droplets, scabs, dirt, or other insects (such as those caught in the wind) are mistaken for head lice.

Home Remedies For Head Lice Removal:

Shampoo:

Mix Coal Tar shampoo with some Desenex Xtra Strength shampoo in equal parts. Put this solution on dry hair. Wrap hair in a plastic cap and allow to set for at least thirty minutes. Comb with a metal lice comb, then mix equal parts of cooking oil and vinegar, add twenty to thirty drops of Tee Tree Oil, and saturate the scalp and hair. Comb to remove eggs, and then wrap hair in a warm towel that is damp and place a cap over the towel. Let it set for ninety minutes and then comb again. Rinse with the Dawn Dishwashing liquid. Condition the hair with a thick moisturizing conditioner and comb again. Blow dry hair daily on high heat. You must continue using the shampoo for about two weeks, but the bugs should be gone in about four days.

Tea Tree Oil:

Mix two tablespoons Tea Tree Oil, six ounces Dawn dishwashing detergent (Dawn only), and two ounces white vinegar in a spray bottle.

Use like a shampoo and leave off for abut five minutes before rinsing. Use conditioner to soften hair and keep the dandruff down as the Tea Tree Oil may cause some dandruff.

Vinegar:

Before you begin, place a towel around the neck of the person being treated and fill a spray bottle with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Section the hair into four parts with clips, and layer about an inch at a time at the roots, beginning first with the bottom, being certain to well-saturate the roots.

Afterwards, do the remaining hair, and repeat the process for all of the quarters. When you’re certain all of the hair is covered, section it again and blow-dry it. After washing hair and towel drying, pour full-strength white vinegar into hair, being careful not to get it in the eyes, ears, or on the face. Use some in a spray bottle for the back of the hair, and saturate fully. Leave in hair about ten minutes, wash again, and apply conditioner.

Mayonnaise:

Saturate the hair with mayonnaise and then cover with a plastic bag. Leave on the hair approximately one hour and heat with a blow dryer for at least five minutes. Rinse out the mayonnaise, and then saturate the hair with hair gel in order to comb out nits, bugs, and eggs, rinsing the comb periodically. Use the mayonnaise daily or apply the gel nightly after a shower in order to keep the head free of lice. To repel lice, add 15-20 drops of black walnut extract to 20 ounces of water and spray a couple of squirts prior to entering someplace where you may be exposed.

Rub mayonnaise into hair and cover with a plastic back, pushing out any air bubbles. Heat head with a blow dryer, and let the hair sit for three of four hours. Shampoo with Denorex or an equivalent dandruff shampoo. Make a mixture of half olive oil and half white vinegar to coat the hair well. Sit person on a sheet and comb the oil/vinegary hair with a flea or nit comb, being certain to wipe the mixture on a towel after each stroke. Wrap the head in a plastic bag pushing out the air bubbles and sit at least one more hour. Shampoo hair again with Denorex and blow dry hair completely while combing with a flea or nit comb. Spraying hair with baby oil, skin so soft, or some type of oil product should prevent reinfestation.