Does Corn Oil Kill Head Lice?
Head lice are very small bugs that live on the human scalp. Though special medicine is available to treat head lice, there are other methods of getting rid of the pests that may be less harsh on the scalp.
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Oil and Lice
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Lice need to breathe just like any other animal. By smothering them in oil, you are effectively drowning them.
Oil and Nits
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Because lice lay eggs (called "nits"), the unhatched lice will not be affected by the oil. You must carefully comb through the hair with a special comb to remove the nits from the hair shaft.
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Oil Application
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Lice are most common in school-age children under 12, and small kids are not likely to be very patient. Because oil must remain in the hair for around five hours, the easiest way to make sure your child does not become irritated with the treatment is to apply oil to her hair thickly before bed and then have her sleep wearing a shower cap.
Repeating Treatment
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It will not be enough to treat the lice with oil only once. Since it is nearly impossible to comb out all the nits, the oil treatment should be repeated in seven days to kill any newly hatched lice.
Other Considerations
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Lice are bugs, so they will crawl off the head and onto any objects they come in contact with. You need to wash all bedding, toys and clothes in the house. Running things through the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes should do the trick, and using an iron on low heat will take care of lice and their eggs on beds, couches and other large items.
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