How to Deal With Head Lice

The small white insects known as lice can be an annoying parasite. Their eggs, known as nits, stick to hair close to the scalp or body and spread quickly. By following the steps listed here, you can easily rid yourself of this inconvenient pest.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vacuums Cleaner
• Mild Soap Such As Dishwashing Liquid
• Tweezers
• Hot Water
• Olive (not Virgin) Oil
• Blow Dryers Or Heat Gun
• Tape
• Petroleum Jelly

1. Assess if you or your child actually has lice. Symptoms include itching, swollen glands in back of neck, scratch marks along the hairline and on neck, foul smelling hair, and small oval white or greyish white spots stuck to hair shaft.

2. Check also for live lice. Use a fine tooth comb to "catch" them, tweezers, your fingernails or use a piece of tape wrapped around your finger, sticky side up. Lice are reddish-brown insects and do not jump or fly.

3. Comb out the nits with a fine tooth comb. A pet flea comb works very well.

4. Work in good strong light, section hair and remove all attached nits. You can also use tweezers to remove nits and live lice.

5. Wash all bedding, recently used towels and recently worn clothing in hot water and dry in a hot dryer.

6. Soak all combs and brushes in hot water for at least ten minutes.

7. Screen hair daily to make sure all nits and lice are gone. If you see more nits, it may mean that there are still lice in the hair or that you/your child has been reinfested.

8. Check everyone in the household. Lice are very contagious.

9. Avoid sharing hats, bicycle helmets, combs, brushes and clothing with anyone who has lice. If you have lice, do not allow anyone to use your personal items.

10. Treat eyelashes and eyebrows with a thick layer of petroleum jelly. Apply twice a day for 8 days.

11. Use products containing lindane only when prescribed by a doctor. It is a very powerful pesticide.

12. Try using olive oil. There is some evidence that it works by smothering the lice and nits. Massage into hair and leave in as long as possible. Manually comb out nits after olive oil application.

13. Use a blow dryer. Heat can kill lice and nits, but use caution. Avoid placing dryer too close to scalp.

14. Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture.

15. Report the presence of lice to your child's school so they can check for an outbreak.

Tips & Warnings

• Children should be kept home from school/daycare if they have an active infestation. Once nits/lice have been removed and/or they have been treated with a commercial product, they can return to school/daycare.
• Avoid spraying the house or car with insecticides. It is not necessary.
• Speak with your doctor before using any chemical lice treatments if you are pregnant, nursing, have allergies, asthma or other medical conditions.
• Never use a lice treatment on a baby unless directed by your doctor.
• Use caution if you decide to use an over the counter lice treatment. All products are pesticides, and must be used carefully and according to direction. Manual removal with a comb is the safest and often the most effective method.
• Never use any chemical treatment product on eyelashes or eyebrows.

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on 1/9/2008 I have 4 girls and if one gets lice they all do, and through the years I have found that all of the over the counter products do not work (and believe me I've tried them all)! I recently got this idea to try Skin So Soft bath oil from Avon, and what do you know - it works instantly!

Try it you will see. If you pour a small amount over an actual bug it dies instantly. I'm guessing they are drowning in the oil because of its thickness. All you do is completely saturate all of the hair starting at the scalp. I usually leave on for about 5 minutes or so, and then rinse it and shampoo twice to get the oil out and then condition and dry. Then you comb out with a rid comb (the metal ones are the best). You shouldn't see any bugs because they wash out when you wash the hair, that's how good this stuff works. You will have to comb out the nits though.

After about a week, repeat the procedure just in case a few nits were left and hatched. You can get the new bugs before they have a chance to lay eggs. And that's all there is to it, it's so easy and very inexpensive. You get very nice, silky, clean hair out of it, too!

on 6/30/2006 Skin So Soft is messy, but a wonderful way to get rid if lice! Put it in your child's hair for 10 minutes, comb with a nit comb, let the child sleep with it in their hair overnight. Comb in the morning. Lice are dead. Shampoo their hair with Dawn dish liquid to remove any excess lotion and dead lice.

on 1/5/2006 My 4 year old daughter contracted head lice and I applied Avon's Skin So Soft all over her hair until it was completely saturated with it, and then I used a small trash bag to cover her hair completely. I pulled it tight onto her head and clipped it closed and let it stay on for an hour or so, and then washed her hair. This killed the live lice, and then I used a fine toothed comb to get out any nits. So far this has worked well, I don't know when to treat her again, but it is an inexpensive way to solve the problem. The Skin So Soft doesn't have any harmful fumes. It takes several washings to get it out though.

on 11/22/2005 I am a mother of five children. My youngest daughter seems to get head lice a lot, and I am guessing from friends at school. Today I put Vaseline in all our heads, all day. I was told to leave it in for at least 12 hours and wear shower caps over all our heads. We did the treatment, but the eggs hatched and we have it real bad. I was told by our nurse that the Vaseline will get rid of eggs and smother the lice. I will treat my family again after 7-10 days just as the nurse told me. I am also doing all bedding washing and drying them, although I was told the dryer helps kill the lice. I put pillows that we used in the dryer. I also used a bottle of half alcohol and water to put on couches to kill the bugs. I was told to use baby oil when taking the Vaseline out of hair makes it easier to it wash out. I also was told to use vinegar with a lice comb to loosen them up. I vacuumed everything as much as possible and got rid of the vacuum bag. I took all the combs, brushes and hairpieces and placed them in a tub of bleach and water.

on 11/22/2005 Put 10 drops of Tea Tree oil in a pitcher of water and pour it over your head (after you have shampooed your hair). The little buggers don't like the smell, and they don't stick around. This is great for kids!