How to Remove Nits using Vinegar

I know how you feel. Your child has come home with head lice. You feel nasty and just plain gross because your child has head lice. Unfortunately, is comes with having young children in school. Once you have treated and killed the adult lice, you need to remove all of the nits (eggs) that have attached themselves to the hair to prevent another infestation.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• White Vinegar and water.

1. After you have treated and killed the adult lice, its time to start the daunting task of removing all of the nits from the hair. First, go through and comb the hair with a nit comb to remove the dead lice.

2. Mix about a 1:1 ratio of white vinegar and water.

3. Have the child lean forward over the sink or the bathtub and pour the vinegar rinse over their hair making sure to saturate the hair completely.

4. The acid in the vinegar loosens the "glue" in which the lice have attached their eggs to the hair, making it much easier to remove them.

5. After combing the hair and removing tangles, carefully blow dry the hair one little bitty section at a time, making sure that all of the nits have "turned loose". If any remain you will likely have to pull them off with your fingernails, pinching the nit between your nails and sliding it down off of the hair. Unfortunately, this can take a long time to do, but it is worth the extra effort so that you do not have another infestation in a week or two.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to go back every few days and check for any new adult lice.
• As hard as it is, you should let everyone that has been in your home know that the child has lice so that they can also check themselves, to prevent them from being "traded" back and forth.

[rennfahr]

on 11/17/2009 I didn't know this about head lice. Great article for parents. 5* given