How to Kill Lice With Listerine

Lice seem to have become immune to the medicated treatments sold over the counter. More people are turning to items in their homes to get rid of lice. One method of killing lice is using Listerine mouthwash. According to peoplespharmacy.com, the alcohol in the mouthwash may be toxic to lice.

Things You'll Need

• Bottle of Listerine
• Plastic wrap
• Towel
• Fine-toothed comb
• Cup of hot, soapy water

Instructions

1. Place the towel around your shoulders to protect your clothes.

2. Pour the Listerine over your hair while leaning over a sink or bathtub. Do not swallow it or let it get into your eyes.

3. Massage the liquid into your scalp and run your hands through each strand of hair to make sure it is all saturated. Lice prefer the areas behind the ears and at the nape of the neck, so be sure to scrub the Listerine in well around those areas.

4. Wrap your hair with the plastic wrap, and cover with the towel. Let the Listerine sit on your hair for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Unwrap your hair and discard the plastic wrap. Go through each strand with the fine-toothed comb to remove any dead bugs or nits that are still attached to the hair strands.

6. If you find any live bugs, drop them into hot soapy water to drown them. Repeat the process as needed until no more bugs or nits are found.

Tips & Warnings

• You can put the Listerine in a spray bottle and spray the hair on a weekly basis to prevent lice. You can also spray your bed linens, couches, pillows, carpet and stuffed animals to protect them from lice.

• Do not get Listerine in your eyes. If contamination occurs, rinse with water for 15 minutes. Do not swallow Listerine; if you accidentally ingest some, drink a glass of water.

References

• Listerine Used to Fight Lice

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish