How to Remove Lice From Hair

There are many home remedies for head lice. However, treatments like soaking the hair with mayonnaise, vinegar and petroleum jelly will not work to get rid of head lice, even when left on all night. According to Dr. Barb Ogg of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, lice can survive in a submersion for 14 hours, even with temperatures up to 98 degrees F. Also, insecticides such as Nix and Rid can lose effectiveness after several uses and cause skin irritation in some children. According to Dr. Ogg, the best way to remove head lice on a child is to use a lice comb.

Things You'll Need

• Conditioner or vegetable oil
• Comb
• Large bowl
• Dish soap
• Towel
• Hair clips
• Metal lice comb
• Facial tissue
• Nail scissors
• Saucepan
• Old toothbrush

Instructions

Combing

1. Soak the child's hair with vegetable oil or conditioner to keep the hair moist while combing.

2. Fill the large bowl with a mixture of hot water and dish soap.

3. Drape the towel over the shoulders. Remove any tangles from the conditioner-soaked hair using a regular comb.

4. Separate a section of hair about the same width as the lice comb. Use the hair clips to clip the other hair back.

5. Hold the section of hair up with one hand, and position the lice comb at the root of the hair.

6. Pull the comb up through the section of hair all the way to the end. After each pull-through, dip the comb in the soapy water and wipe clean with the tissue before combing the section again. Repeat this step several times.

7. Continue this process by repeating Steps 3 through 5 until the entire head has been combed through. Then, double check the hair one more time.

Clean-up

1. Dump the soapy water with the removed lice and eggs into the toilet and flush. Make sure to rinse and clean the bowl.

2. Shampoo the hair a couple of times to remove the conditioner. Once the hair has dried, check for any leftover nits (newly hatched lice). If you see nits, snip the individual hairs away using a pair of nail scissors.

3. Fill the saucepan with water and boil the lice comb for 15 minutes. Scrub the cooled lice comb with the old toothbrush.

References

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln