The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Kerosene
Posted by Loreley (Jacksonville, Fl) on 10/07/2016
★★★★★
We used kerosene to treat head lice when we were kids and never experienced any undesirable side effects. Sure, it smelled bad and the skin felt a little warm but you get used to it. It killed the lice AND EGGS with one treatment. We used cotton wool balls dosed in kerosene and wiped the hair, covering everything. Wrapped the hair in an old towel. We would stay like that for a few hours, then washed it off.
The hair grew strong, thick and shiny so I don't call that a bad deal. We were a large family and everyone got treated. It works. This is a remedy my great-grandmother passed on -- and say what you will about old wives tales, they often got things right!
My mum tried a modern treatment once, didn't kill the eggs and the lice returned with a vengeance. One other thing, rinse with diluted vinegar to help remove the eggs.
Kerosene
Posted by Joshua (Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA) on 08/12/2012
★★★★★
For those suffering from head lice, as well as many other tiny parasites that live in the hair and on the skin, do not be afraid of using kerosene! It is an old remedy that works and does not harm the skin or hair. It will even help cure at least some skin problems. The only problem is that it smells bad. It is a product of petroleum, just as is vasoline. Even diesel fuel is a good remedy since it is very closely related to kerosene; the only difference being the temperature used to distill the petroleum to produce the kerosene or diesel. In fact, my Dad told me that his father used to give him and his siblings a teaspoon of kerosene mixed with sugar for colds! Yes, taken internally! I tried two tablespoons once when having digestion problems and it took care of the problem! Having said all that, kerosene/diesel is not something to be taken for any and all illnesses. It is good for killing parasites, including on your pets. Try it.
Replied by Pedro
(Earth)
08/13/2012
★☆☆☆☆
Replied by Rebekah
(Dowagiac, Mi)
08/15/2012
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Replied by Slim
(Cal., US)
03/14/2015
Replied by Tom
(Boynton Beach, Florida)
06/20/2018
Replied by
Paracelsus (Orlando, Fl)
06/20/2018
47 posts
Replied by Nona
(British Columbia)
05/26/2022
Kerosene
Posted by Teegr (Pacific Nw, Wa) on 03/22/2010
★★★★★
Just thought I'd tell you that my grandmother who was born in 1916 always told me about the time they got lice right after they had got married...and bought a used mattress after sleeping on the floor for months. They lived in rural Texas..and there was no running to a market in a wagon to get treatments...even had they the money during the depression. They certainly couldn't afford to throw away an infested mattress. They treated the mattress, bedding, AND themselves with kerosene (which they used for bedbugs in bedding when she was a child) and that took care of the problem, except for their eyelashes, which they picked off for awhile. I was always shocked when she told me about it...visualizing they soaked the mattress. She finally explained to me that they dipped a rag into kerosene and scrubbed the daylights out of it. As a result of her experience she always told me to drag out our mattresses and bedding into the sun to bake each side at least every spring, which I did faithfully till I couldn't drag a mattress outside anymore.
Kerosene
Posted by Carla (Las Cruces, USA) on 04/07/2007
★★★★★
Don't use it unless you are desperate but it definitely works in one application. I had long hair and got lice on a trip to India. There were no shampoos for it where I was, local people were just shaving their heads to deal with it. I was determined not to return home with lice (and to keep my hair), so I got talked into washing my hair in kerosene. Be Careful to keep it off your skin, it got on my sunburn --- ouch!
I said not to use it unless you have to because it's bad for your hair.. I had to have my hairdresser put on all kinds of special conditioners to get my hair back to normal.
Lemons
Posted by lacey (wilmington, nc) on 12/03/2007
★★★★★
Lemon juice really works for lice. I poured some on my head and 5-7 lice bugs came out!! lemon juice is the key!
Listerine
Posted by Bugs Be Gone Soon Please (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 08/12/2011
★★★★★
48 hours and no itching, no bugs. Going to do it for 2 hours with shower cap tomorrow just to be ultra safe but looks like listerine worked for us! Finally, a solution.
Listerine
Posted by Bugs Be Gone Soon Pleaes (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 08/11/2011
★★★★★
I had called our ped after nix and rid did not work completely (found one bug and still had occasional itching, ugghh! ). They told me to do the mayonaisse overnight, but we had plans to do a family zoo trip the next day. After internet research , thought I would try the listerine first and then do teh mayonaisse the next night when we would have more time in the morning to wash it out. I left the listerine in all night though, had the shower cap on her from 10pm -3am. Washed her hair as usual in am and cannot find anything in her hair, no itching, much easier than mayonaisse and not a scratch the entire day. So will see what tonight brings, if no itching may just repeat the listerine again to be certain.... just seems much easier to wash out and much easier for younger child to tolerate than the thick, mayo.
Listerine
Posted by Cristina (La Coruna, Spain) on 04/21/2011
★★★★★
My daughter brought home lice from school a few weeks ago and all the family got them. We tried products from drugstores and supermarkets and they were no use.
Then one day someone told me about Listerine and vinegar, great!! And it doesn?t even feel cold or itchy on your head.
What you do, is you pour Listerine (I used the blue one) over your head making sure it's all over. Then you put a shower cap on and wait for 2 hours. After that you rinse your hair with water (you?ll find some of the lice dead). The next step is to rinse your head thoroughly with white vinegar (this helps to get rid of the nits) and massage well. Rinse again with water.
Then you just wash your hair normally with shampoo and conditioner. I always add a few drops (5 o 6) of tea tree oil to the shampoo, this helps them NOT come back at school!
Our hair is very shiny and clean, and we are at last rid of the plague.
Mayonnaise
Posted by Iowama (Pella, Iowa/usa) on 06/29/2011
★★★★☆
Thank you for your forum on headlice. My granddaughter's headlice have resisted both the an OTC and an RX treatment, but they succumbed to mayonaise. I applied it as per a you-tube video, using plastic wrap and having her wear it for several hours. I did as complete a wash and rinse as a 2 year old will allow, but the hair still looked a little dirty. I found the nits slid off more easily than with the 2 previous treatment tries. I repeated 2 days later and am continuing to check for nits. Great results!
Replied by Iowama
(Pella, Ia)
07/16/2011
★★★★★
Mayonnaise
Posted by Haley (Ann Arbor, Michigan) on 12/15/2008
★★★★★
I got lice after taking care of my friends sisters children, and she failed to inform me her little girl had lice. A week later my scalp was so ITCHY! I heard from my friends mother who lives on a farm to apply MAYONNAISE to your hair! So I went to the refrigerator, grabbed the already opened jar of MAYONNAISE, dipped my hand into the pungent condiment, and applied it to my scalp. I soaked my hair and if you've ever dyed your hair you'll know how to apply it. Do the scalp first and work to the ends, make sure to saturate your hair and if you have a hair net wear that. I kept it in for about ten minutes and washed it out. The lice were dead!
A year later my little sister got lice, and we used the same remedy. Except hers came back because with the split visitation her father didn't wash the bedding at she contracted the bug again. But it works! Using it a second time for her did the trick! Best of luck!
Mayonnaise
Posted by Cat (Harrisvill, WV) on 01/25/2008
★★★★★
Cat here! Mayonnaise for head lice: We live in rural WV. Head lice come up from time to time in these hills. Rather than use the expensive, extremely toxic poisons that are sold. We use mayonnaise (the real stuff). Slather enough to coat all your hair,wrap your head in a plastic bag and let be for about two hours. Wash out and comb with a fine tooth comb. Then shampoo, you won't need conditioner. Repeat in a few days. Wash all clothes and linen in hot, hot water. I would expect that homemade mayo would work just as well, but never tried it.
Mayonnaise and Vinegar
Posted by Sara (Rockford, Il ) on 12/28/2010
★★★★★
Mayo instead of miracle whip for at least 4 hours (plasic on head) rinse it out then rinse with vinegar, this will loosen eggs and get rid of the grease from mayo.. Repeat in 5 to 7 days
Mayonnaise and Vinegar
Posted by Rika (Riverside, Ca) on 10/10/2010
★★★★★
We recently had head lice and our whole family did each a mayonnaise treatment( w/ some ACV added) on our heads. We covered our hair and head w/ a plastic cap. After 30min - 1 hour we washed it out again. I washed only the pillows thinking we will do a deeper treatment w/ the "real " stuff from the health food store later. But it wasn't even necessary. I bought a metal lice comb and combed our hairs through w/ it every day or every other day until no more lice hatched. ( This was esential) This was so much easier to deal w/than flees( and I have very long hair up to my hips). I only washed the clothes we had worn the last few days( because lice can live for 2 days away from its host), but that was it.
Mineral Oil and Vinegar
Posted by Charlotte (Federal Way, WA) on 11/16/2007
★★★★★
I have had long hair since I was a teenager and worked for 6 and 1/2 years as a residential counselor with young children. I would freak out every time any of the kids got lice and would immediately use that horrible shampoo from the drug store to try to keep from getting it. That stuff is totally toxic, kills my hair, gives awful dandruff, etc. One day, I was reading a parenting magazine to get ideas for arts + craft projects and noticed an article on lice treatment. Several months later my little sister (who was living with me at the time) came home with lice, and it was bad. I could see them jumping off her head and her hair was also long! I remembered the recipe, used it, and will swear by it from now on.
It consisted of first saturating the hair with mineral oil and vinegar (4-to-1 mix). Leave it in an hour, then lightly rinse it. Do not shampoo or try to remove all of the mineral oil yet. Instead, put on a shower cap overnight. Rinse out after 24 hours and utilize a vinegar rinse again while using a fine comb to remove as many nits as possible. This is a miracle cure for long-haired folks. I believe they said it works because the oil suffocates the bugs and the vinegar dissolves/loosens the glue that holds the nits on. Hope this helps somebody!
Mouthwash
Posted by Notyouneek (Tacoma, Wa) on 12/22/2018
★★★★★
I'm a grandma of 3 and have dealt with the lice plague numerous times. I've spent thousands of dollars over the decades on lice treatments. Then I discovered the mouthwash cure. Generic is fine. It works like a charm. I make sure that the eyes are covered, spray full strength amber mouthwash to soak the hair and cover the head with a plastic bag (using a hair tie to secure in the back). After two hours I rinse the hair and hten go through with a high quality metal nitcomb. Bugs are dead and nits are easier to remove. Best most effective treatment I've found!! I've done tons of research on the cons of this treatment and the best they can come up with is that its flammable, the kids might suffocate on the bag, and that the alchol may absorb into the scalp. Some of the perscriptions shampoos can cause brain damage if used too often. No open flames or smoking while treatment is in progress and watch them so they don't try to eat the bag. BE SURE not to let it get into the eyes.
