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.
Peppermint Oil and Coconut Conditioner
Posted by Tammy (Bridgeport, New York) on 12/10/2011
★★★★★
I used about 4 drops of peppermint oil used in candy flavorings and coconut conditioner- mix together coat head really well, cover with shower cap for about 30 minutes. The peppermint and coconut oils kill lice on contact and after you rinse it out, the nits comb right out with ease.
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.
Mayonnaise
Posted by Iowama (Pella, Ia) on 07/16/2011
★★★★★
I just wanted to follow up on my previous post. Although I do continue to check for nits from time to time, both my Granddaughter and I are now free from headlice. I alternated treatments between mayonaise, a generic OTC lice treatment containing pyrethrin, and olive oil. Assuming that her head contained lice of several hatch dates, I treated us both whenever I caught her scratching, which turned out to be 4 times a week. A friend suggested that the lice might be hatcing and alive in my carpet, surviving on skin cells they found there. I began to think of a newly hatched louse as being light as a speck of dust and easily transported and so I turned off the air and did a more thorough vacuum of every bit of the carpet and upholstry along with hot-mopping the flooring. Early on, I had ordered a good quality metal comb and I boiled it and all hair implements after every use. I hope someone finds this helpful.
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.
Rubbing Alcohol
Posted by Rick (Benton, Ar) on 03/23/2011
★★★★★
I got a wicked case of head lice from a hotel in Alexandria, La recently when I went on a job interview. After just 2 days my head was on FIRE!!! I took my cat's flea comb and ran it through my hair, and BINGO, there was one of the little rascals! I dumped about 1/4 of a bottle of household rubbing alcohol on my head, guarding my face and eyes with a towel, and YOWEEEE did it burn! but here I am 10 minutes later (YES 10 MINUTES)! And no burning or itching! Thanks Earth Clinic! I am not sure if it is appropriate to mention my life long cure for athletes foot, ringworm, and exyma, which is Ether based starting fluid????? Can I share that?? 23 years later, and athletes foot won't even come near my zip code!
Eucalyptus Oil
Posted by Cathrine (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) on 03/05/2011
★★★★★
I have been reading the posts here and I have noticed eucalyptus oil has not been mentioned. In the past I have used the oil successfully for head lice and fleas.
I have on occasion sat down with my cats and searched through their fur for fleas and when I spotted one I would just touch it with a oil soaked cotton bud. The flea died instantly. So I am thinking the oil is highly toxic to small insects such as lice and fleas.
I would imagine scabies would be in the same family as these insects. If you do try eucalyptus oil please research the correct dilution with a carrier oil. For head lice I didnt dilute it but I have read warnings that one should always dilute the oil. I also read the oil fries the fleas exoskeleton.
Good luck!
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
Tea Tree Oil, White Vinegar, Liquid Soap
Posted by Racer (Hampton, Tn) on 11/15/2010
★★★★★
Lice Remedy
6 ounces Dawn
2 ounces white vinegar
2 TBSP Tea Tree Oil
You can get this all at walgreens. Put six ounces of dawn in a measuring cup that measures ounces, and then add white vinegar to it until it rises two more ounces. Put two tablespoons of Tea Tree Oil into this. Mix up. Put on hair, Massage in, put grocery bag over hair, close with clothespin. Leave on 10 minutes. Take off bag, massage and rinse, put in conditioner, rinse and comb out with lice comb. Maintain this by putting 15 drops of Tea Tree oil into any botttle of shampoo or conditiuoner and using twice a week. I give the kids each their own lice comb or flea comb and tell them to brush their heair each time it itches, and anytime they think of it, morning and night also.
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.
Neem Oil
Posted by Cameron (Brisbane, Australia) on 04/05/2010
★★★★★
Like so many others I've had such success with remedies from this site I thought it was time to provide some feedback and maybe help others.
My little girls had not gone to school yet but now had their second case of headlice, I watched my sister in law go through hell with these creatures with 5 kids and now it was our turn. I tried the horrible Mayo and plastic bag idea but it was revolting firstly and secondly ineffective, that time I enede up using an OTC product from the pharmacy.
The second time I came straight here again and decided Neem was the go, I mixed 1 part Neem Oil to 2 parts Olive Oil and left the mixture in the girls hair for an hour. We combed all the dead lice out and the eggs, we never retreated them it was a once only treatment that was 100% successful, we now use a Neem Shampoo that has allowed my little school girl to survive 2 school headlice outbreaks nit free even though her best friend got them both times.
As others have said you could simply mix some neem oil into your usual shampoo, it will however leave a nasty ring around your bath but its a small price to pay for nit free kids.
Thanks to all who take the time to post here it makes others lives that much easier.
Olive Oil, Dish Soap, Vinegar, Tea Tree and Neem Oils
Posted by Raviela (Whittier, Ca) on 08/10/2009
★★★★★
LICE CURE:
We are tired of the dangerous chemicals on the market, searched various site for natural remedies. Have tried most with the most sucess going to:
1) 1 Cup of olive oil - saturate the hair (more needed for long hair) leave on for 2 hours covered with a plastic shower cap, this sufficates the adults and plugs the hole on the eggs. (you can also use mayonaise or petroleum jelly-which takes weeks to remove)
2) Wash the oil out with DAWN dishsoap (regular) It's the only thing that will cut the oil. It won't harm the hair or scalp.
3) Rinse with White Vinegar, this helps to loosen the nits from the hair shaft (most will fall out, the rest will comb out.) It will leave the hair shinny & clean.
4) Comb the hair with the best nit comb (metal) you can find at your local pharmacy.
5) Add 10-15 drops of Tea Tree oil & Neem oil to your shampoo to use reguarly to keep the little buggers away.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Angie (Los Angeles, CA) on 05/29/2009
★★★★★
Mayonaise, acv and tea tree oil got rid of headlice
My daughter when she started kindergarten she came home with lice one day. I bought the lice shampoos and did every possible thing I could do to get rid of them. I was so devastated I did't know what else to do for her. I would get rid of them only to find out she got them again within less than a month. This was my struggle for a whole year. Then one day my sister came accross a site, not sure which one but she told me to mix some Mayonaise in a bowl and to mix it with ACV to a consistency of pancake batter. Then to add some drops of tea tree oil and to put it on her hair. I put it for 1/2 an hour and then while she still had it on I combed her hair out with one of those nit removal combs and washed her hair. I kid you not but the day after when I checked her hair she did not have one single nit or headlice on her hair. It's been three years and she has not had a single headlice in her hair. After spending so much money on all the stuff I bought for her hair, I was so relieved to have found something so simple and so inexpensive that actually works and it is safe for her. Anyway, just thought this might help.
Pure Alcohol, Aka Rubbing Alcohol
Posted by Demina (Athens, Greece) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★
Hello, in Greece in order to deal with lice we wet the hair with a very common disinfectant, a form of pure ethanol, the name here is "pure alcohol", I think the name in UK is "surgical spirit", is the kind of alcohol or ethanol we use for disinfecting hands, in its clearest transparent white form. As this, in many countries, is considered alcohol it might have a high price, so we can used also a mixed an unedible- form of that with glycerine etc - very cheap.
We wet the hair with it, put a towel for 20 min and repeat every day in the beginning for 3 days and then every other day. The lice suffocate and die instantly. They cannot develop resistance to this as even larger insects (cockroaches) also suffocate and die instantly if you spilt ethanol on them.
As the normal use for this is for disinfection and the pure form is used in all alcoholic beverages, well I guess is not very bad to put lets say a very strong vodka in your hair.
Denorex Shampoo
Posted by Kristy (Lansing, Michigan) on 11/01/2008
★★★★★
My daughter and I both wound up with a 'rash' on our necks, upper backs and shoulders. Our doctor prescribed some cream that didn't work. Other people suggested heat rash, since it was summer and we both had really long hair. And still others thought it might be a shampoo allergy.
During the two months this lasted, I had gotten a lice comb and checked her hair, just as she checked mine, but we didn't see any bugs or eggs. (I think they just didn't show up in her hair and she wasn't sure what she was looking for in mine!)
Anyway, I read something online that lice move very quickly but that hair conditioner will paralyze them temporarily so I finally got some and tried it and, sure enough, my daughters hair was chock full of bugs! So was mine!!!
We tried lice shampoo, we tried oil and I don't even remember everything else, to no avail.
Finally I found something about Denerox and thought, why not.
We scrubbed it in, left the shampoo in our hair and wrapped our heads with towels for 30 minutes, per the instructions. And the lice was gone, never to return.
I believe that it worked because Denorex on your towel wrapped head gets REALLY warm. Almost uncomfortably warm. And my theory is it not only 'cooks' the bugs, it 'cooks' the eggs, too! Kind of a disgusting thought, but whatever!
So I wouldn't mess with anything else, should this ever become a problem for my family again.
Cetaphil
Posted by Rebecca (Gilbert, MN) on 11/30/2007
★★★★★
When I called my pediatrician to get a prescription because RID was not killing the lice he told me that instead of using harsh chemicals to use Cetaphil. It is a face wash, there is also a lotion by the same company, but you have to use the face wash. You saturate the hair and scalp with the wash, comb out the excess and blow dry until hard. Then leave on overnight and wash in the morning. I would not say it has 100% taken care of the problem but we are so far improved in one application that we decided to continue to use this for a few more nights instead of using the prescription. I also bought a Robi Comb. The combs that I bought the first time and that came with the lice shampoo were junk and went right over the eggs, even the metal combs which are supposed to be made for egg removal. The Robi Comb was $30, but it is like a bug zapper, when it detects a louse it omits an electric charge killing the nervous system of the bug. After one use I could not find a live bug on my kids. Between the two methods I think we have this thing licked. Of course we are also doing massive amounts of laundry and we all sleep with plastic mattress and pillow covers now just to ensure we don't reinfest ourselves.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Angel (Peoria, Il) on 12/28/2010
Hi, when my daughter was one year old she applied about a whole bottle of Vaseline in her hair. I did many, many shampooing to get it out and nothing would touch it , so I searched here on internet, and found vinegar. Rinse with vinegar it will cut the grease right out instantly.. Hope this helps..
Coconut Oil
Posted by Heavensent (Regina, Sask) on 06/24/2011
I used dish soap to get the oil out, it worked great!!
