Natural Remedies for Lice

Eucalyptus Oil

Posted by Irene (Los Angeles, California Usa) on 02/08/2012
★★★★★

eucalyptis oil, tea tree oil, extra virgin olive oil, dawn dish soap

Finally cured after trying EVERYTHING!!! Just when I thought they were gone... The nits that I had missed started hatching. I immediately bought a bottle of tea tree oil for $11.00, eucalyptis oil for $4.00 at a store having to do with a red arrow aiming at something ha ha! (don't know if I can say on here... And they were not next to eachother I had to do some shelf hunting), also some extra virgin olive oil from a dollar store (warning: I heard if your child or yourself has had a history of epilepsy/seizures it is not good to use eucalyptus oil as it can bring out the seizures) for my 3 year old I used 3/4 tsp tea tree oil, 3/4 tsp eucalyptus oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, then I mixed it with squirts of shampoo and mixed until syrup like. For my 5 year old and myself I used 1 tsp tree oil, 1 tsp eucalyptus, and 2 tablespoons olive oil and extra squirts of shampoo... I have long hair!!! I used a spray bottle to barely dampen their hair enough just so that it would create suds when I put the mixture on. I didn't want to get in their eyes so I "spooned" it into their hair in sections making sure I rubbed it very close to the roots/scalp (I didn't have any shower caps so I just rubber banded their hair up) let sit for 1 hour no less!! I draped towels on my couches so they wouldn't stain them and let them watch a movie for 1 hour and rinsed with water, after that I put dawn dishsoap in their hair and rinsed I immediately started seeing dead lice fall out... Combed out hair and removed all the bug bodies I could see more bodies as I was blow drying/combing out their hair.. I did see nits but they were all dead so keep pulling out nits just in case!! Been lice free for a whole week!!! When you rinse this stuff out make sure you put a washcloth over their eyes so it won't go in... Also keep eucalyptus oil out of reach of children it is extremely poisonus!! Good luck!!! :) you can even repeat just in case after 7 days.

Garlic Oil

Posted by London3 (Sacramento, Ca) on 01/10/2012
★★★★★

My daughter and I have been fighting to get rid of her head lice for 2 months. I tried rid, nix, 2 different prescriptions, tea tree oil, and mayonaise. None of it worked. Those buggers were resistant to everything! I then remembered how well the garlic oil cleared up my bunnies mites, so I tried it in her hair for almost 15 hours and the next day was her first day nit free in 2 months!! She and I both agree that it was the easiest and only treatment that worked!

Pure Alcohol, Aka Rubbing Alcohol

Posted by Joe (Starkville, Ms) on 12/20/2011
★★★★★

Easy, inexpensive remedy that completely eliminated lice after 3 treatments. Mix equal parts of 91% rubbing alcohol and white vinegar into a spray bottle. Add 1 drop of tea tree oil for every fluid ounce of mixture. 3-4 ounces will be sufficient to treat a head of long hair. Thoroughly wet hair with mixture, and comb out in sections with metal nit comb. After every few strokes, rinse the comb in a container of water to see what is coming out of the hair and to track progress. Wash and condition hair afterwards with coconut based products. Blow dry hair on high heat. Repeat treatment every other day to break the reproduction cycle until lice are gone.

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.

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
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

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.

EC: surgical spirits = rubbing alcohol. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol