Head lice aren’t as uncommon ad we would like to think. In fact, this disease that was so difficult to treat back in the day happens to 6 to 16 million of American kids each year.
The first thing you need to do if you find lice in your/your child’s hair is to take a deep breath and start taking immediate actions instead of panicking. Also, try not to express how grossed out you are to your child, as having head lice is embarrassing enough to damage the confidence of a young, vulnerable person. Unfortunately, the elimination process may take a lot of time, and disappointing relapses may get you down.
Obviously, once your child is infected, you appear under a direct risk of infestation, as these tiny beasts jump from head to head at a close contact, which is unavoidable when trying to remove them off your kid’s hair. Luckily, it’s not as difficult to get rid of lice today as it was even a couple of decades ago. Modern treatments designed to kill lice and nits, as well as prevent their reproduction make every mom’s life much easier. The only drawback is that head lice get develop resistance to active ingredients used in those instant lice sprays, shampoos, and other treatments.
While that fact makes it harder to find a solution that will actually do its job, but it’s totally possible. However, if you’re not a fan of prescription remedies that promise immediate results at killing lice and getting rid of eggs or if they don’t work for you as expected, you will be glad to find out that there’re a lot of other ways and treatments you may apply to get rid of head head lice for good. Beware that getting lice off human’s head is a multi-step process that requires a lot of precautions that prevent repeat infestation and keep lice from coming at people who live in the same house or people you/your child closely communicate with.
So, without any further ado, let’s get to the treatments and homemade remedies which will help you get rid of head lice, as well as proper application techniques that ensure effective results.
7 ways to get rid of head lice
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Use prescription treatments
According to the recent survey, people who used prescription treatments were more satisfied with their effectiveness that those who applied over-the-counter supplies to get rid of lice. You may expect prescription treatments to be not just more productive, but also a lot safer and less toxic to use. At the same time, you need to pay attention to the results certain products promise and what they’re supposed to be used for.
For instance, some treatments kill adult lice, but do nothing to the nits. Others act in an opposite way. Purchasing treatments that act against lice and nits at the same time is the most convenient option. Read instructions on the package attentively and follow the application and repetition recommendations. Most likely, you’ll have to get a fine nit comb.
Don’t use a couple of treatments at the same time unless if prescribed by a doctor or allowed by the instructions on the package. Beware of possible allergic reactions and side effects (burning sensations, dandruff, skin and eye irritation) these products may cause, though. -
Pick those nits!
No matter which products or elimination techniques you’ll use, you won’t be able to get rid of head lice in the minimum period of time if you don’t do through every tiny strand of hair and comb out those nits with a fine, specially designed comb. If you can’t deal with nits effectively, some hairdressers provide this kind of services at customer’s request. Leave a request on HireRush.com to see if someone may do that for you professionally.
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Cut hair if possible
Cutting hair to a manageable length will make the process of removing head lice much easier. It’s not something everyone wants to do, especially kids and women who have long hair. But, if you’re a mom of wild crazy boys who somehow got head lice, ask a hairdresser to cut their hair as short as possible. Do that only after applying the first round of prescription treatment, though, as otherwise, you’ll risk infecting other people who attend the same salon with lice. Alternatively, you may get inexpensive hair clippers and do that at home.
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Try killing lice with a hairdryer
While this hack should not be used as a primary treatment, exposing lice and nits to extreme temperature will kill most of them. People who use this hack note that nits are more resistant to the heat than adult lice. That’s why you should not rely just on your hairdryer when getting rid of head lice.
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“Shrink-wrap” technique
If you’re looking for a non-toxic way to get rid of lice and prefer avoiding conventional prescription products, this method is for you. The results of clinical trial prove that it worked for 96% of people who followed the recommended steps. It’s approved by some doctors, by the way. So, what you need to do to get rid of head lice is: apply a non-toxic product of your choice to completely dry hair (Cetaphil-brand gentle skin cleanser, for instance), comb your hair out and blow dry it on the hottest settings. You’re supposed to repeat this treatment once a week for 3 times for it to work properly.
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Mayonnaise treatment
Strangelly enough, traditional fatty mayonnaise is sometimes used to kill head lice. Apply it generously on hair, put in up, put a shower cap on and leave your hair like that overnight. Pop in the shower the next morning, wash your hair thoroughly and comb out the nits. Don’t forget to repeat this procedure in a week to kill remaining beasts.
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Vinegar against bugs
Some people argue that applying white vinegar applied to the scalp and hair dissolves the sticky substance female lice use to glue the nits to individual hairs. Presumably, it helps with combing out the nits. There’s no clinic evidence behind that statement, though. But considering the fact that vinegar is used as an ingredient of pretty much every homemade bug remedy, it might be true.
Precautions upon lice infestation
- check every family member’s hair for lice and nits for up to 2 months after you notice the first signs of infestation;
- make sure to change sheets the infected person sleeps on every day (or every other day) and wash them immediately in hot water; it’s advised to change bed sheets of other family members quite frequently as well;
- after the treatment period is over, hire mattress cleaners to eliminate head lice and nits that could hide in the bed; Leave a cleaning request here
- spray your soft furniture with lice spray to avoid repeat infestation;
- wash hair every day;
- if you don’t want to cut your child’s long hair, make sure that he/she wears it in a tight braid; ask family members who have long hair not to wear it down as well;
- stop sharing hair brushes and accessories;
- change and wash clothes on a daily basis and dry them on the hottest settings if possible;
- treat potentially infested fabrics (clothes, stuffed animals, etc.) with anti-lice products and store them in plastic bags to make sure that all lice are dead;
- don’t underestimate the importance of repeating head lice treatments even if you think that you got rid of all of them during the first round;
- vacuum the house frequently.
