Lice Hate Coconut! Swap out your hair care products for some that are coconut scented or are made with natural coconut oils. Some studies have shown lice are repelled by the smell of coconut.
Coconut oil itself doesn't prevent lice, but oil on a hair shaft does make it harder for those little eggs (called nits) to stick. However, it can also make hair look and feel greasy. Coconut oil is also considered a tree nut by the FDA and could be a potential allergen to kids.
Thankfully, coconut oil is here to save the day. The thick consistency of coconut oil suffocates head lice and their eggs. It also prevents lice from transferring onto your clothes. Coconut oil contains fatty acids that make it difficult for the lice to hang on your hair strands.
Coconut oil relies on its viscosity (attributed to its fatty content) to suffocate head lice by choking their breathing systems, and in the process killing them.
Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits. Only items that have been in contact with the head of the infested person in the 48 hours before treatment should be considered for cleaning.
Spinosad topical suspension, 0.9%, was approved by the FDA in 2011. Since it kills live lice as well as unhatched eggs, retreatment is usually not needed. Nit combing is not required. Spinosad topical suspension is approved for the treatment of children 6 months of age and older.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Olive Oil smothers and kills active head lice, making nit removal easier and moisturizing the hair and scalp.
Lice can be prevented due to the same antiseptic properties through the use of lavender shampoo or by adding lavender oil to other shampoo. Because of the lower concentration of terpenoids, lavender oil shampoos are much safer to use than tea tree oils and provokes very few skin irritations.
After the oil has been on the hair for 8 hours, leave in the oil and comb the hair with a regular comb to remove tangles. THEN use a good metal nit comb to remove both nits and lice.
Small studies have also shown that tea tree oil in combination with lavender oil can kill lice eggs and reduce the number of live lice. Tea tree oil seems to be relatively safe for use on the skin, although it can cause irritation or swelling for some.
Lice and nits can live on pillows and sheets. Lice glue their eggs to the hair strands of their host. However, if a piece of hair with an egg falls out while the lice host is sleeping, an egg could end up on pillows or sheets.
The only way to prevent them from hatching would be to remove them with a good metal nit comb, or your fingernails. Nits are laid by the mother and attached with a glue she formulates, to sit on the hair shaft in the perfect spot to incubate and hatch.
Because the active ingredients have remained the same all these years, new generations of head lice have become immune to them. Once lice become immune, the product no longer works. Scientists call this resistance.
HAND SANITIZER "STUNS" LIVE LICE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME MAKING IT EASY TO BE REMOVED WITH NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER WILL DISSOLVE THE "GLUE" THAT HOLDS NITS TO THE HAIR MAKING THEM EASY TO REMOVE WITH A NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER CAN BE USED DAILY.
Piperonyl butoxide with pyrethrins is an ingredient found in medicines to kill lice. Poisoning occurs when someone swallows the product or too much of the product touches the skin.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
Can someone have nits but no lice? It may be possible to have nits but no lice. If a person cannot find any nymphs or adult lice in the scalp and the nits are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp, these may be dead and from an old infestation.
After Treating with Lice Medicine
Use the nit comb to remove dead lice and nits. If some are still present but moving slowly, do not shampoo again. If lice are still active and no dead lice are found, call your health care provider. These lice may be resistant to the medicine.