Eucalyptus oil is believed to be an ideal treatment because it kills lice as well as their eggs. One study determined that eucalyptus oil kills 100% of lice and their eggs in just one hour.
Rinsing the hair with white vinegar before washing may help dissolve the glue that holds the nits to the hair shafts.
This is a widespread myth, as many natural lice treatments use peppermint oil. However, peppermint oil is ineffective at killing living lice on the head. Lice dislike the aroma of peppermint, hence its function as a repellent; however, peppermint is not harmful to lice.
Washing at a temperature above 130 °F will generally kill the insects. Alternately, try sealing the fabrics in plastic bags for 2 weeks. Soaking combs, brushes, and other hair care items in hot water for 5–10 minutes. Vacuuming the furniture, floor, and other surfaces that may contain lice or their eggs.
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.
Suffocate the Lice
Soak your child's head in olive oil or coconut oil. Cover with a shower cap for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight). When ready, remove the shower cap, and separate the hair into small sections, then use a metal nit comb to carefully remove the lice and eggs. Rinse the hair well with shampoo.
Eucalyptus oil is believed to be an ideal treatment because it kills lice as well as their eggs. One study determined that eucalyptus oil kills 100% of lice and their eggs in just one hour. In addition, it was found that only 3% of children treated with eucalyptus oil needed retreatment.
Lavender oil is also an effective and safe treatment of head lice and is also used as a lice repellent. Because it does not kill the nits (eggs) however, it is best to mix it with other oils, such as a tea tree, to enhance its effectiveness.
While the ovicidal (egg-killing) property is not as good, with tea tree oil taking 5 days to cause a 50% kill rate, louse eggs hatch in 5-8 days, so prolonged use of tea tree oil over the course of 2 weeks could be an effective eradication measure.
Lice don't like essential oils especially tea tree (also suitable for boys) and lavender, so use products containing repellent oils.
Simply mix a few drops of tea tree oil with water and spray it over your hair. Be sure to rub the mixture behind your ears and neck to get rid of head lice.
Sometimes it will be easier to remove the nits if you wet the hair with white vinegar while you are combing the nits out. Vinegar helps loosen the "glue" that holds the nits to the hair. Separate and comb small sections of hair at a time.
Vinegar is one of the classic home remedies for lice. However, if you are trying to find out how to get rid of nits using vinegar, you should know that using vinegar to kill nits or lice eggs is totally ineffective. Vinegar has no negative effect on the lice eggs.
Lotions and sprays for head lice and nits
There are several different products that can be applied to the scalp and hair to kill head lice, including: dimeticone 4% lotion or lotion spray – applied and left for 8 hours (usually overnight) dimeticone 4% spray gel – applied and left for 15 minutes.
Looking for a natural remedy for keeping away Nits/head lice? Look no further! Emu Ridge oils are Aussie produced and 100% pure, our Eucalyptus Oil and Tea Tree Oils are a great preventive treatment.
How It Works: Baby oil not only makes suffocates the lice but also makes the hair slippery making it difficult for the eggs to remain attached to the hair.
Will rosemary oil kill lice? No. Scientific evidence and the most trusted medical sources, like the CDC and the Mayo Clinic, all agree — there is not enough evidence to support that essential oils kill lice, or even deter them.
Olive Oil smothers and kills active head lice, making nit removal easier and moisturizing the hair and scalp. Part hair and apply the oil directly onto the scalp.
Hair straighteners won't kill the nits on your hair shafts. Even if the high heat does kill any adult lice or nymphs (young lice) that might be on your scalp—which isn't guaranteed—it won't kill the eggs (nits).
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.
A preventative shampoo and spray can break the life cycle. A shampoo that kills lice before they can lay eggs is critical for closing the “bridge” from one head to another.
Nits take about 1 week to hatch (range 6 to 9 days). Viable eggs are usually located within 6 mm of the scalp. ) and become adults about 7 days after hatching.