Why Listerine Works: We are pleased to hear that the amber Listerine worked so well to treat lice. We suspect it too works by suffocating them. The herbal oils in Listerine, such as eucalyptol, thymol, menthol and methyl salicylate, may also discourage lice.
Listerine is considered the most effective home remedy for head lice because it contains alcohol (26.9%), eucalyptol, thymol, menthol, and methyl salicylate, which are probably toxic to lice. Lice are small wingless insects that thrive on human blood.
Soak your hair and scalp in Listerine and cover with a shower cap. Allow the Listerine to sit for 2 hours. Rinse the hair with a mixture of water and vinegar. Leave the vinegar on the hair for 2 hours.
Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs. Permethrin may continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after treatment.
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. What it will do is sting like crazy if there is any kind of cut on the scalp.
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.
Mix baking soda with conditioner. Apply the mixture all over the scalp and hair. Leave it for 30 minutes. Comb through each section of the hair and you can see dead lice, nits and baby lice.
Disinfectants are known for killing germs and bacteria. However, they are not an effective or safe treatment when it comes to killing lice and nits.
Listerine has antifungal properties that may reduce dandruff and improve scalp health. It contains anti-dandruff agents like eucalyptol and salicylic acid. It also has thyme, an antiseptic, and menthol with antimicrobial properties. Mix some Listerine and water together to dilute it and spray it over the hair.
Heat Method:
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
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.
Mix 1/2 cup of Listerine with 1/2 cup of water and apply to towel-dried, clean hair, pouring it as close to the scalp as possible. Rub it in with your fingertips, leave it for about 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
After shampooing and conditioning as per your usual routine, Farah suggests spraying a half-and-half mix of water and original Listerine on your scalp. Then: rub it in, let it sit, and be dandruff free.
Left untreated, head lice can lead to secondary infections, which can be serious. Bacterial infections, such as impetigo, can occur when scratched bites become infected; this can have serious consequences if not treated properly.
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.
Rinsing the hair with white vinegar before washing may help dissolve the glue that holds the nits to the hair shafts.
Spinosad (Natroba) is a newer prescription treatment for head lice. You can apply it to dry hair and the scalp for 10 minutes and then rinse with water. The treatment doesn't usually need to be repeated.
Listerine contains alcohol that kills lice. Applying a dilute vinegar solution afterward can loosen the glue that holds nits to the hair shaft and make them easier to remove. Lice also could be smothered with coconut oil.
But if you're wondering will disinfectant spray kills lice on a human head, know this is ineffective, unhealthy, and dangerous.
To kill lice on brushes, combs or hair acces- sories, wash them with hot, soapy water. NEVER spray them with a pesticide.
Hair gels, hairspray, oils or other non-medicated products do not kill lice or their eggs. Cutting your child's hair or shaving their head to get rid of lice won't keep them away. Lice stick to short and just “grown in” hair too.