Home Remedies to Eliminate Lice

The louse is a creature that has earned a bad reputation for its host; judged as unclean and as if the next phase of infestation were leprosy. This is not so; take a deep breath and let’s look at the facts. Lice, the term used when they occur in numbers, are not difficult to treat. Fortunately, there are some easy home remedies to eliminate lice. The first concern to dispel is that lice are carriers of disease; they are not usually carriers. Better still is that lice are easy to eliminate and may only need the remedy of a lice comb. This is a comb with a very fine distribution of teeth. In fact, it may be this very function, the need to eliminate lice, that was the mother of the invention of the common comb.

If you or any member of the family, including pets, came home from anywhere that may have had an infestation of lice, there is no need to worry. Address the situation calmly and quickly. To let a lice infestation linger means that the infestation will increase in geometric proportions and will infest others in the household.

Three Solutions to Eliminate Lice

The lice comb:
A common comb’s distribution of teeth is too wide and will fail to capture the lice. The lice comb was designed specifically to solve the problem of lice infestation. When combed through all of the hair on the host – this will be a time-consuming exercise on pets – the lice comb will capture all phases of the louse life cycle: adult, young, called nymphs, and eggs, called nits. Human-host lice occur in several species preferring specific areas of the body: head hair, body hair or pubic hair. Examine a host completely; if head lice are found, other areas of the body may be infested as well, but all species can be eliminated by the same procedures. Using the lice comb, comb thoroughly through the hair of the host and, during the process, rinse the comb periodically under hot running water. Repeat this exercise daily for a week until the effort capturers no other lice.

If combing, alone, does not eliminate lice, the next treatment is to suffocate the lice with olive oil. Have good lighting on the subject. Apply olive oil moderately through the hair and then use the lice comb as described above. Work slowly, rinsing the comb periodically in hot water under the tap. Once combed completely, wash the head or body area thoroughly with shampoo and rinse thoroughly. This exercise should be repeated every day for a week just to be certain the infestation is completely eliminated. Over the following two weeks, comb through the hair just to be certain no lice are present. Between treatments, soak the lice comb in water with 10% bleach solution or water with 2% Lysol solution for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly under running water.

If suffocation with olive oil does not eliminate the lice, try a blend of olive oil with an essential oil like tea tree oil and follow the same procedure as above. A variety of essential oils may be effective: tea tree oil, cinnamon leaf, clove, eucalyptus, nutmeg or peppermint. Before hand, it may be wise to put a drop of essential oil on the host’s skin just to be sure there is no allergic reaction. Blend a two-ounce volume of olive oil with 15 to 20 drops of essential oil and apply, comb, shampoo and rinse as described above.

If you follow these simple steps, an infestation of lice should be quickly and easily treated.