Maintaining the beauty of your hair can be a chore, especially when you also consider the task of keeping them safe from lice infestations. The presence of nits in your hair can work detrimentally on the health of your scalp and your locks. Their presence can make your head feel itchy because they suck away the blood from your scalp thereby also stealing any presence of nutrition.
To prevent their habitation near the roots of your precious hair, long or short, you can follow certain regimes that will also help to improve the texture of your hair. Sure, many medically beneficial solutions do exist to fight off these types of problems, additionally using any natural remedies for lice removal will only serve you well in the end.
Let’s without further ado, learn about the primary home remedies for lice treatment first that can help to make your hair free of the thousands of nits, and then check some medical OTC remedies that ensure certain freedom from these lecherous hair crawlers.
Home Remedies for Lice Treatment
One of the main benefits of using home remedies for lice removal is that you can make use of them at any hour during the whole of the day, without having to wait on an appointment or a schedule that relies on the help of another person. Another plus side of using home remedies is that they have been tried and tested for generations to show effective results that ascertain their usefulness.
Use the following materials that you can find or arrange at your home to gain better nourishment for your hair alongside also eliminating the lice infestation:
Apple Cider Vinegar
The unique antimicrobial properties of Apple Cider Vinegar are believed to be successfully helpful in removing lice from the hair.
It allows for numerous ways by which you can use this home ingredient in your hair which also includes adding specific compounds to better support the process. A few examples of this can be the mixing of mineral oil, salt and olive oil, etc. in the apple cider vinegar before its application.
To start, mix oil or salt in the apple cider vinegar and gently apply it to your hair and scalp. Leave it to settle undisturbed for about an hour and then use a fine comb to tidy up your hair followed by washing them with a mild hair shampoo. Again apply apple cider vinegar to your hair and follow this at least two times more before again doing the same in the next week.
Read More: Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar
Onion Juice
The use of Onions to cleanse hair also follows a similar pattern wherein its use is known to be harmful only for the lies. To date, this solution serves to be among the top home remedies for lice treatment because it has proven to be reliable by several accounts, especially when you follow the below-given method for application.
Take an adequate number of onions to grind them finely without water so that you can obtain a thick semi-solid product. Using your fingertips, apply this paste properly to your scalp and your hair to then leave it to settle for four hours. Afterward, use a fine comb to remove the lice and the nits to then clean your hair by washing them with lukewarm water.
Performing this procedure twice a week again from the next time onwards, as per requirement, should effectively help you get rid of the lice for a significant period of time.
Garlic
Apart from the many benefits of consuming garlic, it can also be used to get rid of lice from your hair. It has strong antibacterial properties that are capable of affecting the nits in a futile manner which when allied with the use of olive oil can do wonders for treating the hair against infestation.
Take ten or fifteen cloves of garlic and crush them well enough so that they are less whole and more easily capable of mixing with a few drops of olive oil. You may also use lime juice instead but then make sure that you apply this mixture to your hair, so it can dry up in thirty minutes or so, which is when you should rinse your hair. You may repeat this process once or twice a week until the desired results are obtained.
Fine Combing
One of the most underrated home remedies for lice is the activity of combing your hair. When you use a comb on your hair that has fine and minute bristles, it can help to sort of weed out the lice and nits from your scalp. Do maintain caution while you’re at it because the element of haste in this procedure can damage your hair more than the good it can bring.
This procedure should be repeated once or twice a week to ensure that no serious lice infestation is being harbored by your scalp and also avoid using an electric nit comb when removing lice from your children’s hair.
Hair Oils
The many benefits of ayurvedic medicines are incomplete without the use of oils that are capable of providing remarkable benefits against most ailments. Similarly, a variety of hair oils are also found to be among some of the excellent home remedies for lice removal that do so without damaging your hair.
You can take any type of oil such as clove oil, neem oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, tea tree oil, and so on to mix it in less than equal proportions with either almond oil, olive oil, or coconut oil to create a personal hair oil. Applying this mixture on your hair and its tips along with also massaging your scalp should offer some relief from itching while you allow the oil to settle for an hour. Afterward, comb your hair gently and repeatedly before using a herbal shampoo to wash hair. Doing this numerous times a week can show promising results. Here is a A Guide To Simple Health Benefits Of Essential Oils!
Herbal Shampoos
Pollutants are one of the most notorious causes for having dirty hair and are also responsible for attracting insects and organisms. To keep your hair healthy you must clean them at timely intervals so that your hair remains moisturized and never too dry. Herbal shampoos are the most preferable option to achieve the same and are also the significant contributors of wonderful home remedies for lice treatment.
Because herbs are known to carry insecticide properties in delicate amounts, it still helps with acting as an anti-lice herbal shampoo. Pick a shampoo that contains ingredients such as Camphor, Reetha, Neem, Shikakai, Hibiscus, Brahmi, Nutmeg, Rosemary, etc to apply to your hair. Before washing your hair, make sure to comb them to remove lice. Only apply these shampoos in adequate amounts and prevent them from getting in your eyes while you apply them and also when you wash them away.
Vinegar
Some people may not agree with the use of Vinegar as being a useful part of home remedies for lice removal but contrary to it, several people and hair professionals still support this claim. The use of this product can be beneficial in eliminating lice from the scalp and hair for people who understand the words ‘careful application’.
Mix salt and vinegar in a spray bottle to obtain a solution of sodium chloride and acetic acid that serves to prevent nits from hatching and literally dries out the lice. However, since it will also dry out your hair beyond the point of calling them frizzy, you should never let it settle for more than an hour or so and after washing your hair, you should moisturize them well with hair serum or herbal hair oils.
Neem & Tea Tree
The reason why the neem is honorably considered to be among the useful home remedies for lice treatment is because of the antiseptic and antibacterial properties it carries that can benefit both your hair and your scalp. Its application can help to keep your hair and scalp moisturized which prevents itching and also serves to protect them against pollutants.
Either obtain neem oil or take neem leaves to boil them and crush them to form a paste-like oil to be combined with a few drops of tea tree oil. Applying this mixture in your hair and on your scalp to be left undisturbed for two hours will do both, nourish your hair and prevent the breeding of lice. After washing your hair, applying herbal oil should help to prevent any itching.
Medical Natural Remedies for Lice Removal
If you seek more scientifically proven solutions to get rid of the lice from your hair while also practicing the Natural remedies for lice treatment, you should get any one of these below-mentioned OTC’s from a dermatologist to help you achieve your goal for lice-free hair. It should be noted that each of these synthetic medicines has different limitations and abilities so never self-treat using any of these medically approved substances in any case.
Lindane
Though the use of this compound isn’t counted within the Natural remedies for lice removal, applying it on a dry scalp and washing it after five minutes can help to keep lice away from your hair. Do not use it when you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Malathion
This medicine is safe for use in pregnancy and breastfeeding but it will leave a stinging smell after use. Also not among the natural remedies for lice, malathion should be applied on dry hair to be left at it for eight hours before washing it with water. Repeat the process after seven days when you find dead lice upon combing your hair.
Pyrethrin
Applying Pyrethrin on wet hair to be then washed off in mere ten minutes can provide results that are similar to some natural remedies for lice employed by people around the world. However, it’s not safe for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Additionally, using it multiple times can make it ineffective against lice.
Permethrin
The permethrin is also required to be applied to wet hair which should then be washed off after ten minutes. Similar to Pyrethrin, lice can build resistance to this solution and it is not recommended to be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding unlike what is possible for most natural remedies for lice removal.
Additional Tips
If you have already contracted lice in your head then they simply won’t go away like the common cold and it will require the use of medications or natural remedies for lice removal. Beyond applying various types of products in your hair that are commonly known to help with the condition, following these extra tips could perhaps also benefit you.
- Deep clean your house including fabrics and furniture to remove lice completely from the surroundings.
- Prevent the head-to-head contact of your children with others and also avoid sharing hats, combs, scarves, or pillows as these objects generally carry lice from an infected person.
- Obtaining prescribed ivermectin from your doctor and applying it merely once has proven to eliminate lice without even needing nit combing.
- Use a blow dryer to dry out your hair as its heat is quite effective in removing 80% of nits and nearly 50% of lice.
- Remain vigilant of the progression of lice and avoid panicking. You can dole out the lice by following careful measures over time.
- Look into hiring a professional Delousing service if it is available in your country.
Final Words
Lice can be a pain to carry, both figuratively and literally and by sucking away the blood and nutrition from your scalp, they can multiply rapidly. Prevent them from spreading by using any of the above-mentioned home remedies for lice removal and see which works the best for you. Ideally, also make sure to try out the natural remedies for lice afterward to avoid any damage to your hair.
Lastly, while you may use multiple methods to effectively get rid of the lice and nits, do not combine medical solutions at a time with home remedies as a reaction between them could negatively affect your hair and also your health.
