Home remedies for lice are worth trying not only if you don't have any lice repellent at hand. They are safe and proven, and have no side effects, so they can be a good complement to head lice therapy.
Home remedies for licehave many supporters, not only among people who trust natural therapies more than lice preparations from pharmacies. Despite the fact that in the vast majority of cases, scientific studies have not yet confirmed that home remedies for lice are effective, recipes for home rubs, rinses or shampoos against lice are often passed on from generation to generation.
Therefore, although home remedies for lice have their drawbacks - their preparation takes time, their use is usually more labor-intensive than in the case of ready-made preparations for lice, and you have to wait longer for their effects - it is worth trying, especially since you probably have many essential ingredients in your kitchen.
Apple cider vinegar for lice
One of the most effective home remedies for lice is apple cider vinegar. Vinegar prevents the nits from sticking to your hair - the acid in it causes the nits to dry out and fall off. The same acid also kills adult lice. Spirit vinegar also has this effect, but it can irritate the delicate scalp.
Apple cider vinegar also needs to be thinned by mixing it with warm water in a 1: 1 ratio. Rub this mixture into the hair and scalp several times a day until the problem stops (the treatment usually takes a week). For better results, cover your hair with a foil cap.
Mayonnaise for lice
Half a jar of mayonnaise, with which you will thoroughly cover the entire length of the hair and scalp, will effectively cut off the access of oxygen to lice and nits, making them suffocate. To be sure, you should also cover your hair with a foil cap.
To achieve the best results, the mayonnaise must remain on the head for at least a few hours, preferably throughout the day. After this time, the hair must be washed and then combed with a lice comb.
Vinegar with mayonnaise and tea oil for lice
An effective home remedy for lice is also a mask made of vinegar, tea oil and mayonnaise. The oil in the mayonnaise suffocates the lice (howeverregular oil mixed with vinegar will separate quickly, so better use mayonnaise)
This killer effect is enhanced by the addition of tea oil. Mayonnaise should be mixed with vinegar in the proportion of two tablespoons of mayonnaise per tablespoon of vinegar, then add a few drops of tea oil, mix, spread the paste on the scalp and let it act for a few hours. In the evening your hair should be washed thoroughly.
Essential oils for lice
Essential oils - primarily tea tree, lavender, coconut, anise, jasmine and eucalyptus oils - have valuable properties: they not only have an insecticidal effect, which additionally hates the smell of lice.
To get rid of the problem, just mix a few drops of the selected oil with a spoonful of olive oil, and then rub it into your hair and scalp. This mixture should remain on the scalp for 30-40 minutes - after that, it needs to be thoroughly rinsed off and then combed out of the hair with dead lice and nits.
To be sure, for some time after the end of the treatment, it is worth mixing a few drops of the selected oil with the shampoo during each hair wash.
Coconut oil for lice
Coconut oil works against lice in much the same way as other fats: it cuts off their oxygen supply. However, it also has conditioning properties, so it will be suitable for people who not only have head lice, but also suffer from other hair problems, e.g. excessive dryness.
A portion of coconut oil should be thoroughly massaged into the scalp and covered along the entire length of the hair, leave for half an hour, and then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Eucalyptus leaf infusion for lice
He also scares off lice. However, eucalyptus leaves do not remove the nits, so they can only be used as additional support for other home lice remedies. You can buy the infusion at a herbalist's shop, or you can prepare it yourself: a few fresh eucalyptus leaves need to be crushed, covered with warm water, and the warm (but not too hot) infusion should be used as a hair rinse.
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Infusion of rosemary leaves for lice
The infusion of rosemary leaves gives similar effects, which is prepared and used in the same way as the infusion of eucalyptus leaves. The effects of the infusion can be enhanced by adding a few drops of anise, tea or eucalyptus essential oil to it.
Olive oil for lice
Like other fats, olive oil suffocates the lice and prevents the nits from becoming adult lice. A small amount of this fat needs to be slightly heated, then warm (but not hot) rubbed into the scalp and hair, and thencover the end with a foil bathing cap. After a few hours, rinse the oil with warm water and comb your hair thoroughly with a lice comb.
Lavender essence (oil) for lice
Lavender essence has an antibacterial effect and a fragrance that - although pleasant to humans - is unbearable for lice. However, it does not work on nits, so it is safer to use it only as a support for other home remedies than as a primary method of fighting lice.
Dilute a few drops of lavender essence in the amount of water recommended by the manufacturer, and then rub the mixture into your hair. If the manufacturer does not recommend diluting the essence, the preparation can be rubbed directly into the scalp (usually a few drops of the essence are enough).
Garlic for lice
Garlic is another proven home remedy for lice and nits. A head (a single clove is not enough) of garlic must be thoroughly crushed in a press and added to half a liter of very warm water, and then set aside for at least eight hours.
After this time, the liquid must be strained through a fine-mesh strainer - preferably directly into the spray bottle, and then sprinkle it thoroughly (or rub it, if you do not have an atomizer) on the scalp and hair, and then cover it with a foil cap. After at least eight hours, your hair must be washed.
Cosmetic kerosene for lice
It's a myth that kerosene only repels lice. It works like vinegar: it kills adults and it eliminates nits by drying them out and the sticky substance that binds them to the hair, so that the nits that survive fall off on their own.
Its use is easy: just rub the kerosene thoroughly into the scalp and hair, and after a few hours, brush the lice and nits out of them, and then thoroughly wash your hair. Since kerosene has an unbearable smell, you should cover your hair with a foil cap.
Lemon for lice
The remedy for nits, not lice, is lemon juice. When freshly squeezed, it is enough to rub it into the hair from roots to ends and leave it on for an hour or more.
The acids in lemon juice dissolve the substance by which the nits attach to the hair. To remove them, however, you need to thoroughly comb the hair with a lice comb.
Read also:
- Lice and nits preparations