Home Remedies to Cure Head Lice
If your child’s scalp is unusually itchy, so much so that he or she has red welts going all the way to the nape of his or her neck, or you find drop-like specks on the strands of your child’s hair, chances are, you have an infestation.
While it is recommended that you see a physician to get the right anti-lice treatment, there are also a number of home remedies that you could employ.
Note that before you undergo any home remedies for lice removal, you have to be sure that the white flecks you find in your child’s hair are nits and not dandruff. Key to spotting the difference is that dandruff normally originates from the scalp; whereas nits are attached to the hair strand with its hair shaft.
Also, determine the severity of the case. If you see actual lice moving around your child’s scalp, then you would want to get medical treatment and not just home remedies.
However, if all you are seeing are empty nits, there are a number of things you can do using some of the things you have handy.
Suffocate the buggers
You can smother them by applying a generous amount of mayonnaise on your child’s hair and covering it with cling wrap. If the idea of putting smelly mayo on your kid’s hair doesn’t appeal to you, there are other alternatives:
1. Olive oil or baby oil
2. Heavy henna hair cream
3. Hair conditioners
Follow the same process as you would using mayonnaise. Of all the mentioned alternatives, many like olive oil the best as it softens (in some cases, melts) the shell of the lice, making them even more vulnerable.
Use herbal remedies
Certain essential oils and tea tree oils have been used for removing lice; unfortunately, the effectiveness of this method remains obscure. It is also not recommended for very young kids as it may irritate their skin and scalp. Usually, some allergy testing is required. However, herbal remedies are better used on older children.
Over the counter
If you have 5% Benzyl Alcohol Lotion handy in your medicine cabinet, you can use it on your child, provided that he or she is older than 6 months, and that he or she is not allergic to it. It’s an effective way to kill lice by crippling their respiratory track.
Before using it on your kid, do a simple allergy test. Once it turns out that he or she is not allergic, apply the 5% Benzyl Alcohol Lotion thoroughly on hair, making sure each strand is covered. Leave the lotion on for 10 minutes. Clean hair using a lice comb. Rinse thoroughly and repeat the entire process after a week.
Head lice shampoo
Having head lice shampoo ready at home can definitely be a boon as it serves as a good way to finish off any anti-lice treatment that you have. It’s a good way to control lice infestation, and it’s easy to use.
