Discover Some Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Lice

Lice are tiny parasites with a length between two and three millimeters. They vary in color but are usually gray or translucent. They feed on small amounts of their host’s blood. So if you suffer from lice, it is important that you know several remedies to remove lice forever.

Lice usually live on the human scalp, in the hair, behind the ears, in the eyebrows and even in the eyelashes.

They spread through direct contact. Occasionally, the spread can also occur as a result of sharing personal utensils such as hats, caps or hairbrushes.

The lifespan of lice is about twenty-eight days. But they multiply quickly and lay ten eggs a day.

The eggs or nits mature within twelve to fourteen days. If you do not treat the lice quickly, they can multiply. Because their life cycle repeats itself every three weeks.

What are the symptoms?

• An “itchy” feeling or movement in the hair
• Itching or the urge to scratch
• Difficulty falling asleep
• irritability
• Eczema or skin lesions due to constant scratching

Are lice dangerous?

There are currently no known cases of diseases transmitted by lice. Hence, lice are not considered a threat to public health.

However, secondary skin infections can occur as a result of scratching the affected area.

Did you know that lice can live for up to 30 days? And that during that period each female is able to lay about two hundred eggs?

What should I do if I have lice?

So this problem is not a serious health issue. But to remove lice requires a treatment involving all family members and all persons in close contact with the affected person. In addition, the treatment must be repeated several times.

Unfortunately, there is no approved drug on the market today that completely removes lice eggs (nits) and lice.

We actually recommend that you use medication and alternative treatments at the same time.

That’s why we, the Healthy Living team, present you some of the most effective methods and home remedies here. Use these remedies in case of head lice.

1. Eucalyptus Oil

The eucalyptus tree is native to Australia. But nowadays it grows all over the world. The leaves of this tree are harvested. The oil is produced by means of a distillation process. This oil offers many uses.

• One of those uses of eucalyptus oil is that you can use it on wounds as an antiseptic and astringent. This is also the reason that you can use it to reduce the effects of lice on the skin.

2. Olive oil

This oil is of vegetable origin and provides the human body with multiple benefits. You can use olive oil as a tool to remove lice, among other things.

• In this case, the thickness of this oil is its best quality. Because thanks to this property, it will deprive the lice of oxygen. So when they are covered with olive oil they can no longer breathe. As a result, they suffocate and die. So you can successfully remove the lice with olive oil.

3. White vinegar

This liquid is the result of the acetic acid fermentation of alcohol by means of bacteria.

White vinegar contains a number of ingredients, including acetic acid. This element helps to decompose the chitin in the exoskeleton of the lice. It is this skeleton that helps them to cling to the hair.

You can combine the two previous remedies and make a treatment with vinegar and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white vinegar (500 ml)
• 2 cups olive oil (500 ml)

Material

• plastic foil
• a metal lice comb

Guidelines

• Warm the vinegar until you reach a temperature that is tolerable for the affected person without burning him or her.
• Moisten the head. Then soak the hair in the warm vinegar and massage the product for a few minutes. Make sure most of the hair is covered.
• Twist the hair into a bun or ponytail and wrap in plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should be wrapped around the hair as tightly as possible to allow the smell and properties of the vinegar to control the lice. You can remove the plastic wrap after one hour at the earliest.
• After an hour you can remove the plastic wrap. Then rinse the hair with warm water.
• Now heat up the olive oil. The temperature should not be too high to avoid burning the skin. Coat the hair with the warm olive oil.

• Again, tie the hair up and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it work for another hour.
• After an hour you can remove the plastic wrap. Then use a metal lice comb. Gently and thoroughly remove the lice and nits from the hair. Do this lock by lock.
• Once you determine that you have managed to get rid of the lice completely, wash your hair as normal with your own shampoo. Wash it as often as you need.

Note:  Some people only use the vinegar method.

4. Tea Tree Oil

This oil is considered to be one of the best ways to get rid of lice.

Tea tree oil is tapped from the Melaleuca Alternifolia – tree native to Australia. Since ancient times, this oil has been used to treat skin conditions.

It possesses antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties. All these features are very beneficial to prevent lice.

5. Parsley

This plant is widely used. it originates from a number of small islands in the Mediterranean and has many medicinal properties.

Parsley contains beta-carotene. Thanks to this component, parsley promotes healing. Because it speeds up the skin’s natural healing process in case of wounds.

This herb also provides some essential oils. They have antibacterial and antifungal properties. They help heal skin infections and relieve irritated skin.

Parsley is also an aid to eliminate a lice infestation. At the same time, it reduces the irritation caused by the bites and regulates the acidity of the scalp.

6. Lavender Oil

Lavender is a medicinal plant that can be used in many ways. As an essential oil, it has an analgesic effect, restores the cells of the body and has a calming effect.

But one of its main weapons against lice is its fragrant scent. Thanks to this property, lavender acts as a repellent.

• Apply lavender oil to the scalp. This will act as a kind of protective shield against future lice attacks.

Other methods to get rid of lice

A comb with fine teeth

This type of comb is also known as a lice comb. The comb is very easy to use as it is designed to trap nits and lice between the fine teeth.

You are supposed to use this comb on wet hair.

• This process is more effective when you combine it with a conditioner and alcohol. Because this ensures that the comb glides smoothly through the hair and in this way causes less damage to the hair.

No direct contact

Avoid contact between different heads. This is especially necessary in places where social contact is required, such as in sandpits or in swimming pools.

Clothing

We recommend that you wash all items of clothing that the affected person has worn a few days before the treatment with hot water. Then tumble dry or iron them at the highest temperature.

Because lice cannot survive at temperatures higher than fifty-three degrees Celsius.

If the garments need to be dry cleaned, take them to the laundry or store them in plastic bags for two weeks. This is to prevent the lice from spreading.

Personal items

Do not share the following items with others:

• plush animals and dolls
• hats
• towels
• personal hair care products

Clean the furniture and floors

Make sure there are no hairs of the affected person anywhere in the house. Because it is possible that those hairs contain nits.

Do not sit or lie on furniture that this person has recently touched.

Head lice can survive for one to two days without human contact.

However, nits cannot be hatched without human body temperature. But it will take a full week for them to eventually die unless they find a place with the same temperatures.

Note:  It is not a good idea to smoke out lice with aerosols as they can be poisonous.

So you see that the treatments to remove lice take time and attention to details. But these natural alternatives are practical and easy to implement.

We hope you find these recommendations helpful.