Head Lice Natural Remedies

Head Lice are human parasites and are transmitted by human contact with an infected person. They are not transmitted via animals, including the family pet. The reason why is because head lice, as mentioned earlier, are a human parasite and live off of the consumption of human blood.

They are generally small in size. Adults can grow as large as a sesame seed and dark in color(usually brown) making them often times hard to detect.

Adult lice females lay eggs, referred to as NITs as close as possible to the "host's" hair shaft. The female bugs can lay up to 150 NITs in their life-cycle.

The medical term for a case of head lice is Pediculosis, or sometimes referred to as Pediculosis Capitis(infestation of the scalp with lice). They are considered to be contagious as they can be spread from one person to another, but are not considered to be a harmful disease.

Based on recent medical information, head lice do not normally carry or spread harmful diseases, and do not carry any harmful diseases. More often than not, they are best described as a nuisance than anything else.

Head Lice also do not travel through the air nor can they be transferred onto a human head from the ground. They have no ability to fly and cannot "jump" from head to head as was suspected previously.

As with most Head Lice remedies few, if any, are found to be effective in ridding this infestation. The reason for this is simple. . .

YOU MUST REMOVE ALL NITS FROM THE HEAD OF HAIR!

Removal of Head Lice is a process that will take up to 2 weeks because of the gestation period when fresh NITs, or lice eggs are laid by the female louse! This is the most important factor that is almost always overlooked. Non-sufficient removal of even ONE NIT can cause a re-infestation. And you will have to repeat the treatment process all over again from the beginning.

These MUST be continually removed and searched out manually with any treatment plan for it to be effective. Knowing this will help you tremendously at having a successful battle plan at the beginning of this entire process.

The best way to ensure all NIT removal is to invest in the right tool for this. What is the right tool?

A metal NIT removal comb.

The more common plastic type will not be sufficient as they tend to break easily, especially with thicker hair. You MUST have a metal NIT comb in order to get the best results when removing live lice bugs, and more importantly the unhatched NITs.

These can be purchased through any offline store that sells lice removal treatments. They can cost up to $10.00 or more, but are worth the extra money as they work better and last longer than any inferior plastic comb.

Remember too that these combs can also be purchased online as well if you have time to wait. If not, you should get to a pharmaceutical store, or one that has this type of area within it and purchase one immediately. Battling a case of head lice, no matter how small, should be done without delay as it only takes several days for NITs, or eggs, to hatch furthering the severity of the infestation.

Searching out these NITs should be done on a daily basis. Begin doing this after the first stage of any treatment has been done. And, continue looking for them.

Unfortunately, the ONLY way to remove the NITs, as they hang on to the hair shaft quite strong, is by manually hunting them out and using the aforementioned metal comb.

But, if you get them all, then most likely, a re infestation will not occur after the treatment process has been completed.

One last point to be aware of when removing NITs. . .

Be sure that you dispose of any NITs properly once they are removed from the head. Remember, lice can survive for up to 24 hours off the host. Of course we are speaking of unborn, unhatched lice here, but the principles should remain the same. We don't want another infestation of these nasty critters now, do we?

The best course of action is to use disposable containers, paper towels, etc. that can be thrown away in a trash sack that can be sealed up immediately after the removal process has been completed. After this is done, be sure that you vacuum the area vigorously where you performed the NIT removal process, especially if there is carpeting on the floor.

Also, be sure to disinfect and clean the NIT comb after every use. DO NOT clean or disinfect the comb while you are using it. Wait until after you are done searching out and removing any NITs you see.

This can be done by soaking the NIT comb in a bleach-water solution. Be sure also to use HOT WATER as lice do not survive in extreme heat or cold, as with most parasites. And allow the comb to sit in the solution for upwards of 15 minutes. Then be sure to re-clean the comb with a disposable cloth such as a paper towel, taking care to check all the teeth as best as possible and wipe them off thoroughly.

Bleach is also an effective disinfectant for your NIT comb as bleach can kill many infectious living, or non-living viruses and parasites. This needs to be done in between NIT removal to ensure that there are not any NITs left inside the tiny spaces between the teeth of the comb that could potentially be reinserted back onto the scalp.

This treatment is not to be assumed as a head lice "killer". It does not work in this fashion as with harmful pesticide shampoos or similar treatments. It only makes easier for you the difficult louse and NIT removal.

The mayonnaise Treatment

1-2 32 oz. Jars of Mayonnaise (the real stuff, no Miracle Whip) - depending on the amount of hair to be treated

1 Roll of Plastic Wrap or a Plastic Shower Cap(sometimes better)

1 Bottle of White Vinegar

1 Bottle of Denorex Dandruff Shampoo

1 Bottle of Dawn Dish-washing Soap

1-3 Rolls of Paper Towels

1 Metal NIT Removal Comb

Optional: 1 plastic spray bottle

Completely saturate the entire head of hair with Mayonnaise. Once done, wrap the head with plastic wrap, or shower cap(best for children) and leave mayonnaise on overnight, or for a minimum of 8 hours if performing treatment during the day.

Rinse out mayonnaise with warm water as best you can. Then apply a small amount of Dawn, or de-greasing type dish soap to the head and work into a lather to remove excessive "greasy" feeling. Rinse hair completely.

While hair is still wet, apply a normal size amount of Denorex Dandruff Shampoo to head and work into a lather. Rinse hair.

Towel dry hair and then apply white vinegar to the hair either by hand or with a small spray bottle.

Next, use the Metal NIT Comb and begin combing out the hair starting at the roots and continuing all the way down the hair shaft. Do this for the entire head and start at the top.

When using the NIT comb, remember to always comb in small, thin sections of hair, about ½ inch, to ensure complete NIT removal.

Repeat this entire process in 3 to 5 day intervals for the next 2 to 4 weeks to be sure that all lice are gone including and especially the NITs.

2-4 20 oz. Bottles of Olive Oil - Brand Name Not Important

1 Roll of Plastic Wrap or Plastic Shower Cap

1-2 Dry Wash Clothes

2-4 Dry Towels

1-3 Rolls of Paper Towels

1 Bottle of Dawn, or similar, Dish-washing Liquid

1 Metal NIT Removal Comb

Completely saturate the entire head with Olive Oil beginning at the top of the head and continuing on down to the ends of the hair.

Next, wrap the head completely with Plastic Wrap, or use the Plastic Shower Cap.

Leave oil and plastic on head overnight or for at least 8 hours.

If doing the treatment as an overnight treatment, be sure to lay down clean, dry bath towels anywhere the oil could leak out onto bedding. Use the wash clothes to wipe any extra oil that leaks from the head onto the face or body(as this is a natural occurrence when using such a treatment).

After 8 hours, or in the morning, remove the plastic wrap or shower cap and begin rinsing the hair with warm water(get it as hot as you can bare without being painful).

Next, add a small amount of Dawn dish washing liquid to your head and work into as much of a lather as you can(be careful to avoid contact with the eyes). And then rinse.

Last, begin to use the metal NIT removal comb and begin combing out small sections(about ½ inch in width). Be sure to wipe off the comb repeatedly during this process using the paper towels.

Clean out the NIT comb when you have finished combing the entire head with a bleach/hot water solution allowing the comb to sit in the solution for several hours.

Repeat this process in 2-4 day intervals over the next 7-14 days to ensure no re-infestation occurs.