Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Medical treatment
• Method 2 of 4: Comb your hair when it's wet
• Method 3 of 4: Home remedies
• Method 4 of 4: Know if the treatment helped
• Warnings

Head lice are small parasites that live on the scalp and feed on human blood. Head lice do not carry disease or bacteria, but they can be very annoying. You can remove the lice and their eggs with special shampoo from the drugstore, or if that doesn't work with stronger shampoo that your doctor can prescribe, or even with oral medication. There are also home remedies that can help you get rid of head lice, but their effect has not been scientifically proven. You also need to make sure your surroundings, clothing, and bedding are lice-free to avoid a recurring infestation.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Medical treatment

1. Call the doctor to have the diagnosis made. If you are unsure whether you have head lice, it is wise to make an appointment or call your doctor for advice. There are many different treatment options available to get rid of head lice and eggs, and your doctor can recommend the best method or provide specific instructions on using medicated shampoo or oral medications.
2. Try a medicated shampoo. If your doctor considers it safe, he / she will likely recommend a medicated shampoo from the drug store. Use the shampoo as prescribed by your doctor.
   • Drugstore lice shampoo often contains a chemical called dimeticone, which is toxic to head lice. There are also agents with permethrin, or with a combination of other chemical substances. Permethrin and dimethicone can cause side effects such as itching and redness on the scalp.
   • You have to wash your hair, or that of your child, with this shampoo. Do not use a conditioner. Some people find that the shampoo works faster if you rinse your hair with white vinegar after shampooing. Follow the directions on the package so you know how long to leave the shampoo on.
   • Usually you have to treat your hair a second time with the shampoo.Although a lice shampoo from the drugstore usually removes some eggs, there are often still a few that can hatch. It is therefore recommended that you repeat the treatment after seven to ten days, but your doctor may give you different advice depending on how badly you or your child are infected with lice.
3. Ask your doctor for a stronger remedy. In some cases, lice can become resistant to drug store lice shampoo. Your doctor can then recommend a stronger remedy.
   • Malathion can be used by children from the age of six. It is a lice shampoo that you have to apply and let it dry. After eight to twelve hours, the agent has disappeared from the hair. Do not use a hair dryer and stay away from open flames if you have used this product in your hair as it is highly flammable.
   • In very rare cases, your doctor may prescribe ivermectin, which can be applied to the skin or taken orally.

Method 2 of 4: Comb your hair when it's wet

1. Learn how to spot lice. If you want to remove the lice eggs (nits), you must first know how to recognize lice. Familiarize yourself with what lice and nits look like before you start combing.
   • A louse is between 1 and 3 mm in size. Usually they are gray or brown in color. They cannot fly or jump, but crawl very quickly.
   • Lice eggs, or nits, are small and coffee-colored before hatching. They are about the size of a sesame seed. They are difficult to remove because they are firmly glued to the hair shaft. Empty eggs or nits are usually white or translucent.
   • Use a magnifying glass to find the lice eggs.
2. Prep the hair. Before wet combing the hair, you need to prepare it for the process. Brush it first with a normal brush to remove all tangles. Put conditioner in your hair so that it stays wet.
3. Comb your hair. Use a fine-tooth comb specifically designed to remove lice (also called a "dust comb"). Divide the hair into sections that are the same width as the comb. This way you can see and remove the lice better.
   • Comb your hair strand by strand. Take a tuft in your hand and run the comb through it. Start at the scalp and lay the comb flat on the head. Now slowly move it down through the hair and check for lice or eggs as you comb.
   • If you see lice or dirt on the comb, put it in a bowl of soap and water for a while to get it off.
4. Clean everything. When you're done, flush the water you dipped the comb into down the toilet. Soak the comb in water with ammonia. To do this, put a teaspoon of ammonia in half a liter of hot water. Check again for lice or nits in the hair. If you see another hair with a louse or eggs, cut it with scissors.
   • Repeat the combing once a week for three weeks. If you still see live lice after three weeks, call your doctor.

Method 3 of 4: Home remedies

1. Try tea tree oil. Although there is no scientific agreement, some scientists believe that tea tree oil and other natural oils can kill head lice. You can buy tea tree oil at health food stores or drug stores, or you can order it online. See if it helps to get rid of the head lice.
   • Some people are hypersensitive to tea tree oil and get red or irritated skin when they use it. Talk to your doctor before using tea tree oil. You can also apply a small amount of tea tree oil to the inside of your arm and wait a few days to see if you have an allergic reaction. Be especially careful when using it on children.
   • Before going to sleep, massage a few drops of tea tree oil into your scalp. Place a towel on your pillow and let the oil sit all night.
   • Comb your hair the next morning to remove dead lice or nits. Then wash your hair and apply conditioner. Preferably use shampoo and conditioner that contain tea tree oil. See if you can find products with at least 2% tea tree oil.
   • Repeat if necessary. This process may need to be repeated a few times for it to work.
2. Use other essential oil. There is research showing that certain vegetable oils can be toxic to head lice. However, the evidence for this is limited. Lavender oil, anise oil, ylang ylang oil and nerolidol can all be effective against head lice. You can order them online or buy them from a health food store. However, be careful as essential oils are not registered medicines. Remember that many essential oils need to be diluted in a base oil, such as olive oil, before you can use them. So be careful when using it, especially with children. Consult your doctor before using any essential oil to treat head lice.
3. Try to suffocate the lice. Many home remedies can kill head lice and their eggs by suffocating them. If the lice and eggs can no longer receive oxygen, they die, although there is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of these treatments.
   • Olive oil, mayonnaise, petroleum jelly, and butter can all be used to kill head lice. Apply one of these to your hair, cover it with a shower cap and leave it on all night. Wash your hair the next morning and see if it helped.

Method 4 of 4: Know if the treatment helped

1. Understand why treatment can fail. If you don't do a treatment correctly, the eggs may not be killed. Avoid common mistakes when treating head lice.
   • Using conditioner after a medicated lice shampoo can reduce its effectiveness. Conditioner can then act as a barrier, preventing the medication from reaching the scalp. Do not apply conditioner if you have used a medicated shampoo.
   • Follow all instructions carefully when using shampoo. Many people do not take the time to read all the instructions, which is why the shampoo does not work properly. Make sure to repeat the treatment and stick to the prescribed time between the two treatments. If you repeat the treatment too soon, not all eggs have hatched, and you will not get rid of all the lice.
   • It is also common for a lice infestation to return. You may have killed all the lice on your head or that of your child, but new lice have come back from someone else's head or from your living area. Make sure you keep enough distance from people who have lice, and treat your entire house so that any lice that crawled off your head are also dead.
2. Wash all textiles in the house. Lice cannot survive outside of your scalp for long. However, as a precautionary measure, you should wash all things contaminated persons have used. Wash textiles, bedding, stuffed animals and clothing in hot water and tumble dry at a high temperature. If you have items that cannot be washed, put them in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks.
3. Vacuum carpets and furniture. In rare cases, lice can get into carpets and furniture. To be on the safe side, vacuum your furniture and carpets regularly until the plague is over.
4. Wash your combs and other hair care items. Since lice can get into hair care items, you should wash those items too. Wash brushes, rubber bands, hairpins, and other things you use in your hair with warm water and soap.

Warnings

• Some people recommend putting flammable products like kerosene and gasoline in your hair to kill lice. However, do not use this as these substances are harmful to your scalp and can catch fire.