Head lice are both painful and stressful to handle when they invade your household. Pesticides may not always be effective, not mentioning that they may be expensive. Thankfully, there are home remedies for head lice which are not only effective but affordable and convenient to use.
Understanding the headlice
Before prescribing the home remedies for head lice, it is important how these tiny wingless creatures thrive and breed. To start with, they are no more than 1.6 mm in length, making them some of the tiniest pests that you may have to grapple with in your household. They feed on your blood by attaching themselves on the shaft of your hair. As if that is not bad enough, they increase their chances of survival by laying very many eggs otherwise known as nits.
Method of spread
The headlice spread through combs, hair and clothes which are contaminated.
Use of delousing shampoo
This is a specially designed shampoo made from permethrin. The latter is a better ingredient in the shampoo as opposed the ones made from lindane due to risk of nervous problems.
Application
After applying the delousing shampoo, the head should be left that way for around 10 minutes so that the shampoo can act on the head lice. Kitchen vinegar and water in equal parts water should be used in the rinsing process. Vinegar plays an important role in dissolving the dead lice and nits for easier removal. Rinsing should be repeated several times so that all the odour of the shampoo and the vinegar is removed.
Repeat process
Once is not enough as lice always find a way of surviving such onslaught. Within ten days after the initial application, the whole process should be repeated.
Olive oil and vinegar
This is an alternative method for home remedies for head lice, where the first round fails to bear results. They should both be mixed in equal parts and applied on the hair before you go to the bathroom. Then wear a shower cap and count a few minutes before removing the shower cap. After removing the shower cap, you can take your bath the normal way, ensuring that you apply shampoo before rinsing the hair.
Smothering the lice
Lice may be deprived of air by applying mayonnaise or petroleum jelly on the hair some moments before you sleep. Then put on your shower cap which will be removed the following morning using a conditioner. Mayonnaise is however effective on the headlice and not the nits. This means a more effective way of removing them is by use of hands.
Essential oils
Apart from soothing your head from the bites and itches from the headlice, essential oils are highly effective as home remedies for head lice. Thyme, lavender oil, clove, rosemary oil among other types of oils are applied as a mixture. After rubbing the mixture gently on the head, you should wear a shower cap and wait for awhile before rinsing off.
Controlling spread
No matter what you do, controlling the spread always comes first. Check every household for possible infestation before coming up with elaborate home remedies for head lice.