Head Lice Treatment: Best Three Options

When you notice that your child is constantly scratching his head until he is bleeding, and you check that he has head lice, then it is time to apply an effective head lice treatment. Here are three of them that should help you remove lice completely.

1. The first possible treatment is the most natural but also the most time consuming.

Generally, these insects love the warmth and moisture of sweat on the neck and behind the ears. If this happens, you can use a fine comb, preferably a special head lice comb. For this you need to comb the hair section by section, preferably wet. Nits and lice will stick to the comb as you are brushing the hair. Dip the comb infested with parasites and nits in a bowl of vinegar and warm water. You can also pull the nits with your fingers. Make this every day for two weeks to remove the remaining nits and lice. You also have the possibility to use an electric comb that burns the lice, but this accessory is not effective on nits.

2. The second possible treatment for lice is to use the traditional shampoos and other chemical products.

There are different types of insecticides to fight against lice on the market. They may be in the form of shampoo, spray or lotion. Because infants can also be invaded by lice, you can use a special product for their delicate hair. Anyway, do not exceed the exposure time recommended by the manufacturer nor the duration or frequency of the treatment. The products that contain dimethicone coat both lice and nits, and the parasites are then suffocated and they die. This kind of product does usually not require combing, although it is best to comb the hair after the treatment, and leaves no trace or smell. In addition, it can be applied on the scalp of children from 6 months old. In this case it is sufficient to apply the product to dry hair at bedtime and leave it for about eight hours. The next day, rinse the hair with mild shampoo.

Other products containing malathion are also proving effective in overcoming head lice, although their efficiency is declining in most western countries. Generally presented in the form of lotion or spray, these products can be used for children aged 24 months. We also usually let the product act for eight hours and rinse thoroughly. You can reapply the product after seven days.

3. The third solution is to use head lice home remedies. This is a treatment that is effective, natural and environment friendly.

Some essential oils have proven to effectively remove lice. A few drops of essential lavender oil behind the ears will make head lice flee. You can also use lavender oil with wine vinegar, and olive oil or white vinegar have proven to work pretty well, too, as most of those natural products are designed to smother lice. And if you want to prevent the outbreak of lice, consider adding 2 tbsp of good wine vinegar to the final rinse of each shampoo.

Note that there are dozens of formulations based on essential oils of many plants, but in practice these essential oils are only effective if their application is combined with adequate combing of the hair, so this should remain an essential step of the process of removing head lice.