Hair Lice Treatment at Home: What Really Works

Hair lice are tiny parasitic insects that live on the scalp and feed on blood, causing intense itching, irritation, and discomfort. They spread easily through close contact, shared combs, pillows, hats, or towels—especially among children. While medicated treatments are available, many people prefer home remedies for hair lice because they are natural, affordable, and gentle on the scalp.

Below are some effective home remedies that can help eliminate hair lice safely.

Causes of Hair Lice and Simple Prevention Tips

Lice are not a sign of any disease, but it is easy to grow in people with dandruff problems and in oily skin. Due to not cleaning the hair, dirt and stickiness lead to lice in the hair. Apart from this, a person suffering from lice has lice from sitting or sleeping. But to get rid of this problem, it is better to adopt home remedies for lice, it does not harm the hair and also remove lice.

In order to avoid lice and nits, you should take care of some things, such as taking special care of physical cleanliness and hair hygiene. One should bathe daily and wear clean clothes. Lice can occur on clothes due to excessive sweating and dirty clothes. Along with this, one should not sit and sleep near a person suffering from lice and should not use their clothes or towel.

Home Remedies For Hair Lice

Many people believe that home remedies are probably preferable to putting harsh chemicals on your child’s head.

Wet-Combing

Wet-combing involves combing wet hair from the scalp to the tips using a fine-toothed lice comb. Doing this twice a day helps gradually remove lice and nits from the hair. This method is an effective home remedy for hair lice, but it requires time, patience, and consistency. If you choose this approach, make sure to comb thoroughly and allow enough time for complete lice removal.

Vinegar Rinse

Vinegar is easily available in every home. Being a natural product, it does not harm the hair and is also effective in getting rid of lice and their eggs. It is known for its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It is used for various home hacks and to solve certain hair problems, such as infections and dandruff. Vinegar helps to eliminate the substance in the hair that the lice leave to attach the eggs to the hair.

Wearing a shower cap with vinegar applied to the hair every day for a week, they cannot breathe for hours and die. Then, for the next two weeks, comb every night to see if the lice are gone.

Alcohol Mouthwash

Alcohol is found in mouthwash, which is very helpful in removing lice. The mouthwash found in the market contains 25% alcohol, which suffocates the lice, and they die. In such a situation, take the mouthwash in a small bowl and apply it to the scalp with the help of cotton. After applying, cover your hair with a cloth and leave it for about 2 hours. After 2 hours, wash your hair with shampoo and when lightly dry, remove the dead lice with the help of a comb.

Onion juice

Applying onion juice can prove beneficial in removing hair lice. In research, it has been shown that onion juice has antimicrobial properties, which can prove to be helpful in killing lice. Onion juice can be applied to the hair as follows:

• Take two to three onions and grind them in a mixer to extract their juice.
• Now add a teaspoon of turmeric to it and mix well.
• Then apply this paste well on your scalp and leave it for 20 minutes.
• After the time is over, wash the hair with shampoo.

Neem Leaves or Neem Oil

Neem and neem oil are powerful home remedies in themselves for head lice. It has anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties, which are effective for getting rid of lice. Neem contains azadirachtin, an insecticide that prevents the formation of head lice. (study)

Boil a cup of neem leaves. When it boils well, make a paste by mixing its juice and leaves. After that, apply it on scalp and leave it for 30 minutes.

Baking Soda

Baking soda can also be considered effective for eliminating lice. Actually, baking soda has an acidic effect. Its acidic property can kill lice. So baking soda can be used in the following ways:

• Add baking soda to your conditioner and apply it to your hair.
• After 5 to 7 minutes, comb the hair with a thin comb.
• Finally, wash the hair with shampoo.

Tea Tree Oil

Lice can also be destroyed by using oils made from natural plants. For example, tea tree oil. Apply it to the hair and leave it for 7-8 hours, then wash the hair and comb it.

Best Essential Oils for Lice Treatment That Really Work

Several essential oils are effective in eliminating head lice. In fact, some toxic essential oils can be used as a preventive treatment.

Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before application and perform a patch test first. Use them cautiously, as some individuals may experience allergic reactions.

Oils made from natural herbs that have shown effectiveness are: Lice killers include Shikakai, Amla, Eucalyptus oil, Mehndi oil, Neem oil, Karanja, Clove oil, Red oregano oil, Annona squamosa, etc. They are known for their insecticidal properties.

Helps get rid of lice and nits: ‘Lycel’ from Susanyl, the age-old herbal oil-based time solution, gets rid of lice and nits, and improves hair texture. ‘Lycel’ spreads evenly across the hair when applied and does away with the need for rough combing and nitpicking, tugging on the hair.

The essential oils are a proven and tested lice-killing formula that effectively kills lice and nits.

Avoid Head-to-Head Contact

With head-to-head contact, there is an easy transfer of lice from one head to another. People with long hair are advised to tie a ponytail. Avoid sharing combs and hats.

Conclusion

Usually, there are no side effects when you use natural home remedies for lice. However, some people may be allergic to essential oils. Before using this remedy, apply a few drops of essential oil on your skin and observe if any itching or reaction occurs; stop using this remedy and contact your doctor.

These home remedies are efficient and can help you get rid of lice infestation. However, lice are very easily transmitted from person to person, and therefore, the condition can recur. Whenever this problem recurs, you can continue using these home remedies to treat lice.