My sister-in-law is struggling to get rid of head lice on her children. She has treated them three times with the chemical shampoos that are available over the counter, and so far, NO GOOD! This has been going on for over a month. Plus, she has washed the clothing, linens, etc. I'm afraid of the consequences of these chemicals and told her that I would search to see if anyone knew of a natural remedy. Any help out there? Thanks!

-- Sherry Perkins (sewnsew39@aol.com), January 23, 2002

Answers

Lots of answers under health or children, and there may be a thread on the recent answers section (might have to scroll down a bit).

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 23, 2002.

Sherry,

I have heard that pure Peppermint oil will kill lice, plus it smells nice.

-- Andy in MD (andy@mission4me.com), January 23, 2002.

GT - thanks so much! I've checked both of those areas, and there wasn't anything there to help. I am praying that someone out there will have a "granny's remedy." Thanks again! sherry

-- sherry perkins (sewnsew39@aol.com), January 23, 2002.

there should be some in the archives,, this waas covered not long ago,, I remeber,, mayo,, and mineral oil

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 23, 2002.

Sherry, this was the most recent thread (under Health in the Archives) that had what you might be looking for. Mechanical removal (combing by hand, dipping the lice comb in boiling water after each combstroke (I'd say brushstroke, but, lol) is the safest as in completely non-toxic.

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=007bAa

Hope this helps.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 23, 2002.

3 kids later in the public schools,I thought I lived in the lice capitol of the world,but now I know why we were plagued. The lice are immune to over the counter poisons and in the old days they used kerosene,but that's really radical. Beings I raise herbs I've experimented and found CHAMOMILE SHAMPOO followed by a CHAMOMILE TEA rinse and comb the #$@#$@ critters out with a nit comb being sure to rinse the nit comb out under HOT water in between each combing. I would do this several days in a row.They will hatch again in 10 days, so if the kids are still scratching do it again! Hope they find relief, I know how frustrating it is.

-- Carla (herbs@computer-concepts.com), January 23, 2002.

I used Dial Gold Anti-bacterial soap(Bar,not liquid)when my eight year old came home from school with head lice.Our family doctor told me years ago that this soap contains something in the gold coloring that is better than the others.I don't know if that is true but I washed her hair with the soap,leaving it on her head for about five minutes. Lice disappeared,never to return.I'm sure the dial soap has some chemicals in it,but it is probably safer than those strong lice shampoos. We have used this soap for infected ant bites,cuts,abrasions,etc.It always works for us.

-- Rose (Rosearbor@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

I am a registered nurse soon to be a nurse practioner and the best remedy we were taught was to use mayonaise on the hair and leave on for one hour-this suffocates the nits. Wash bed clothes and pillows and dry in warm dryer.Soak hair combs, barrettes,etc.in hot soapy water-a little bleach will not hurt. Toys as stuffed animals should be placed in plastic bags for about two weeks to kill nits. Good luck, Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), January 23, 2002.

Thanks to all of you! I am sending my sister-in-law (in Alabama), your suggestions by email. Also, I just found a letter addressing this question in the current (Jan./Feb.) issue of Countryside. Thanks so much. Sherry in SC

-- Sherry Perkins (sewnsew39@aol.com), January 23, 2002.

Please remind her to work on the matresses as well. Those little buggers get everywhere!

-- briches (vesely@webtv.net), January 23, 2002.

And her own hair. And her husband's hair. It only takes a cuddle and/or heads touching for lice to cross-infect, and then later they can go the other way. And arm-chairs and sofas. And carpets where the children lie down to watch TV. And Grandparents. And cousins. And Aunts and Uncles. And after-school care. And "special friends" and neighbours. When she's sure she's got it under control, keep combing when the kids get home from school, then again before bed. If it turns out the kids have been re-infected, then she'll have some immediate facts to talk about with the school, or whoever.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), January 23, 2002.

My daughter had headlice when we lived in Germany. After doing all of the above and getting everything out of their hair, rinse with vinegar. Kids smell like pickles, but apparently the lice don't like the smell of vinegar. I don't know if it was the vinegar that did it, but we were able to get rid of them.

They are awful, but fleas are worse! We learned about those in Southern Ontario, but I think it's too cold for them up here in the north!

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (Bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

Looks like everything is covered except telling the kid to stop using other kids brushes and hats at school.

-- Don Denhardt (desulfator@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

www.liceoff.com All natural product, safe and non-toxic. Hope this is what you are looking for.

-- jonathan (jonathan_sz@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

When washing the bedding it is important to use a dryer and I think it should be on hot as this is what kills the lice not the washing.

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef@getgoin.net), January 24, 2002.

I just went through this! We've been lice free for over two weeks now. My sister used two over-the-counter treatments on my nephew, but they didn't work. She tried mayonaise, and that finally killed the majority of them. She followed up by combing with the lice comb every day as well as bombing the house, washing all bedding in hot water and vaccuuming. I couldn't stand the smell of the mayo, so used olive oil for the suffocating princpile with tea trea and lavender oil mixed in, along with combing every day, vaccuuming, bombing, and washing in hot water. After all that work, my neighbor sent her daughter over with instructions to tell me, only if I asked, that she is lice free. This as the mother was home fumigating her room and had found eggs that same morning which hadn't been there the day before! She felt it wouldn't be a lie because she didn't see lice, she only saw eggs-where did those eggs come from I wonder?! I was livid to have gone through all that work only to have it brought back in, but thankfully, she didn't leave any lice behind. I immediately vaccuumed the couch she sat on and thankfully that was the only place she had been in our house before she spilled the beans.

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

they also now make a electric lice comb it electrocutes the lice when they pass between the teeth of the comb.not really a cure but used daily prevents infestation.they are about 25 to 30$ at drug stores

-- carl slack (cws35_99@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

Epona, haven't you banned that woman and her kids from your home PERMANENTLY yet? I would, even if she'd been paying decent money for babysitting.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 24, 2002.

Gel hair complete, Shower cap, Shampoo with Dawn Soap the next morn. Repeat in one or two weeks.

-- julie britt (jbritt@ceva.net), January 24, 2002.

Go to walmart get a bottle of TEA TEA OIL.one time treatment, put on any ones head, oil it REAL good, leave on 1 hour shampoo it will kill large ,small AND nits don't even have to use the comb to comb them out kills them all.We tried for monthes to kill them, they got larger and larger then I found out that TREE TEA OIL IS ALL IT TOOK NEVER HAD THEM AGAIN,NEVER, It stinks but works.......... THIS DOES WORK SAVE YOUR MONEY ON OTHER PRODUCTS

-- Pastor Hughes (hbchurch@brightok.net), January 24, 2002.

It helps to remove the nits with a good metal nit comb (do a search on the the "licemeister" or visit the national pediculosis foundation) but the best way is to use your fingernail.

Vinegar rinses will release the glue that holds the nits on the hair. But you really do need to go through every inch of the hair over and over to get all the nits.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), January 24, 2002.

Raise your immune system!!!!

-- Jessica Roth (bobbysproperty@hotmail.com), January 25, 2002.

GT: I never babysat for that woman after the day I posted my dilema. The only reason I allowed her daughter over was because she is best friends with my daughter and she came to give my daughter a gift: my daughter fell off the bed, smashing a glass change jug into the dresser, and driving a broken piece of glass up into her back. They live across the street two houses down, so they had seen the ambulence. The get-well gift: a stuffed horse, which upset the girls because I immediately took it and stored it in plastic. The girl was crying because she thought I was mad at her( I didn't yell at her, only said it'd probably be best if we stored it for awhile-she's really sensative). I told her I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at her mother for telling her to lie to me. I let her stay and color with my daughter at the kitchen table until just before dark so she could calm down. When I called the mother she told me she found new daycare for the little one, but added that in the mean time he had received four deep bites from the cousin where he was staying while she worked. If that was meant to make me feel guilty, it didn't work. She also mentioned that someone had ratted to the school on her daughter for having lice. I felt no need to argue or justify that. I feel bad for my daughter, but I highly doubt we will hear from that household again. It's frustrating to have friendly relationships go sour.

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002.

We were informed by a nurse to use sulfur based shampoos. This repels them to prevent infestation in the first place.

-- (sroughangel@aol.com), January 27, 2002.

Too bad you let a good friendship go bad over something as common as head lice. I have them myself right now (I'm 47) I got them from my grandchildren!!!! They go around schools and daycares like crazy. The problem is that people are not getting rid of them--they keep reinfecting themselves and others by not being very diligent in washing all clothes and linens with very hot water and drying them in the dryer. Pillowcases should be changed every day. Bed linens as often as possible. If just one egg hatches, females can lay up to 100 eggs and start the process all over again. They seem to like some people better than others. These little critters are blood suckers too. They actually "feed" on you! My grandaughter picks them up easily, but her brothers don't seem to be bothered by them, and they all live in the same household. I have a horrendous case (I was told adults don't get them---WRONG!) My husband sleeps with me and doesn't have a single nit.) One thing seems to be for sure....store bought shammpoos are not working. I read about a treatment that will save me tons and money, and they say it works 100% of the time.... a 50/50 solution of mineral oil and vinegar. Apply to head and cover with shower cap. Leave on for 1 hour. SHampoo out. Comb out any remaining nits. Repeat in 7-10 days to prevent reinfestation. I figure what the oil doesn't smother, the vinegar will kill for sure. (They say vinegar loosens the nits and most of them will wash down the drain)

Good luck!

-- sherry (venturememe@yahoo.com), February 12, 2002.

My daughter has had headlice off and on for the last two years. I finally have found a solution. I put teatree oil through her hair and wrapped her head in a towel for the whole evening while she slept. It stunk but it worked. We shampoed her hair in the morning the eggs came out very easy it was worth the smell

-- lori culver (lorin@mnsi.net), February 27, 2002.

My children and I have been dealing with lice for the past 5 years.It has been an embarresment to us all at one point or another.Thank you for being there and caring enough to put your remedies on a web site .I almost feel better just knowing so many people have this problem.At first it made me feel nasty and like I wasn't a good parent because these little critters are getting the best us .I have sat over my children and cried like a baby because I felt so hopeless. Thanks Sherry you have helped me alot and so has everyone else whose written in.UNFORTUNATELY i'VE TRIED JUST ABOUT ALL OF THESE SO GOOD LUCK PLEASE WRITE AND LET US KNOW WHICH WORKED FOR YOU.......

-- disgusted by lice (supastar25@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.

I'm gonna sound like a broken record here. When you get sick and tired of trying all these "maybe this will work" remedies and you're at the end of your rope, use the old faithful, old-fashioned remedy: kerosene. If you don't like the smell, use expensive lamp oil (which is just ultra-refined kerosene).

--Happy trails, Cabin Fever

P.S. Don't use the kerosene with the red dye (unless your kids are punkers)

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.

Head lice are nowadays resistant to pesticidal remedies. Try www.chc.org

This organisation is the leading non-pesticidal method in the UK. They are a registered charity which has developed the most effective way of clearing headlice taking advantage of their very simple lifecycle.They have devloped a comb set which not only detects and clears headlice but also assists in the removal nits which is a cosmetic bonus. Aiding childrens re-entry to schools where just the sight of nits leads to exclusion.

Frances Fry

-- FrancesFry (cejayfry@ntlworld.com), March 31, 2002.

We call our youngest the head lice magnet as soon as we get rid of them she gets re infested. The best thing I know is to use a few drops of tea tree oil in conditioner. I leave it on her hair for 10 minutes and comb out dead lice. We're currently experimenting with not washing the kids hair. Apparently, head lice can't glue eggs to greasy hair shafts and this renders the eggs liable to be combed out. Is it any coincidence that the phenomenal rise in head lice infestations has happened since we're all become super hygene conscious? How many people wash their kids hair every day? Too many!

-- Lizzie Jewkes (lizzie.jewkes@ntlworld.com), May 07, 2002.

I'm curious about this stuff. I've never had lice and attended a rural farming community school when I was a kid. My kids have never had lice. As far as I know it's never been a problem in any of the 3 public schools they've attended. I've lived from very rural to suburban areas in different parts of the US. Is this problem limited to a certain region of the US?

I would think frequent washing of the hair would help the problem, not make it worse.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), May 07, 2002.

Dave, I've read the same thing. Lice prefer clean hair over not-so-clean hair. And I don't think this is isolated to one geographical area. I think Lizzie hit the nail on the head. Being "too clean" is causing problems!

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), May 07, 2002.

no idea. I just wonder because some of the posts I read are pretty extreme, to the point of epidemic. So I wondered if it's a certain region of the US that has this problem/infestation.

I would have thought the opposite with clean hair, reason being that I'd think the lice would be attracted to natural human scents rather than shampoo scents.

I also wonder if some people are more susceptible from genetics or diet. Like in the case of mosquitos, gnats, ticks. I've never seemed to be bothered by those, even when others around me are being driven crazy by them. I've read where it's a theory that mosquitos are attracted to certain blood/scents which are affected by diet or other factors. I wonder if that'd apply to lice also.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), May 07, 2002.