I was around seven weeks pregnant when my dear 2 year old daughter got head lice and then gave them to me. It was a big deal because I have long thick hair and I really didn’t feel like covering my head in Rid. I did some research into Rid to see if it was considered toxic for pregnant women but like so many products, it just had the statutory "check with your healthcare physician" paragraph. I wasn’t really sure he was going to come up with any smart solutions, so I started to research non-toxic options and found all sorts of ideas including believe it or not, good old Helmanns mayonnaise and vinegar. The main premise with all of these remedies seems to be based around asphyxiating the nits with a thick sustance.

This is a tried and tested method from a lady called Lisa, I think it makes a lot of sene:

Get Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. (Yes, you read correctly, skin cleanser!)  I have not done the research to find out if this product if available in all countries, but as far as I know it’s available anywhere in the U.S. and can be ordered online from any pharmacy or drug store, and can be purchased at stores in the U.S. such as Walgreen’s, Long’s Drug Store, Walmart, Kmart, Target or any store that carries skin care products.  It comes in bottles of 8 or 16 ounces, and the size you purchase depends on the length and thickness of your hair, or how many heads need to be treated in your household.  It’s a rather thick lotion, almost odorless, and can be used on even the most sensitive skin.  However, it can sting if it gets into your eyes.

Now that you know what it is and what to purchase, here is a list of other things you will need and directions for use:

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

• Applicator bottle, such as the plastic bottles hair dye comes in.

• A regular hair comb (must be fairly sturdy, as the lotion is very thick)

• A wide toothed comb (for thick or longer hair, to keep it untangled)

• A metal lice comb

• Towel

• Hair clips for sectioning hair

Method

Start with dry hair and cover your shoulders with a towel. (Cetaphil is very thick so you won’t have much dripping) Use a good metal lice comb to comb out as many nits as possible before you start. Section your hair off in very small sections; it’s extremely important that you coat every strand of hair, and apply the Cetaphil directly to your scalp at each part you make in your hair so that you lessen the chance of missing even ONE louse on your head!  Use Cetaphil liberally and massage, massage, massage it in. Even ONE louse left uncoated may survive to reproduce.

Once you are sure you have covered every strand of hair and every inch of scalp, use a regular (but sturdy comb) to begin combing out the excess lotion.  You may need to use a wide toothed comb first, if your hair is thick or very long.  Comb until you have removed as much of the excess Cetaphil as possible.  Once that is done, use a hair dryer to dry your hair.  (Use the most powerful hair dryer you have, as the drying process can take up to three times longer than drying after a shower–this is the only really time consuming part of the process, as the Cetaphil takes much, much longer to dry than water.)

What will happen is that the Cetaphil will dry on your head and hair (and also on the lice), cutting off their source of oxygen, and therefore smothering them. (In a sense, they will be ‘shrink wrapped’)  Lice can literally survive for hours without breathing, so this must be left on the hair for a minimum of 8 hours.  This can be done before bed, so that the ‘smothering’ process can take place during sleep. You must make SURE that your hair is completely dry in order for the lice to be totally encased in the dried Cetaphil, and therefore be unable to breath.

After 8 hours, wash and dry your hair normally. Use the metal lice comb once again, to comb out any surviving live nits.  For best results, you must repeat this treatment three times in one-week intervals to make sure that newly hatching lice do not survive to begin the hatching and reproducing cycle again.

All bedding should be washed after each treatment, as well as any clothing, pajamas or towels used during lice infestation.  Combs and brushes should be run through the wash cycle, or can be put in the freezer over night. Carpeting and furniture should be vacuumed, however lice cannot survive away from human heads for longer than 20 hours.  We are their ‘food source’, so there is no need to be overly concerned about lice that have fallen to the floor or carpet.  Lice also can not hop, jump or fly, and are only transmitted via head to head contact, or by using a comb or brush used by someone with head lice.  However, they do crawl, so they may crawl from pillow to pillow or crawl onto clothing that is shared or hung close together, such as sweaters and coats hung up closely together in a classroom.

I do hope that this will be of help to you, and I look forward to hearing about anyone who has tried this treatment and has had the same success I’ve had!

Other methods that follow a similar principle…..

Olive oil and heat - I soaked my hair in olive oil (before bedtime) and used a blow dryer with a diffuser on my head for 30 minutes while watching TV. Constantly, but slowly, moving the dryer all around my head. Even better are the hair dryers that are like a shower cap with a hose attached to a plug in device. You can buy them cheaply at beauty supply stores. Afterward, I combed out my hair. Then I slept with the oil still in my hair (to smother any lice that may not have died in the heat), and repeated this process 3 times during a 2 week period. It works 100%. The key is to leave the oil on hair overnight and high heat for at least 20 minutes. You’re giving your hair a beautiful natural hot oil treatment too!!

Remove lice nits from hair - Lice nits are "glued" to hair shafts by the parent louse and are hard to remove. To dissolve the nit glue, rinse hair with a solution of 2 pints water with 1 cup white vinegar. This will weaken the glue and allow easier nit removal with a nit comb.

I tried Vaseline and it worked! The Vaseline is really hard to get out of your hair. To remove it, put your hair in really hot water (far enough away from your scalp that you don’t burn yourself), and use orange hand cleaner or Dawn as a shampoo. Shampoo your hair twice. Brushing with the lice comb helps get it out, too.

My daughter had lice a few years back and I found that none of the commercial products worked. My doctor recommended that I cover her head with mayonnaise and then cover it with a shower cap for 4-5 hours. A bunch of her friends who also had lice got together and we had a party where we took pictures of them with their mayonnaise hair. We washed it out and all of the lice were gone. It made her hair very silky, also.

Aviva Romm writes in Naturally Healthy Babies and Children:

Herbal rinses can be very effective in eliminating lice and their eggs. Thyme oil works particularly well, but other oils such as sassafras, anise seed, and lavender will also work. After each rinse, apply some olive or coconut oil to the scalp to prevent dryness and to loosen the nits. Cover the hair with a scarf or bandanna at night, and rinse or shampoo in the morning.

Be very careful to keep this rinse out of the eyes, as it burns, although it is not dangerous. Also avoid ingestion.

4 cups apple cider vinegar

4 cups water

1/4 ounce essential oil of thyme

To prepare: Combine all the ingredients in a large jar or shampoo bottle

To use: Massage the mixture into the scalp and rinse the hair with it nightly. Repeat the treatment for an additional 2 days each week for 2 weeks to kill any eggs that have possibly lingered and hatched.

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February 6th, 2006 | Permalink