Killing Head Lice Cheaply & Safely

(Contributed by: Suzan, Majenica, Rachel)
Everyone is back to school so it's just a matter of time before lice join in at circle time. This article is on how to get rid of the critters without resorting to expensive treatments.......that the lice are becoming resistant to anyway.

A less expensive treatment than the store bought kits, but effective treatment it to apply Cetaphil skin cleanser into dry hair, comb through, blow dry, and shampoo in the morning. Then repeat weekly for 3 weeks. Evidently 96% of the lice were dead. Cetaphil is pretty mild too, even for individuals who are allergic to many chemicals. RiteAid makes a generic version. It costs a little over $3.

Lice combing (tedious, and it takes a lot of time, but it works) is an ancient and time-tested method.

One of our contributors who lives in Australia has worked in public health and has seen how bad infestations can be in a subtropical climate. She recommends a metal comb. The "condition and comb" method is also referred to as the "wet method". She assures us that this method works because the conditioner blocks their breathing pores and immobilizes them until they get it out and can breathe again. You condition and comb on dry hair. This uses a lot of conditioner. You comb them out and drop them in vinegar. Comb with the metal comb, dip in a glass of vinegar, comb, dip, comb, dip, it can take over an hour but it works. It is suggested that you wipe the comb with a tissue and then deposit them in a bag. Sea it, and throw away after you are finished. It is slow and doesn't kill the eggs, so it MUST be repeated. There was some research that suggested the eggs are laid just below the skin and that is one reason why they appear after you could swear you‘ve removed every last one.

The advantages are that you use the cheapest of white conditioners, the conditioner helps with combing, long hair gets a good "treatment", the critters don't become resistant to more chemicals and it isn't toxic. The comb will soon look horrid but the vinegar does kill them and rinses the old, lice-filled conditioner off the comb.

There is a company called ACU-Life that makes a metal lice comb for about 6 dollars. This organization has info about head lice and sells a lice comb for $10.
http://headlice.org/

Some people use tea tree oil. Cover scalp only in tea tree oil, let sit 10-20 min. covered if possible. Disposable hotel shower caps work great. Then shampoo and rinse well. Evidently it takes only 1 treatment and it works. Add 10-15 drops in your regular shampoo as a preventative as well. Many claim this is very effective.

Another contributor said that if tea tree oil is too harsh for your child's scalp - that she uses lavender oil - just add a dozen or so drops to the shampoo bottle (for boys as they don't want to smell like a girl), and dab around the hairline for girls, or add to their detangler.

As far as some schools "requiring" that kids not return to school until they have been treated with an "approved" OTC chemical treatment? This contributor says that the OTC chemical treatments for treating lice all say not to use on broken skin, that it may cause serious injury and even death - so pretty much anyone can claim eczema as the reason not to chemically treat.

The fact is, you have to remember, even children from scrupulously clean homes can get them. In fact, lice can glue their eggs much more effectively to extremely clean hair. Greasy, nasty hair is not a louse mommy's best friend. So keep in mind that lice happens, and it's no reflection on a person’s parenting skills or your cleanliness.