Can rubbing alcohol kill head lice?

April 23, 2009 | 2 Comments

I was a bit alarmed by the question “Can rubbing alcohol kill head lice?”

It is quite understandable that, when faced with persistant head lice, the thought of doing  ANYTHING to get rid of the little critters would appeal….desperation is a powerful emotion!

But can rubbing alcohol kill head lice?

The chances are that rubbing alcohol could stun head lice making them easier to remove with a good quality nit comb. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the alcohol would kill head lice. An awful lot of alcohol would need to be rubbed in during the attempt to asphyxiate (suffocate) head lice and the consequences of that do not bear thinking about:

• consider how unpleasant the stench of alcohol being rubbed into the scalp to kill head lice would be.
• the alcohol (especially when rubbed) would irritate the scalp leaving it extra sensitive during nit combing (an activity that can leave the scalp tender anyway if done too long).
• the hair would be stripped of its natural oils leaving it frizzy and dry.
• there is a risk of flammability making this a high risk approach to killing head lice.

When answering the question “Can rubbing alcohol kill head lice?” , Freedom From Head Lice would express extreme reservations about taking such an aggressive approach to attempting to kill head lice.

Examining posts on  this site will reveal alternative strategies to eliminate head lice that are less risky and much more effective.

The approach that I would personally recommend from experience is the Best Head Lice Remedy by Joy Elizabeth. A full review of this product can be found if you CLICK HERE.

Lindane for treating head lice

February 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Lindane is the most toxic head lice killer (pediculicide) available.  It is a cyclodiene pesticide. Patients report an unpleasant sensation when using this treatment. This is caused by the head lice twitching on the scalp as they experience a slow death.

There is another disadvantage to using Lindane - it is not greatly successful in killing the head louse eggs (only 45 – 70% ovicidal) which means that re-infestation is likely and one treatment will definately NOT eradicate head lice.

There are claims that, because of its widespread and sustained use, head lice are also becoming resistant to Lindane. However, it is a toxic substance and sustained use carries a risk of side – effects.

To reduce the chances of side-effects, patients should use no more that 2oz of Lindane shampoo per treatment. Patients should also wear gloves to reduce absorption into the blood stream. If there is broken skin it should not be applied.

Lindane also increases the absorpancy of the hair meaning that no other hair products or oils should be applied for several days afterwards to prevent undesired effects on the hair.

 On balance, there are much safer options for treating head lice than using Lindane.  In many parts of the world it has been banned from animal usage…which should give us pause for thought before using it on humans.

Lindane is often a low-cost treatment for head lice and serious side-effects experienced have usually been experienced through misuse. However, if cost is an issue, a high quality nit comb and hair conditioner is a cheap and effective treatment for head lice.

Checking for head lice with a nit comb

December 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This is the most effective way to check for the presence of head lice. There are several steps that you should use to do this effectively:

• ideally wear disposable gloves to avoid cross-contamination
• find a well lit room. With direct light shining onto the scalp it is easier to see the head louse eggs, nits and any movement of head lice on the scalp. If good natural light is not available, a strong light is the next best alternative.
• brush or comb through the hair to get rid of all the tangles. Tangles can often be a place where lice lurk…especially if near the nape of the neck.
• if the person doing the examination needs corrective spectacles to see effectively, these should be used. Otherwise, a maginifying glass may be helpful.
• Divide the hair into sections approximately an inch wide. Pin back the section of hair not being examined to avoid cross contamination. Likewise, once a section has been examined, pin it to the hair that has already been checked.
• With each section of hair, use a fine toothed nit comb (plastic or metal) and comb it firmly and slowly through the hair from the scalp to the end of the hair shaft. The finer the gap between the teeth of the nit comb, the more effective it is at removing lice, nymphs, eggs and nits. Dip the comb into a cup of water after each section is combed. If debris of eggs, nits and lice biulds up between the teeth, clean them off with a nail brush, tooth brush or piece of dental floss to avoid spreading lice from a combed section to another part of the scalp.
• Continue with this process until the entire scalp has been combed.
• Should you find no lice on this occasion, do not be complacent. If there is a head lice infestation in your child’s school, regular checks are important and combing is your first line of defense.

What do nits look like?

December 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Sometimes people mistake the name “nits” for head lice. This can cause confusion as nits are the empty egg casts from the hatched head louse nymph. The head louse is the actual creature that has been breeding and causing the infestation. In reality, to say “You child has nits.” usually means “Your child has head lice.” The nits left by the nymphs may, however, be the first obvious visual cue that head lice are present on a scalp.

So, what do nits look like?

Nits look like a fine dusting of white sugar grains across the hairs ….usually found on the hairs behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. This is because these areas of the scalp form the warmest place to successfully breed. The closer to the scalp the nit is, the more recent it is. Nits a long way down the hair shaft are just a sign that head lice bred there a long time ago. They may nolonger be present if treated.

What does a head louse look like?

A head louse looks like the little critter you can see in the banner image….although the colour has been changed there for aesthetic reasons, the image of the louse is accurate.

A head louse can vary in colour from almost translucent beige to nearly black as they have the ability to adapt their colour to their host’s hair colour so as to avoid detection. An adult head louse can grow up to 3mm long and will be easily identified from the above picture once removed from the scalp.  A nymph is smaller than a pin head and often very dark in colour. Their smallness means that a very fine nit comb is needed to remove them.

Olive Oil and Head Lice – An effective remedy?

December 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Most over the counter head lice remedies are pesticides and, for this reason, many parents are reluctant to use them too often (if at all) because of potential side affects from long term usage. As a result, a natural home head lice remedy becomes an appealing option. Nobody wants to risk their child’s health and we are all more environmentally aware these days of what we are washing down out drains. Lindane (an ingredient of one prescription head lice treatment), for example, has been banned in California because just one treatment contaminates up to 6 million gallons of water. In addition it has been shown to increase carcinogenic risks in children.

So, olive oil and head lice…a marriage made in heaven or an effective remedy for head lice?

Olive oil  is a popular home remedy for head lice. If you put enough of it on the scalp, the lice will be suffocated then the oil allows them to be slipped out of the hair easily using a nit comb. In this way it aims to work in a similar fashion to the mayonnaise approach. It is more effective than just using conditioner and nit combing as there is less opportunity for the lice to survice the treatment.

The olive oil treatment for head lice needs you to be patient and diligent.

• Soak your child’s head in olive oil (some people leave it on their child’s head overnight covered in a plastic cap). Once soaked with oil, divide the hair into sections and, one by one, comb the live lice, eggs and nits out of that section of hair.
• After thoroughly combing the hair with a fine nit comb, wash the hair thoroughly.
• Repeat this process every 7 days until completely clear of lice (to catch lice as they hatch and before they are old enough to breed).

Whilst olive oil and head lice are a fairly effective remedy, the main success of this approach depends upon the diligence of the nit combing. However, it is safe for your child.

Head Lice No More offers a very effective home remedy for head lice for less than the price of a couple of bottles of olive oil. Cheap and easy to implement, the approach in this ebook uses items that many of us have at home so you will be off to a quick start with sorting out this perennial childrens’ problem.

Can mayonnaise kill head lice?

November 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Can I use mayonnaise to get rid of head lice?

Using mayonnaise to kill head lice is a home remedy and therefore has limited scientific testing done on the technique to assess its efficiency. However, using mayonnaise to get rid of head lice is a popular home remedy for head lice with the added benefit of deep conditioned shiny hair after treatment is complete.

Method for using mayonnaise to treat head lice

The idea is that the hair and scalp are smothered with mayonnaise and then a cap is worn over it for 12 hours. For this reason, people using mayonnaise to treat head lice tend to do their treatment overnight.

The question is, can mayonnaise kill head lice? The answer is that mayonnaise can probably suffocate head lice and, through the oil in mayonnaise, make the lice easy to comb out using a nit comb.

However, it is doubtful whether the mayonnaise will have any impact upon the unhached lice. The result may be that these lie dormant and then hatch out a few days later causing a recurrence of head lice infestation. The only way to completely avoid this is to do repeated treatments every few days before newly hatched lice start to breed.

As a natural and harmless home remedy for head lice, using mayonnaise to treat head lice probably has a slightly greater efficiency than using conditioner to comb out live lice  (as hopefully any lice missed out during combing have died) and may be a lot more messy due to the duration of application of mayonnaise.

For a really efficient and speedy method of treating head lice naturally at home, Head Lice Be Gone is a highly recommended resource costing little more than a couple of jars of mayonnaise and giving you the expertise to conquer head lice infestation quickly and discreetly.

Getting rid of head lice

November 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Getting rid of head lice involves a dual pronged attack on the little critters – head lice clearance followed by head lice avoidance.

What head louse avoidance techniques can I use for getting rid of head lice?

A key fact that you need to be quite clear about is that having head lice is not about having poor hygiene (either personally or at home). You do not catch head lice from being a neglectful parent, by not washing hair often enough or by not being particulaly handy with a duster around the house. They spread from other people carrying them and, as discussed in previous posts, they like clean scalps as it is easier to breed there successfully.

 The best avoidance methods to get rid of head lice are:

• avoid head to head contact with children who may have lice.
• Likewise, avoid sharing towels, hats, scarves and coats between people who have or may have head lice.
• Stuffed toys, bedding, couches and pillows may have stray lice on them if used by someone with lice. Be cautious when visiting somewhere where you know then to have lice about letting your head come into contact with any of these items.

What head lice treatments can I use for getting rid of head lice?

Treatments to eliminate an existing infestation of head lice can come into three different categories:

• chemical treatments that kill lice and their eggs leaving you with only the job of combing out the nits.
• natural head lice remedies such as mayonnaise, vinegar, tea tree oil etc.
• combing the hair with a nit comb and conditioner as a totally natural and cheap head lice solution.

All of these approaches will be discussed in detailed forthcoming posts so that you are able to make an informed choice as to your preferred method of head louse elimination and carry out that method correctly.

Can hair dye kill head lice?

November 11, 2008 | 1 Comment

Can hair dye kill head lice or is it a myth?

Some people claim that permanent hair dye can be useful in killing head lice. This is on the basis that the chemicals would, at least, suffocate lice as well as sterilising their eggs.

There may be some merit is this as an idea….and for mature women, who might dye their hair anyway, it is as good as killing two birds with a stone (or is that two bugs with a bottle?). However, the effectiveness of this approach has not been scientifically proven.

What are the risks of killing head lice with hair dye?

• The most obvious risk is that excessive dying of the hair will cause permanent damage to the hair by drying it out. This may leave your hair more brittle if you need to nit comb it later on ultimately leaving it in bad condition.
• There is much anecdotal evidence on the forums of the success of this method to treat head lice. There is also a similar amount of evidence that it is not an effective head lice remedy as eggs remaining will still hatch withing the next 7 – 10 days and further hair dye application to kill head lice is not a healthy option for your hair.
• The fact that you will still need to comb out nits means that your newly treated hair (already susceptible to damage due to treatment) may be left in poor condition….especially if you have a pre-existing health condition or take prescribed medication that increase risk of hair loss.

On balance, there are safer and less harmful approaches that can be taken in the treatment of head lice  that will probably be more reliably effective. 

One such product is Joy Elizabeth’s “Best Head Lice Remedy”. This inexpensive book will give you a tried and tested home remedy for head lice that will cost less that a single treatment from your local pharmacy yet can be used again and again when your kids pick up lice from school. Training videos, audio support and email answers to questions from the author make for a really successful and safe home treatment that I can personally recommend.