This is a post that I hope you’ll NEVER need- but, if you’re like my family and your children go to school, or church, or anywhere around other children, you might find yourself needing to know natural remedies for lice. No one is immune from these pesky things!
My girls have had it twice (read my tips and encouragement about the lice removal process here) and the first time I went the traditional route with over-the-counter medicated shampoo. The second time around, I tried the medicinal shampoo again but it didn’t work so I tried natural remedies for lice. This is what ended up working, and I didn’t have to feel bad about putting harsh chemicals on their sweet little heads!
Natural Remedies for Lice
1.) Hair conditioner
Yep, this is what ended up saving our tails (well, our heads actually) the last time. Simply saturate your child’s hair with cheap conditioner, then cover their heads with a shower cap. Leave it on at least 6 hours, or better yet, over night. This smothers the lice so after you treat, you’ll need to comb out their hair very carefully to remove the dead lice.
Bonus: your little one’s hair will be super soft after an hours-long conditioner treatment!
(You can also use olive oil or mayonnaise instead of conditioner if you like and follow the same directions, it just seems messier to me than conditioner.)
2.) Vinegar
Just plain ole’ vinegar does the trick here but you can also use apple cider vinegar. The first step removed the adult lice; now you need to remove the nits. The nits (eggs) are very sticky and vinegar loosens them from the hair strand, making their removal much easier. After you do the conditioner treatment and dry your child’s hair, pour the vinegar over his or her hair, paying special attention to the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Wait for a few minutes, then carefully comb out each strand. (This process can easily take an hour or more depending on the length and thickness of your child’s hair. Rent a movie they’ve been wanting to see to help keep them still.)
A good lice-removing comb is essential. We used this one and it worked great. Even if you end up going the chemical treatment route, the comb included is flimsy and usually ends up breaking in longer hair.
Lice don’t like tea tree oil so this is a great natural remedy for lice. You can add a few drops of tea tree oil to the conditioner (or mayonnaise/olive oil) when you do the conditioner treatment.
You can also use tea tree oil as a repellant against lice. Mix 10-15 drops tea tree oil with 2 cups water in a spray bottle. Spray on your child’s hair to hopefully prevent lice from taking up residence in their hair.
Hopefully you’ll never need these natural remedies for head lice, but if you do, good luck mama! You got this!
(PS Did your daughter’s long hair get tangled in the lice-removal process? Check out my tips for keeping her locks nice and smooth!)
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