Natural Remedies for Lice: Effective 2026 Strategies

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Punky Ramone (Quezon City, Philippines) on 09/20/2012
★★★★★

Im 42 years old american been living all over the pacific and asia including philippines from 2004-2005. Since my wife is filipina. Left went to saipan then to u.s. 2008 back and forth between u.s and philippines til 2011 where we started business until july 2012 we never had problem with head lice. We still dont know where we got it but being a devoloping country could have been anywhere. This I do know 1st and formost get out all the bugs and nits u see using a very fine comb and a white tshirt on the floor. The ones that come out that are moving give them a good squezze u will here them pop. Then burn the tshirt. Second use tea trea oil mixed with shampoo. Comb again next day take a day off. Then use eucalyptus oil. Dont dilute at least the eucalyptus oil we have in philippines leave on 30 minutes wash out with shampoo. Repeat 3-4 times and get used to the smell of eucalyptus coz u can wash the oil out ur hairs not oily but the smell stays nothing u can do deal with it. Besides its not a bad smell alternate tea tree and eucalyptus every other day for 2 weeks. Lice gone but if you dont remove all the bedsheets and pilow cases all this treatment is pointless. Best to get your bedsheets to a commercial dryer and set it as high as possible after washing in clorox if they are not colored if colored wash in borax then dry on highest setting and vacuum everything hope this help

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Kathy (Lv, Nv) on 06/21/2012
★★★★★

When my niece bought home lice I was crazy!!! After trying so many things I finally went to walgreens and bought an electric zapper type headlice killer. I don't remember the name but you just comb it through dry hair and when the teeth come in contact with the lice they get electrocuted and die. Very easy... I combed her hair twice a day and mine as well.... Took off all of her bed linen but left one pillow with case and 1 blanket and I put them in the dryer on high every day for 30 minutes for two weeks straight. I also vaccumed her bed every morning when she got up. And she could only sit on a kitchen chair not the couch... I didn't want them crawling around the whole house. It takes alot of time... and I vaccumed my car often too...

Cedarwood Oil

Posted by Chargir (Cleveland, Ohio) on 01/21/2012
★★★★★

I used cedarwood oil for lice. It is a essential oil that can be bought from most soap making supply companies, I got mine from a local soap and candle supply company. Keep in mind. It must be The real essential oil to work well. The cedarwood oil kills the lice, and dissolves the nit glue easily and also kills the eggs. It is totally non-toxic. I coated my granddaughter's head, left it on for 30 min. (Test a nit egg to make sure it releases easily) Worked like a charm, after fighting for a month with over the counter treatments. This put an end to the cycle.

Listerine

Posted by Cristina (La Coruna, Spain) on 04/21/2011
★★★★★

My daughter brought home lice from school a few weeks ago and all the family got them. We tried products from drugstores and supermarkets and they were no use.

Then one day someone told me about Listerine and vinegar, great!! And it doesn?t even feel cold or itchy on your head.

What you do, is you pour Listerine (I used the blue one) over your head making sure it's all over. Then you put a shower cap on and wait for 2 hours. After that you rinse your hair with water (you?ll find some of the lice dead). The next step is to rinse your head thoroughly with white vinegar (this helps to get rid of the nits) and massage well. Rinse again with water.

Then you just wash your hair normally with shampoo and conditioner. I always add a few drops (5 o 6) of tea tree oil to the shampoo, this helps them NOT come back at school!

Our hair is very shiny and clean, and we are at last rid of the plague.

Cedarwood Oil

Posted by Kelly Elmore (Kingston, Ok) on 08/26/2010
★★★★★

Cedar oil it awesome for lice, bed bugs, fleas and on and on. It's completely natural, smells good and absolutely no side effects, of course unless you're allergic to Cedar oil. It's amazing. I use on the yard, the outside of house, the inside of my house, for fire ants, flies, gnats, mosquitos, in my dogs ears, on my dogs and cats. It's GREAT!!!! No ill effects on anyone or any animal in our home.

Hair Dye

Posted by Stardrum (Maple Falls, WA) on 05/29/2009
★★★★★

Lice cures: I am a foster parent, and as yet have never had a new child placed with me that didn't have lice. I have tried many remedies, including the tea tree, and the chemical, but the thing that has consistently worked for me the FIRST time is dyeing the child's hair. I use a commercial dye, and dye it the same color as the hair so it's not a dramatic change. Then, after the dyeing, we comb out the dead bugs and all nits. In two days after coming and combing, I use a salt water gel. This gel is applied, use a shower cap to cover for an hour or so, and then rinse. I then use tea tree oil in their shampoo forever, and we don't ever get them back. It leaves their hair soft and shiny too.

Coconut Oil, Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Cyndy (Fayetteville, Arkansas) on 01/09/2009
★★★★★

After staying at a friend's home, while I was out of town, my daughter was infested with head lice. By the time I got home, the infestation was huge. She had scratched/clawed her head until it was bleeding and there was blood and skin matted into her hair. I got home at night and the only products I had on hand to treat were coconut and tea tree oil. I poured the entire contents of the tea tree oil onto her head and worked it through her hair until saturated. Then I got my coconut oil and did the same with it. I wrapped her head in a towel and put her to bed. She slept for several hours. When she awoke I went through her hair with a comb and my fingers pulling out bugs. I pulled out more than 60 head lice before I gave up. Most of them were completely dead and the rest were almost dead. We washed her hair with a strong dish soap and applied a good conditioner. After only that one treatment she was completely bug free. I went through her hair with a comb to remove any nits and they combed out very easily. next time your child is infested, try this first, before the harmful chemicals sold on store shelves.

Listerine

Posted by Q (Utah) on 10/23/2025
★★★★★

Years ago my kids came home with lice. It was going around their school. We found lice treatments from the pharmacy ineffective. Anyway I searched the web and found a testimony about using Listerine mouthwash to treat the lice. It works wonders. We used a spray bottle to wet their hair and scalp. It kills the lice and the eggs on contact. And it dissolves the glue from the eggs, making it much easier to pick them out.

Vaseline

Posted by GertJr (Madison) on 06/08/2021

Back in the day, moms would slather mayonnaise on the children's hair if they had lice. The oiliness smothered the lice as well as kind of 'sticking' them so they couldn't jump off onto someone else. It worked. (They also covered hair with kerosene to kill lice, but that's not a great idea. And they would shave heads if it was bad.)

Selsun Blue, Vinegar, Essential Oils

Posted by May (Australia) on 07/24/2018
★★★★★

Hair Lice - I found this formula on internet - worked like a charm in 1 application

You require a bottle of Selsun Blue shampoo, any conditioner, vinegar, tea tree & eucalyptus essential oils

50 ml of the bottle of Selsun Shampoo
100 ml of any conditioner
3/4 cup of vinegar
25 drops of Tea Tree plus 25 drops of Eucalyptus essential oils

Mix and shake well in a bottle.

Dampen hair slightly, apply the solution and rub in well as if you are shampooing hair.

wrap in a shower cap & leave on for 1hr if possible.

rinse hair - blow dry hair on heat - go through hair with a fine knot comb.

Neem Oil

Posted by Stuman (Oceanside, Ca) on 12/30/2016
★★★★★

About 15 years ago my daughter had lice. We first tried combing my daughter's hair for days - it worked but the lice and nits were still popping up. We didn't want to use Rid with Piperonyl butoxide (4%) and Pyrethrum extract.

We read about undiluted Neem oil and it worked great with one application. Cover the entire affected area with the undiluted neem and leave it in the hair for 15 minutes or longer. Shampoo the oil out of the hair. The undiluted oil smells nutty, my daughter found it offensive. It will take time and several washes to remove the odor.

15 years ago there weren't many vendors selling neem oil. Now there are many health products with neem. Some say neem shampoo will prevent re-infestation after the undiluted treatment.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Nante (Germany) on 09/27/2014
★★★★★

Want to get rid of lice in once? It requires a lot of work but pays off.

1. Wash your hair with tea tree shampoo or if you have none add tea tree oil to shampoo

2. Put as much coconut oil in your hair as you can fathom. wait 2 hours

3. Comb, comb, comb with a fine lice/flea comb (i used my pets flea comb after disinfecting). This is really important. divide your hair up in partitions to make sure you have had each section. After each stroke dip the comb in hot water with vinegar and brush with an old toothbrush. Keep combing until the comb is clean.

4. Wash again with tea tree. use also vinegar with your wash to kill eggs.

5. Apply new coconut oil and leave it in for two days. keep combing every day.

6. Sleep with a shower cap. put a towel on your pillow that your replace every day.

7. Meanwhile: take out all of your bedlinnens, all coats, scarfs and clothes you have been wearing. Put them in separate closed bags. Spray vinegar in the bags. Wash them as soon as you can. keep them closed and in quarantaine until you are ready to wash.

8. Add baking soda and/or vinegar to your laundry to kill lice & eggs.

9. Wear clean clothes every day for 3-5 days depending on the severity of your infestation. add the dirty clothes to the separate, closed bags. keep the laundry separate for a week.

10. Steam clean your home, mattrasses, pillows, blankets, laundry basket and clean your whole house thoroughly. don't forget the wardrobe, cloth hangers! Replace the vacuum bag. if you don't have a steam cleaner use vinegar everywhere and let it soak for a while.

I know this is a lot but it will get you rid of the lice in ONCE!

Enzyme Shampoo

Posted by Sarah (Seattle, Wa) on 06/30/2012
★★★★★

The only remedy I will ever use again for lice is enzyme shampoo. It is harmless to you and deadly to lice. It doesn't smell bad and is gentle enough to use on a baby. It doesn't dry out your scalp. You can use it daily if you need to, use it on anything that can get wet. I ordered it on line, but maybe it can be found in a health store.

Tea Tree Oil

Posted by Jenny (Sydney, Australiahi) on 04/05/2012
★★★★★

Hi. I agree re the conditioner but would add another step. I put as much conditioner on as possible, covered it with a shower cap and left it for 30 minutes (I did for an hour plus), then combed through. I would also recommend doing it for several days in a row and put clean pillow cases on for sleeping each night. Good luck!

Listerine

Posted by Bugs Be Gone Soon Please (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 08/12/2011
★★★★★

48 hours and no itching, no bugs. Going to do it for 2 hours with shower cap tomorrow just to be ultra safe but looks like listerine worked for us! Finally, a solution.

Listerine

Posted by Bugs Be Gone Soon Pleaes (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 08/11/2011
★★★★★

I had called our ped after nix and rid did not work completely (found one bug and still had occasional itching, ugghh! ). They told me to do the mayonaisse overnight, but we had plans to do a family zoo trip the next day. After internet research , thought I would try the listerine first and then do teh mayonaisse the next night when we would have more time in the morning to wash it out. I left the listerine in all night though, had the shower cap on her from 10pm -3am. Washed her hair as usual in am and cannot find anything in her hair, no itching, much easier than mayonaisse and not a scratch the entire day. So will see what tonight brings, if no itching may just repeat the listerine again to be certain.... just seems much easier to wash out and much easier for younger child to tolerate than the thick, mayo.

Denorex Shampoo

Posted by Anonymous (Fl, Usa) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★

Try Denorex Coal Tar 2.5% shampoo. Moisten hair (but not to the point of saturation), put the shampoo first at the base of neck where the hair starts and also concentrate on the hair around the ears. Leave it on for 30 minutes with a towel on your head. It will BURN and be somewhat uncomfortable for that 30 minutes, but when you see all those dead bugs in the water, you will be glad you tried it. I think, as another poster said, the shampoo "cooks" the lice and nits. Also, before treatment I visibly had nits on my hair line and the day after treatment, they were gone. Apparently, the shampoo works well with lice. You have to repeat the treatment every day for a week to make sure you're OK and you also have to be diligent about cleaning your clothes and environment.