The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Eucalyptus Oil
Posted by Cathrine (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) on 03/05/2011
★★★★★
I have been reading the posts here and I have noticed eucalyptus oil has not been mentioned. In the past I have used the oil successfully for head lice and fleas.
I have on occasion sat down with my cats and searched through their fur for fleas and when I spotted one I would just touch it with a oil soaked cotton bud. The flea died instantly. So I am thinking the oil is highly toxic to small insects such as lice and fleas.
I would imagine scabies would be in the same family as these insects. If you do try eucalyptus oil please research the correct dilution with a carrier oil. For head lice I didnt dilute it but I have read warnings that one should always dilute the oil. I also read the oil fries the fleas exoskeleton.
Good luck!
Coconut Oil
Posted by Maskeen (Dubai, Uae) on 01/01/2011
★★★★★
When I was young and had immigrated to the US, I had lice in my hair. My mom put virgin coconut oil in my hair and made me go play out in the yard. Coconut oil hardens below 76 degrees F. The oil hardened in my hair and the lice died. She did this for two weeks to make certain the the newly hatched nits also died. Within two weeks I was lice free.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Angel (Peoria, Il) on 12/28/2010
Hi, when my daughter was one year old she applied about a whole bottle of Vaseline in her hair. I did many, many shampooing to get it out and nothing would touch it , so I searched here on internet, and found vinegar. Rinse with vinegar it will cut the grease right out instantly.. Hope this helps..
Cetaphil
Posted by Racer (Hampton, Tn) on 11/15/2010
★★★★★
Cetaphil rubbed into hair and blow dried until hair is dry, kills lice. Put it on hair, then a shower cap and leave on all night. Wash out and comb through. 15 drops tea tree oil in any bottle of shampoo or conditioner used twice a week should keep the lice away as long as the lice comb is used all the time to get bugs out of the hair.
Tea Tree Oil, White Vinegar, Liquid Soap
Posted by Racer (Hampton, Tn) on 11/15/2010
★★★★★
Lice Remedy
6 ounces Dawn
2 ounces white vinegar
2 TBSP Tea Tree Oil
You can get this all at walgreens. Put six ounces of dawn in a measuring cup that measures ounces, and then add white vinegar to it until it rises two more ounces. Put two tablespoons of Tea Tree Oil into this. Mix up. Put on hair, Massage in, put grocery bag over hair, close with clothespin. Leave on 10 minutes. Take off bag, massage and rinse, put in conditioner, rinse and comb out with lice comb. Maintain this by putting 15 drops of Tea Tree oil into any botttle of shampoo or conditiuoner and using twice a week. I give the kids each their own lice comb or flea comb and tell them to brush their heair each time it itches, and anytime they think of it, morning and night also.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Lon (Stanhope, Nj) on 09/07/2010
I add vinegar to shampoo to remove oils from my hair.
Vaseline
Posted by Elaine (Edmond, Oklahoma, Usa) on 09/06/2010
★★★★★
When my daughter was little she got hold of the Vaseline and smeared it in her hair. Like coconut oil it is very hard to wash out. Impossible in fact. Then I remembered when she was a baby I would put both Vaseline and baby powder on her tush. I thought, what's the point? The powder soaks up the Vaseline. Bingo! I sprinkled baby powder in her hair, let it set for a few minutes to soak up the Vaseline and washed out the powder. Talc works better than corn starch, but both work within one to two shampoos.
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.
Neem Oil
Posted by Cameron (Brisbane, Australia) on 04/05/2010
★★★★★
Like so many others I've had such success with remedies from this site I thought it was time to provide some feedback and maybe help others.
My little girls had not gone to school yet but now had their second case of headlice, I watched my sister in law go through hell with these creatures with 5 kids and now it was our turn. I tried the horrible Mayo and plastic bag idea but it was revolting firstly and secondly ineffective, that time I enede up using an OTC product from the pharmacy.
The second time I came straight here again and decided Neem was the go, I mixed 1 part Neem Oil to 2 parts Olive Oil and left the mixture in the girls hair for an hour. We combed all the dead lice out and the eggs, we never retreated them it was a once only treatment that was 100% successful, we now use a Neem Shampoo that has allowed my little school girl to survive 2 school headlice outbreaks nit free even though her best friend got them both times.
As others have said you could simply mix some neem oil into your usual shampoo, it will however leave a nasty ring around your bath but its a small price to pay for nit free kids.
Thanks to all who take the time to post here it makes others lives that much easier.
Vinegar
Posted by Tina (Dayton, Oh) on 10/03/2009
★★★★★
I got rid of my daughter's lice a few years ago by pouring vinegar over her head in the bath tub and letting her sit there with it on for about 10 minutes, then rinsed. Did this for about 4 or 5 days while also removing as many as I could with a lice comb and getting every egg out I could find. But the vinegar does really kill them. You could see dead ones floating in the water. vaccuming and cleaning as much as possible is necessary as well.
Rubbing Alcohol, Olive Oil
Posted by Valerie (Germantown, Md) on 10/02/2009
★★★★★
Lice: First you pour rubbing alcohol on your entire head. Cover eyes with towel first. After it dries, pour olive oil on your head and leave on over night. Wash in am.
Olive Oil, Dish Soap, Vinegar, Tea Tree and Neem Oils
Posted by Raviela (Whittier, Ca) on 08/10/2009
★★★★★
LICE CURE:
We are tired of the dangerous chemicals on the market, searched various site for natural remedies. Have tried most with the most sucess going to:
1) 1 Cup of olive oil - saturate the hair (more needed for long hair) leave on for 2 hours covered with a plastic shower cap, this sufficates the adults and plugs the hole on the eggs. (you can also use mayonaise or petroleum jelly-which takes weeks to remove)
2) Wash the oil out with DAWN dishsoap (regular) It's the only thing that will cut the oil. It won't harm the hair or scalp.
3) Rinse with White Vinegar, this helps to loosen the nits from the hair shaft (most will fall out, the rest will comb out.) It will leave the hair shinny & clean.
4) Comb the hair with the best nit comb (metal) you can find at your local pharmacy.
5) Add 10-15 drops of Tea Tree oil & Neem oil to your shampoo to use reguarly to keep the little buggers away.
Olive Oil, Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Grace (Nassau, Bahamas) on 07/29/2009
★★★★★
I used the traditional lice shampoo the minute my son began itching. I combed after and didn't see more than a few nits and no lice. About 5 days later I could see live lice, so I decided to use a home remedy since we couldn't apply our second dose of shampoo until day 7. I mixed 1/2 cup olive oil with 2 TBSP tea tree oil, massaged liberally into his hair and waited one hour. Next I combed dozens of dead lice from his hair, which tooked about 90 minutes. The next day I repeated the olive oil application and got only about a dozen dead lice. I can't comment on the nits b/c I cant see any. Hopefully it means that the lice were in the nymph stage and not mature enough to lay new eggs.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Angie (Los Angeles, CA) on 05/29/2009
★★★★★
Mayonaise, acv and tea tree oil got rid of headlice
My daughter when she started kindergarten she came home with lice one day. I bought the lice shampoos and did every possible thing I could do to get rid of them. I was so devastated I did't know what else to do for her. I would get rid of them only to find out she got them again within less than a month. This was my struggle for a whole year. Then one day my sister came accross a site, not sure which one but she told me to mix some Mayonaise in a bowl and to mix it with ACV to a consistency of pancake batter. Then to add some drops of tea tree oil and to put it on her hair. I put it for 1/2 an hour and then while she still had it on I combed her hair out with one of those nit removal combs and washed her hair. I kid you not but the day after when I checked her hair she did not have one single nit or headlice on her hair. It's been three years and she has not had a single headlice in her hair. After spending so much money on all the stuff I bought for her hair, I was so relieved to have found something so simple and so inexpensive that actually works and it is safe for her. Anyway, just thought this might help.
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.
Neem Oil
Posted by Cindy (Pflugerville, Tx) on 05/21/2009
Neem oil is toxic though. Your little girl didn't get a headache or anything?
EC: Neem has been used in India and Bangladesh for centuries!
"Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil
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.
Pure Alcohol, Aka Rubbing Alcohol
Posted by Demina (Athens, Greece) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★
Hello, in Greece in order to deal with lice we wet the hair with a very common disinfectant, a form of pure ethanol, the name here is "pure alcohol", I think the name in UK is "surgical spirit", is the kind of alcohol or ethanol we use for disinfecting hands, in its clearest transparent white form. As this, in many countries, is considered alcohol it might have a high price, so we can used also a mixed an unedible- form of that with glycerine etc - very cheap.
We wet the hair with it, put a towel for 20 min and repeat every day in the beginning for 3 days and then every other day. The lice suffocate and die instantly. They cannot develop resistance to this as even larger insects (cockroaches) also suffocate and die instantly if you spilt ethanol on them.
As the normal use for this is for disinfection and the pure form is used in all alcoholic beverages, well I guess is not very bad to put lets say a very strong vodka in your hair.
