How to Use Vinegar to Remove Lice Nits

A lice infestation can spread rapidly, and you must manage it upon detection. After treating the affected areas with lice medicine, you still need to manually remove all nits, or lice eggs. Vinegar is a safe, natural and effective treatment to aid nit removal. A vinegar solution does not kill nits, but it does help loosen the adhesive that allows nits to attach so strongly to human hair. Once the adhesive is loosened, you can comb out nits more easily.

Things You'll Need

• Lice medicine
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup water
• Towel
• Regular comb
• Hairpins
• Lamp
• Metal nit comb
• Magnifying glass (optional)
• Tissue

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply lice medicine. Carefully follow the instructions on the package. The Virginia Department of Health notes that you should wait at least one day after washing out the lice medicine to begin a vinegar treatment. This wait time is to make sure all the nits are dead before you start removing them.

• 2

  Mix the vinegar and water together.

• 3

  Soak the affected areas of hair in the vinegar-water solution. For head lice infestations, wrap the head and hair with a towel to enhance the effectiveness of the solution. Keep the hair wrapped for at least 30 minutes.

• 4

  Comb the hair with a regular comb to get rid of any tangles. Separate the hair into sections using the hairpins.

• 5

  Position a lamp over the affected area before starting nit removal. Good lighting will help you see the tiny lice eggs more clearly.

• 6

  Remove lice nits by using the metal nit comb to slowly comb through the hair. You can also pick off individual nits with your fingernails. Patiently work through each section of hair and look for yellowish-white dots that resemble dandruff. A magnifying glass may help you identify the nits. They're often located on hair shafts near the scalp because lice eggs need the warmth for incubation. Periodically wipe the eggs off the nit comb with a tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately.

• 7

  Take a shower using regular shampoo and soap to wash the vinegar out of the hair and clean off any dead adult lice and nits from the body.

• 8

  Disinfect both the regular comb and the metal nit comb by soaking them in very hot water for at least 10 minutes.