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Home Remedy for Eliminating Head Lice With Oils

Using such oils as coconut, olive, mineral or vegetable is a natural alternative to killing head lice instead of commercial products. Some parents prefer this method since they don't want to expose their children to the small doses of insecticide that lice-removing kits contain, and it's also less expensive. While success has been reported in killing lice with oil (their death is caused by suffocation), extensive medical research hasn't been conducted to prove that the treatment consistently works. You'll need to comb your child's hair with a lice comb--it has thinner teeth that are closer together than a regular comb--after applying the oil to remove the lice and their eggs, which are known as nits.

Things You'll Need

  • Oil (olive, vegetable, coconut, mineral)
  • Measuring cup
  • Tablespoon
  • Shower cap
  • Shampoo
  • Bright lamp
  • Lice comb
  • Small bowl
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Tissues
  • Plastic bag
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Instructions

  1. Apply Oil to Hair

    • 1

      Pour ½ cup of oil on top of the child's scalp.

    • 2

      Run your fingers through his hair from the scalp all the way to the ends.

    • 3

      Work your way around his head until his hair is completely saturated. If you need more oil, add 1 tbsp. at a time.

    • 4

      Cover the child's head with a shower cap.

    • 5

      Leave the shower cap on for eight hours.

    • 6

      Remove the shower cap and shampoo the child's hair as you normally would.

    • 7

      Rinse out the shampoo with water.

    • 8

      Shampoo his hair again to ensure all the oil is removed and rinse.

    Comb Hair With Lice Comb

    • 9

      Seat your child under a bright lamp.

    • 10

      Fill a small bowl with rubbing alcohol.

    • 11

      Comb his hair, while it's still wet, with a lice comb in a segment that is 1 inch wide. Slowly draw the comb from the scalp through to the ends of his hair.

    • 12

      Dip the lice comb into the bowl of rubbing alcohol and wipe it off with a tissue after you comb each section of hair to remove lice and nits from its teeth. Toss the tissue into a plastic bag.

    • 13

      Repeat Step 3, Step 4 and Step 5 until you've combed through all of his hair.

    • 14

      Tie the handles of the plastic bag containing the tissues in a knot and dispose of it.

    • 15

      Repeat Section 1 and Section 2 in seven to 10 days to prevent reinfestation from lice eggs that may have hatched since the first treatment.

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