How to Use Cetaphil for Lice

Dr. Dale Pearlman, a Stanford University trained physician who specializes in dermatology, has developed a protocol for treating head lice using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Pearlman's study of the use of Cetaphil to treat head lice was published in the journal Pediatrics in September 2004. The study found the use of Cetaphil in treating head lice to be 96 percent effective in ending an infestation of head lice. Cetaphil was also effective in treating head lice because it required little cleaning of the environment to end the infestation.

Things You'll Need

• Large bath towel
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
• Squirt bottle
• Fine-toothed comb
• Blow-dryer
• Shampoo
• Rubbing alcohol
• Clothes dryer

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Instructions

• 1

  Wrap a large bath towel around your shoulders.

• 2

  Pour Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser into a squirt bottle.

• 3

  Apply large amounts of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to your scalp and all hair. The tip of the squirt bottle should be in contact with the scalp during the application. The cleanser should be applied in such copious amounts that it drips off the ends of the hair. Apply the cleanser in a crisscross pattern across the top and back of the head to ensure all hair is covered.

• 4

  Massage the cleanser through your hair with your fingers.

• 5

  Comb the hair to distribute the cleaner evenly.

• 6

  Comb until all excess cleanser is removed from the hair. Comb until no more of the cleanser comes off with the combing.

• 7

  Wait two minutes.

• 8

  Blow dry your hair until it is completely dry.

• 9

  Leave the dried cleanser on your hair for eight hours.

• 10

  Shampoo the cleanser out of your hair using your regular shampoo.

• 11

  Sterilize combs and brushes by soaking in rubbing alcohol for 10 minutes.

• 12

  Run all bedding through the dryer on a high temperature cycle.

• 13

  Repeat the treatment in one-week intervals for a total of three treatments. The treatment includes the sterilizing of combs and bedding each time the cleanser is applied.