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What Can I Use to Loosen Nits & Eggs on a Child?

Head lice can afflict all people, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status or cleanliness. Children get lice more often than adults because they are in closer contact with one another and more likely to share personal items such as combs, hats and clothing. Once a child gets head lice, it is important to remove all lice and nits -- or eggs -- from the child's head avoid re-infestation.

  1. Shampoos or Rinses

    • An effective way to loosen nits is to wash the child's hair with an over-the-counter lice product. Most are pesticides, and should be used carefully according to the manufacturer's directions. There are also non-pesticide rinses found in health food stores that might irritate nits to loosen their hold as well as make lice easier to remove. Vinegar and water is another rinse that is often used to help loosen nits. Pour a 1-to-1 mixture over the hair, then catch the rinse with a towel in the tub. Use the damp towel to wrap the hair and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Then proceed with removal.

    Shampoo and Condition

    • Another way to loosen nits is to shampoo the hair -- either with lice shampoo or regular shampoo -- then condition heavily. Use double the usual amount of conditioner to make the hair extremely smooth and soft.

    Combs and Fingers

    • Whether or not other rinses are used, nit combs and fingers can be the most effective way to loosen and remove nits. Smooth, soft hair is easiest to comb, especially because nit combs are fine-toothed. Nits are fastened to the shaft of the hair, usually an inch or so from the root, with a glue-like substance, so they often will not come off even when combed with a nit comb. In these cases, it is necessary to remove them manually by using the fingertips or fingernails to slide them down and off the shaft. Simply shampooing, even with a pesticide shampoo, is not enough to completely remove the nits.

    Myths

    • While some promote suffocating nits in mayonnaise, olive oil or petroleum jelly, according to the University of Nebraska extension service, there is not scientific evidence that these items suffocate the nits. They make hair oilyand therefore easier to comb. They might loosen the nit's hold on a hair shaft. However, the nits still need to be removed with careful combing and hand removal.

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