Natural Head Lice Remedies May Be The Best Answer

Chemicals? Pesticides? I don't want to subject my family and home to these just for treating head lice but would prefer natural remedies.

Over the years, the traditional chemical and pesticide based head lice products have proven to be quite effective. They have been approved by the government and are recommended by doctors. Head lice are insects and in many cases chemicals and pesticides are effective in killing them. Many families, though, do not want to deal with these products and are looking for natural alternatives.

At the extreme, you can rid your home of head lice by using no product. It is possible to remove the pests through very careful combing and manually picking the lice out of the hair and off the scalp. This completely avoids the use of any unknown chemicals or products and avoids any possibility of an adverse reaction. On the downside, it can be very time consuming and is much more difficult. To be effective it should be repeated several times over several weeks to be sure that you address every live insect and nit. If any live lice or eggs are missed, an infestation can quickly reestablish itself and you are back where you started.

There are also a variety of natural applications that can smother the lice. Vaseline, olive oil, mayonnaise, and peanut butter have all been used to smother these insects. They are applied and left on the hair for a time, often overnight, and then washed away. Vinegar can be used to help remove the greasy substances. The hair is then carefully combed out to remove the dead insects and detach any nits. This process cleans the hair and scalp and makes it more difficult for the lice or nits to attach to the hair in the future.

There are also non-pesticide prescription options available like Ulesfia. Like the natural remedies, these are often designed to smother the lice. They all require careful attention to shampooing and combing the hair to remove any remaining parasites. The doctor may also recommend a combination of these treatments as being most effective.

Finally, there are a wide variety of home remedies including herbal home remedies and natural repellents like lemons and apples. Many of these are natural oil based and use common detergents as the shampoo base. These products can be very effective but are often outside the area of government regulation so safety can be a concern.

Each family, home, and infestation is unique. If you are comfortable using the traditional products, they are quickly available. If you are uncomfortable with these, they prove ineffective, or you want to stay with all natural products, head lice natural remedies may be the best choice. It simply takes a bit more research, work, and care to find the best products or combinations for your situation.

Christy Patterson has created a free resource to answer your head lice questions. For more information on head lice natural remedies, please visit www.HeadLiceAnswerCenter.com.