Why Home Remedies for Lice Removal Don’t Work
Every parent dealing with a child that has head lice has most likely heard of the home remedies to cure it. Even though you may want to get rid of the lice right away, it is important to check your sources and make sure you do not fall for a false home remedy. Not only are these home remedies ineffective, but some might even be dangerous to use on your child. Here are some common home remedies to stay away from:
Oils
The common oils that you may hear about putting in your child’s hair are olive oil, anise oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, and castor oil. The way these oils are supposed to treat lice is by suffocating them. After 6-8 hours you will then have to comb the lice out of the hair and hope the lice are gone for good. The issue with this treatment is that none of these oils will kill the lice eggs that are ready to hatch at any moment. Therefore, this home remedy will never actually get rid of all the lice no matter how many times you repeat this timely process.
Mayonnaise
Like applying different oils to the hair, mayonnaise is supposed to function the same way. The thickness of the mayonnaise should suffocate and kill the lice and then once you comb them out the problem is solved. However, regardless of how thick the substance you use is, it will never kill lice eggs and they will continue to hatch and lay more eggs. Leaving mayonnaise on your child’s hair for hours is not only ineffective but it also puts your child at risk of salmonella.
Mouthwash
Many mouthwashes contain chemicals such as menthol, eucalyptol, and alcohol, which may kill some bugs living in the hair. But even these harsh chemicals will not kill lice eggs. Instead, you can harm your child with these harsh chemicals. Many mouthwashes are flammable, and you may end up burning your child’s scalp instead of treating their head lice.
OTC Treatments
Like mouthwashes, over the counter lice treatments contain harsh chemicals that are said to kill lice. Because these types of treatments are so overused, lice have become increasingly resilient to them. So these over the counter products will definitely not kill lice eggs, and might not even kill living bugs in the hair. These treatments can do much more harm than good. One commonly used ingredient in many over the counter treatments is neurotoxin which can produce severe side effects. They often leave your child’s head dry and irritated as well. Over the counter treatments are overall ineffective and threatening to your child.
Ignoring the problem
Sources that tell you to ignore the lice might be calming at first, until your child ends up with an even larger infestation. Unfortunately, head lice will not just get up and leave. Once they have made themselves comfortable in your child’s hair, they are there to stay.
Lice Clinics of American in Green Bay
If your child has become infected with head lice and you are not sure what to do, Lice Clinics of America in Green Bay, Wisconsin can help. At our lice clinic in Green Bay, we use our signature FDA approved AirAlle treatment. This treatment does not use any harsh chemicals, pesticides, oils, or anything that could be harmful to your child. Instead, we rely on warm air only to kill both lice and lice eggs so the problem will be solved for good. Contact Lice Clinics of America in Green Bay for a safe lice treatment that works fast!
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