lice and vinegar

Unfortunately, head lice have been around forever as pesky little beasts that burrow into your child’s hair and curl up for eternity. Or so it seems. Frustrated by the repetitive nature of lice, parents across the country have struggled to get rid of nits. Lice are often unaffected by over-the-counter treatments, so vinegar lice treatments have made a comeback.

Long before there were local pharmacies or drugstores, head lice invaded schools and one-bedroom homes. Parents would dunk their child’s head in charcoal oil and hope that the child would stay away from open flames and that the charcoal oil would suffocate the lice. Because of the smell and the boy’s obvious embarrassment, other remedies began to appear on the scene.

Vinegar treatment for head lice is just one of many tried and true over the years. The active ingredient in vinegar is acetic acid. This component dissolves the binder that holds the eggs to the hair. The vinegar allows the lice to break free from the hair shaft. It seems to work best if it soaks the child’s hair and scalp. Then the hair can be wrapped in a towel or a plastic cap. Leave to act for a couple of hours and then dry with a hair dryer. Use a warm environment. Speaking of the hair dryer, it has been said that drying a child’s hair after each wash will also help keep lice away.

In addition to vinegar treatment for lice, other natural treatments have been tried with variable results. Olive oil treatment is similar to charcoal oil treatment. Before going to bed, stop the lukewarm oil on the head. Comb the warm oil through the hair. Cover your head with a plastic cap and keep it on overnight. The next morning, wash the oil out of the hair. This can take a couple of shampoos. But the only side effect will be very soft hair. Eggs left on the hair can be easily removed. Follow this procedure for three nights. Please continue to check for containment over the next week. Repeat if necessary.

Another treatment along the same lines is to use coconut shampoo and conditioner. The coconut oil in these hair products is offensive to lice. Wash as usual and comb out the bugs before rinsing out the conditioner. Generic coconut hair products can be used, just check the coconut oil ingredients. Scent enhancer that only smells like coconut will not work the same as real coconut oil. Today’s head lice may have become immune to over the counter medical treatments. Full-strength lice-removing shampoos and sprays are too strong to use repeatedly on young children.

There are no quick fixes. Children are in close contact with their friends. Lice can be transferred from head to head or from hats or scarves hanging together in school hallways. Wash bedding and spray carpets and diapers to control infestations in the home. Pack stuffed animals in plastic bags and keep them closed for a month before releasing them. Vinegar lice treatment, coconut oil treatment, and olive oil treatment remain some of the only natural methods to stop lice in place.