How to Get Rid of Lice

Medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS

Last Updated: August 22, 2024 Approved

Lice can be super itchy and annoying, but they’re not uncommon, especially if you have any school-aged children in your home. You may have heard all sorts of home remedies for lice such as mayonnaise and olive oil, but many of these haven’t been shown to be effective. Fortunately, there are things you can do to get rid of lice and keep them from coming back.

Here are 12 proven ways to get rid of lice for good.

1

Check other people in your home for head lice.

Download Article

If 1 person has them, chances are someone else may, too. Look through the hair of any other adults or children in your household for active lice or small, dark eggs (also known as nits). It’s important to treat anyone who may have lice to keep them from spreading and to keep them from coming back. ^{[1]
X
Trustworthy Source
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
Go to source}
- You may also want to notify your children’s school and any friends or family members who may have been in close contact recently so they can check for lice as well.

2

Remove your clothing before you apply lice medication.

Download Article

Take off anything that could get wet or stained. Some lice medication could potentially discolor your clothing. Plus, the clothes you’re wearing could have a few loose lice that fell from your head. Better to take them off before you apply the medication, just to be safe. Wash them on a hot water cycle to kill any lice that may be on them. ^{[2]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- If you’re treating your children, you may want to remove their clothing to prevent stains.

3

Spread pediculicide throughout your hair.

Download Article

Apply the lice medicine according to the directions on the packaging. Pediculicide is an effective chemical treatment for lice and comes as a cream, shampoo, or paste. Pick some up over the counter at your local pharmacy and check the application instructions on the packaging. Follow the directions carefully and apply the product throughout all of your hair. ^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- A few common pediculicide products include Nix, Ovide, and RID.

4

Try essential oils as a natural alternative.

Download Article

If you’re looking for a more natural solution, studies suggest that some essential oils were found to be an effective treatment against lice. Choose one of these essential oils in an alcoholic solution and spray it onto your hair. Leave the essential oil in your hair overnight and rinse it out in the morning. ^{[4]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}

5

Check your hair 8-12 hours after treatment.

Download Article

If none of the lice are dead, talk to your doctor. Give your lice treatment plenty of time to work its magic. After about 8 hours, inspect your scalp for dead lice. If the lice are alive but moving more slowly, don’t retreat your hair. The medicine may just need some more time to kill them. If you see lice that appear to be unharmed, then your treatment may not have been effective, which isn’t uncommon. Contact your doctor and they’ll be able to recommend another treatment or prescribe medication to help you get rid of the lice. ^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Don’t retreat your hair with another lice medication until you talk to your doctor first.

6

Avoid shampooing your hair for 1-2 days.

Download Article

It’s alright to rinse your hair, and many lice medications actually recommend that you do. But if you wash it with shampoo and conditioner, it could remove the medication and affect how well it works. ^{[6]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}

7

Use a nit comb to remove lice eggs.

Download Article

Comb through your hair every 2-3 days to keep the lice from coming back. A nit comb is a special hair comb with teeth that are super close together. It’s designed to collect lice eggs when you run it through your hair. After you treat your hair for lice, run a nit comb through it every other day or so to remove any remaining lice eggs before they get a chance to hatch. ^{[7]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- Lice tend to leave really close to the skin, so be sure to run your nit comb along your scalp as well.

8

Wash items that touch the head in hot water.

Download Article

Hats, pillows, and similar things can contain head lice. While lice can’t live for more than a few days if they aren’t on your body, that’s still plenty of time for them to spread. If you or someone in your home has lice, wash everything that could potentially come in contact with their head, such as hair brushes, bedsheets, pillows, and hats. ^{[8]
X
Trustworthy Source
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
Go to source}
- If you have clothing or items that can’t be machine-washed, you can either dry clean them or place them in a plastic back and store them for 2 weeks so the lice die. ^{[9]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

9

Vacuum your floors and furniture.

Download Article

It’s not uncommon for lice to fall out of someone’s hair, and they could potentially spread to other people in your home. Vacuum your carpet, furniture, and anywhere else that other people may sit or lie down to keep them from spreading. ^{[10]
X
Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}

10

Apply another treatment about a week later.

Download Article

Usually, 1 treatment isn’t enough to fully eliminate all of the lice and nits that are in your hair. After about a week after your first treatment, do another one to wipe out any remaining lice and their eggs. ^{[11]
X
Research source}

11

Avoid hugging or close contact until the lice are gone.

Download Article

Lice actually can’t “jump” or make their way to another person without direct physical contact. If you or a family member has lice, avoid touching or coming into close contact with another person so the lice don’t spread. ^{[12]
X
Trustworthy Source
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
Go to source}

12

Cut your hair short for extreme cases.

Download Article

Lice can’t survive if your hair is too short. You may want to consider cutting your hair really short or even shaving your head. The less hair you have, the less room the lice have to live and the easier it’ll be for you to get rid of them. ^{[13]
X
Trustworthy Source
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Official resource database of the world-leading Johns Hopkins Hospital
Go to source}
- If you have long hair, you don't need to cut all of your hair off because of lice. Just keep using the treatments and talk to your doctor if you're struggling to get rid of them. However, if you already sport fairly short hair, getting it clipped a little shorter to help get rid of lice faster isn't a bad idea.

Video

Read Video Transcript

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What are the most effective home remedies to get rid of head lice?

Mitzi Scotten, MD
Board Certified Pediatrician
Dr. Scotten is a board certified Pediatrician in Arizona. She received her MD from the University of Kansas in 1993 and completed her Pediatric residency at Kosair Children’s Hospital. Dr. Scotten was the director of the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis clinic at the University of Kansas, was voted as a Kansas City Star “Top Doc” for 5 years, and has been selected to the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Mitzi Scotten, MD

Board Certified Pediatrician

Expert Answer

There are not any studies comparing one treatment to another so it is difficult to know which home remedies are best. Home remedy treatments are divided into three main categories: substances that suffocate the lice such as olive, baby and coconut oil; natural oils that kill lice like tea tree oil, and substances that directly kill the lice such as vinegar and salt.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 61 Helpful 185
Question

Does mayonnaise really work?

Mitzi Scotten, MD
Board Certified Pediatrician
Dr. Scotten is a board certified Pediatrician in Arizona. She received her MD from the University of Kansas in 1993 and completed her Pediatric residency at Kosair Children’s Hospital. Dr. Scotten was the director of the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis clinic at the University of Kansas, was voted as a Kansas City Star “Top Doc” for 5 years, and has been selected to the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Mitzi Scotten, MD

Board Certified Pediatrician

Expert Answer

Yes. Mayonnaise contains large amounts of oil that can suffocate the lice and possibly stop them from moving around. One downside is that mayonnaise may be "messier" than other oils such as baby oil and olive oil and may be harder to completely rinse out of your hair.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 77 Helpful 194
Question

Can lice become immune to lice shampoo?

Mitzi Scotten, MD
Board Certified Pediatrician
Dr. Scotten is a board certified Pediatrician in Arizona. She received her MD from the University of Kansas in 1993 and completed her Pediatric residency at Kosair Children’s Hospital. Dr. Scotten was the director of the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis clinic at the University of Kansas, was voted as a Kansas City Star “Top Doc” for 5 years, and has been selected to the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Mitzi Scotten, MD

Board Certified Pediatrician

Expert Answer

Yes. The medicines that are sold over the counter use the substance permethrin to kill the lice. A large percentage of lice now carry a gene that makes them resistant to this medicine. This is why is it important to talk with a physician about all the treatment options that are available for lice. Since the growing resistance was first noted, there have been a lot of new prescription treatments created for getting rid of lice.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 44 Helpful 126

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Reader Videos

Submit a Video Tip!

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

Submit a Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Never take prescription medication for lice unless it was prescribed by your doctor.

Thanks
Helpful 8 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

[1]

Trustworthy Source

Go to source

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

Log in

How to Get Rid of Lice

Steps

Check other people in your home for head lice.

Remove your clothing before you apply lice medication.

Spread pediculicide throughout your hair.

Try essential oils as a natural alternative.

Check your hair 8-12 hours after treatment.

Avoid shampooing your hair for 1-2 days.

Use a nit comb to remove lice eggs.

Wash items that touch the head in hot water.

Vacuum your floors and furniture.

Apply another treatment about a week later.

Avoid hugging or close contact until the lice are gone.

Cut your hair short for extreme cases.

Video

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

Tips

Warnings

You Might Also Like

References

About This Article

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

Quizzes

You Might Also Like

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Featured Articles

Featured Articles

Watch Articles

Trending Articles

Quizzes

Explore Categories