Q&A for How to Get Rid of Lice

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Question

How do I know if I have lice, and what do nits look like?

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS

Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Expert Answer

To know for sure if you have lice you need closely inspect your scalp and hair. You may see lice moving on the skin of your scalp. The adult head lice has six legs and is about the size of a sesame seed. Lice eggs (called nits) are oval in shape and they are usually attached to a single hair. They may appear to be the color of their host's hair, ranging from white to gray to yellow to brown. Common site of the nits is side of the scalp or area around and about the ears.

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Question

Does coca cola work?

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS

Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner

Expert Answer

I don’t think coca cola works for getting rid of lice. See above remedies to help you rid of lice and nits.

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