Get Rid of It Fast: Affordable Home Remedies for Head Lice

Just because this could be a HUGE money saver!

Sent to you via Google Reader

Get Rid of It Fast: Affordable Home Remedies for Head Lice

This fall, I got the call that all parents dread: there was an outbreak of head lice in my daughter's classroom. As soon as she arrived home from school, I checked her head, and sure enough, the nasty little buggers were there. The worst part: she had managed to spread it to her sister before the school called.

After the initial freak-out at the grossness of it all, we did what most parents would do: headed to the drugstore for the strong smelling, super-expensive lice shampoo kit. We applied immediately, being sure to follow the instructions to the letter. We bagged stuffed animals, stripped all of our bedding, did about 1,000 loads of laundry. And yet, the lice returned.

Reluctant to shell out more of our hard-earned cash for more over-the-counter lice treatments that didn't work, we started scouring the Internet. What we found was more effective, much safer (commercial lice shampoos contain pesticides), and far cheaper than another trip to the drugstore. You probably already have most of the tools necessary for eradicating head lice in your pantry and under your sink.

Treatment for Hair

• Mayonnaise or Olive Oil. Completely coat the hair and scalp in the mayo or oil (we used olive oil) until hair is saturated. This should kill any adult lice on the scalp. Wring out any excess to limit drips, then wrap the hair in plastic wrap (with long hair, pull it into a ponytail before you wrap it to hold it in place). Leave the oil on for at least 3 hours, or longer for added benefit (I've heard stories of people sleeping with this treatment in, but I'd imagine that could get messy, so proceed with caution). We put a shower cap on over the plastic wrap, just to be safe.
• Distilled White Vinegar. After you've finished the oil treatment, wash hair with shampoo (it may take a couple applications to get all the oil out). Towel dry hair, then completely saturate hair with vinegar, making sure it reaches the scalp (if there are already open sores on the head, you may want to skip this step, since it could burn). Leave the vinegar on for 15 minutes, then wash with shampoo. The vinegar dissolves the "glue" that holds the nits to the hair, making them much easier to comb out.
• Coconut Oil. We've already stocked up on coconut oil because of

Sent from Monica L. Hawkins iPhone