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Where do lice come from?

Why the poisons don't work

How to Remove Lice and Nits

You have two problems.

What are nits?

Pictures of head lice and nits

Head Lice Re-Infestation

How to Remove Lice and Nits.

You've probably already found out for yourself that removing head lice and nits is no easy task.

The lice scurry away and hide. They drop off the head when you treat them and try to crawl back on later. You think you've got them all and then you see more new nits.

And even though the nits are stationary, they are glued onto the hair shafts with a substance that rivals super glue! Not only that, they can be difficult to see...especially when they are freshly laid. At that stage, they are small and darker colored. On anything but very blonde hair, they are almost impossible to see!We have found that removing lice and nits are two completely different processes that require two different substances.

How to Remove Lice

Lice need to be killed and combed out of the hair. It is almost impossible to find a product that will kill every single bug. The pesticide-based products you find at the store seem to be losing their effectiveness. Most of us have found they don't solve the problem at all.What we have found to work is oil-based products.Oil based products should incude a good olive oil carrier and essential oils that actually kill bugs. Olive oil makes a good carrier because it helps to slow the bugs down and can actually smother some of them. If you can find a product with coconut oil as a carrier, that also helps because coconut oil is one of the best penetrating oils. It can get through the exoskeletons of the lice.The essential oils that kill bugs are: neem oil, tea tree oil and karanja oil. NOTE: These essential oils need to be diluted properly with good carrier oils such as those mentioned above. Do NOT use the essential oils at 100% strength.There are some other essential oils that are good for killing and repelling head lice. Among them are peppermint oil, rosemary oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, catnip oil and erigeron oil.Once you have a good product, you'll need to completely saturate the hair with it. The lice will try to escape by dropping off. They can't jump or fly, but they don't want to die so they try to fall off. They will then try to climb back on the next available human so it's a good idea to treat over the sink and then cover the head with a shower cap.Leave the product on the hair for a good 30 - 50 minutes.After treating, comb out the oils and the bugs with a high quality lice comb. Combing is essential because there's always the chance there could be a super hearty louse that survived the treatment. It may be stunned but not quite dead. If you don't comb it out, it could revive and begin laying eggs again.Make sure you get the teeth of the comb next to the scalp as you comb. Many of the head lice will be right on the skin.By the way, if you use a product that contains coconut oil as a carrier and also contains all three killing oils, the nits will also be killed during the process.

How to Remove Nits

Removing nits is a completely different process than removing head lice. And you need a different product to do it. We have found that the only substance that can do a good job of softening the glue the nits are attached to the hair with is enzymes.Enzymes are non-toxic, biodegradable proteins that break down and digest things. There are enzymes out there that are designed to break down, soften and literally digest the nit glue.With the right kind of enzyme product applied to the hair, the nits become loosened from the hair shaft and combing them out becomes a much easier task. You want to be sure to use a very high-quality comb because some of the nits will be hatched already. Those are essentially tiny empty bags. They will slip right through the teeth of ordinary lice combs. You want to get them out because even though they don't hold a viable egg, there are "No Nit Policies" that must be complied with.

Where to find the best head lice treatment products...

Your HeadLice Hotline Volunteer can help you find the best oil-based products for treating head lice and the best enzymes for removing the nits. They can also help you choose the best high-quality lice comb.

Good luck! And remember, we'll be here with you every step of the way!