Folk remedies for lice were used even when people knew much less about lice themselves than today, but they met with them more often and suffered from them more. As a result, proven folk wisdom has left us recipes that really work.
Today it is known that almost all folk remedies for lice and nits are inferior in effectiveness and ease of use to lice preparations with synthetic modern insecticides. However, many folk methods and remedies are much more accessible and are especially suitable for the treatment of parasites for those who love everything natural, as well as for people prone to allergies.
The specifics of the fight against different types of lice
Before you get rid of lice and nits with folk remedies, you first need to choose the most suitable drug. The choice of traditional medicine is directly related to the type of lice that must be destroyed.
For example, pubic lice are most often removed with kerosene, black cumin, mercury ointment, angelica root and white hellebore.
Removing head lice with folk remedies involves the use of mint and pomegranate juice, black cumin, geranium oil, burdock, cranberry juice, vinegar with salt, onion with garlic and all the same kerosene.
Clothes louse is removed by treating bed linen and clothes with washing powders, as well as washing at maximum temperatures. If it is not possible to wash clothes in very hot water or steam them, you can simply hang them on the balcony. In a week or two, lice will die from lack of nutrition.
Mercury ointment and its analogues
Mercury ointment and its analogues are perhaps the most effective folk remedy for lice and nits at home. It is used mainly against pubic lice according to the following scheme:
- before starting treatment, the affected area must be shaved
- wash thoroughly with ordinary laundry soap and warm water
- The ointment is applied in a thin layer and rubbed in.
The procedure must be repeated 2 times a day for a week.
It should be borne in mind that mercury ointment contains toxic mercury compounds, so today it is practically not used in medicine. However, it is the toxicity of mercury compounds that makes this remedy very effective against lice and their eggs (nits).
Instead of mercury ointment, you can take 5% boric ointment, but it is slightly less effective. The method of application remains the same.
Review
“They say that pubic pediculosis is quite difficult to cure. And the usual penny ointment helped me - 5% boric. The only thing you need to shave your hair before use, otherwise there will be no sense.
Anna, Yaroslavl
Kerosene
Kerosene is a combustible product of oil refining, and also once the most popular folk remedy for lice and nits.To reduce the harmful effects on the skin, kerosene must be mixed with any vegetable oil in a ratio of 1:10.
After that, the resulting solution is applied to the hair, which is wrapped with wax paper (sometimes just covered with a plastic bag). From above it is necessary to put on a scarf or a hat. It is best to leave this pediculicidal compress overnight - this way you can achieve a reliable effect.
Important
Kerosene, especially undiluted, can cause a strong burning sensation on the skin, as well as lead to redness. Therefore, if you already decide to use this tool, then you need to do it very carefully, be sure to evaluate your feelings and immediately stop the process in case of severe discomfort.
On children, modern pediatricians do not recommend this remedy.
In the morning, the hair is washed with ordinary soap and the dead lice are combed out with a frequent comb. Before the procedure, the comb can be dipped in table vinegar - this will make it easier to remove nits from the hair.
And further: A selection of effective remedies for lice and nits (the article has more than 100 comments)
Before using a kerosene compress, you need to tie a towel or scarf on the hairline - this will prevent kerosene from getting on your face.
Review
“In our childhood, lice were often removed with kerosene. Therefore, when this misfortune appeared at my granddaughter, I did not think for a long time - I bought kerosene in a hardware store, mixed it with sunflower oil 1 to 10 and smeared it properly. Of course, the little one complained about the strong smell, and then she had to wash her hair for a week after the oil, but it seemed to help, then it only remained to comb out the dead nits and everything went away.
Sofia Nikolaevna, Tver
Vinegar and salt
Table vinegar and table salt are also quite effective folk remedies for lice, it is only important to be able to use them correctly.
To get rid of head lice, you need to mix a glass of table vinegar diluted to 3% concentration and 43 grams of table salt. Then, another 5 ml of 96% alcohol should be added to the well-mixed solution.
On washed, towel-dried hair, apply the prepared preparation. For two days, you need to repeatedly update the compress, wetting the hair with a solution. Then the head needs to be washed and combed out with a frequent comb.
It is worth noting that this folk remedy for lice also helps relieve the itching that occurs with severe pediculosis.
Review
“Lice found after a long journey in someone else's car. Since we were on vacation, there was simply nowhere to buy a normal drug for pediculosis. Mom suggested trying a folk recipe - she said that vinegar helps with lice if you mix it with salt. Well what can we say? I had to stay at home for two days, because my head looked like a crow's nest. But when washed off, the lice became much less. But after 5-6 days everything had to be repeated. So the whole vacation was treated. Next time I would take something from the pharmacy, more reliable.
Veronika, Kharkiv
Decoction of burdock against lice
Burdock has long been known for its insecticidal properties, so it can also be used as a folk remedy against lice. To prepare the medicine, you need to take a dry or fresh plant, rinse it and pour boiling water over it. After an hour, the infusion should be filtered and used to wash your hair.
Review
“My daughter recently got lice - either she picked them up in the kindergarten, or on the street. I decided not to run to the pharmacy for chemistry, as I have allergies. Grandmother advised me to take the usual infusion of burdock, which is usually used to strengthen hair. With this infusion, I washed my daughter's hair (without soap) every day, and then sat and combed out the nits with a comb. I don’t know if the burdock helped or not, but many lice fell out dead, and nits easily separated. So they quickly recovered.”
Ira, Pskov
Black cumin
Treatment for lice with folk remedies in the East is often carried out using strong-smelling spices. Most often, ground black cumin seeds are used for this purpose, combined in equal proportions with apple cider vinegar.
The resulting “lotion” is rubbed on the hair on the head or pubis, and then the affected area is exposed to ultraviolet radiation for about 20 minutes (they stand in the sun). Carry out such therapy every day for a week.
Review
“And here I am“ lousy ”after spending the night in Indian hostels. Everything would be fine, but then it was not possible to buy a normal drug for lice. A familiar Hindu helped: he prepared a porridge of black cumin and vinegar, advised him to smear his head with it, and then stand in the sun for half an hour. I took this method with irony, but in vain: after a few days my head was clean, and I combed out the dead insects with a comb.
Anton, St. Petersburg
Elecampane
The fight against lice folk remedies is often associated with the use of medicinal herbs.And one of the most effective recipes is an infusion of elecampane root.
To prepare it, fresh or dried grass and roots must be poured with boiling water, insisted for 1 hour. Use to wash your hair.
Angelica root and white cherry
An ointment can be prepared from angelica root and white bird cherry - also a very effective folk remedy for getting rid of lice. To do this, you need to take the chopped herbs in equal quantities, mix them with pork fat and put them in a glass container.
After a few days, the ointment will be ready. It must be rubbed several times a day into the infected area.
Geranium oil
Geranium essential oil is known for its insect repellent scent. This also applies to lice - they simply cannot stand the characteristic aroma. You can add a few drops of oil to the shampoo or mix it with basic burdock oil.
After such exposure, the number of lice should decrease dramatically.
A mixture of mint and pomegranate juice
Folk remedies for lice and nits at home can be somewhat exotic. One such recipe suggests boiling mint leaves in a glass of pomegranate juice, then rubbing the resulting mixture on the affected areas.
As practice shows, mint essential oil and pomegranate acid really contribute to the destruction of lice and easier combing of nits (acid softens the sticky secret with which nits are attached to the hair).
Cranberry juice
The substances contained in cranberry juice make it an excellent folk remedy for lice. For treatment, it is necessary to squeeze the juice from 1-2 handfuls of berries, mix it with a teaspoon of honey and rub it into the hair roots. The juice kills the live lice and reduces the number of larvae hatching from the nits.
It is worth saying that the treatment of lice with folk remedies will not always be productive enough. This is due to the fact that none of these agents can fully affect the nits, but destroys mainly only adults.
To obtain a reliable result, the destruction of lice should be carried out in two stages with a break of a week. At the same time, during the first persecution, adult insects and larvae are destroyed, and during the second, young larvae hatched from surviving nits.
Folk recipes have proven themselves well as prophylactic against lice. Essential oil of geranium or tea tree, as well as a decoction of burdock, when applied to the hair, repel lice and reduce the risk of infestation in crowded places. We can say that as a preventive measure, folk remedies for lice are more convenient and easier to use than many artificial drugs.
Unsuccessfully fighting lice? Please note the important points...
Useful video: how to properly rid a child of lice and nits
Why add honey to cranberries?
Veronika Zhurenko, 15 years old. In 2011, while treating her head with kerosene (to get rid of lice), her hair caught fire. She has undergone 3 facial skin grafts.
Do not use kerosene to fight lice, medicines will be much cheaper.
It's true, why write such advice in an article if it can be dangerous to health? It seems to me that all these folk methods are a waste of time. And pediculosis must be fought immediately so that this rubbish does not breed. As soon as I noticed lice in a child, I immediately turned to professionals. Left a request to call a specialist at home. Why be smart about something if there are specially trained people to remove parasites)
I tried everything, and kerosene also. You dilute, you rub. How will the oven - it's time to wash off.
How much does it cost to call a specialist?
5000 rub.
We were helped by medicine for bathing animals.
My daughter has lice! Which way is more efficient?
It is best to buy Pedilin shampoo at the pharmacy ... It is available without a prescription, and it is quite inexpensive.
Does he help?
What is more efficient?
Nothing helps us, tell me, right for sure. It's just that hope is lost.
Kerosene
Hello! How long to wait after hair treatment with kerosene?
Nyuda - shampoo.
Yes Yes.
The school said shampoo and vinegar, I tried, but nothing helped.What else can be brought out? Spent the night with a friend called.
Sand is the culprit in the appearance of your ... Do not pour sand on your head. Do not lie without a headdress on the sand, and if this happens, then rinse with shampoo immediately, after combing the sand from your head with a comb.
Maybe your friend is here and nothing to do with it. Good luck.
A good tool is dust soap!
Found nits in a child! Tell me, please, what to do?
Can be removed with hair dye.
When my daughter went to the garden, there were nits 4 times. I didn't see the lice themselves. Do they lay eggs and that's it? By the way, Para Plus brought them out.
It is very difficult to remove lice. I tried everything, a couple plus is not the same as it was before. The vinegar didn't help. What to do?
There is no way we can get rid of these creatures. They tried everything, except for kerosene, because it is very dangerous. We decided to try burdock oil. Then we'll tell you the result.
There are a lot of drugs for lice in the pharmacy, but in cases where it was simply not possible to purchase shampoos for head lice, we were saved by drops from fleas ... In ampoules, for cats. They are applied only to the roots and scalp, pointwise, it is not necessary to smear all over the head. And there is no wild smell, they are washed off without problems after a couple of hours ... You can keep it longer.
Kerosene is very painful to treat against lice, it bakes the head for two hours, and after 5 weeks the skin will peel off a lot. But vinegar and salt help, but where can I get this comb from you.
It is sold in any pharmacy
And what, 9% or 40%?
I always take these creatures out with kerosene. 30 minutes, and that's it, the question is settled.But you need to repeat in a week ... The main thing is not to approach the fire 🙂
I have lice, what do you advise me to do? Soon studies, but nothing helps: neither vinegar, nor preparations such as Lavinal, Para plus, etc. What to do, help plzz
First, a remedy from a pharmacy, they combed it out with a special comb, prayed abundantly with hair balm, and finally dyed it with paint in the color of their hair - that's for sure. Summer passed, school began and again brought home head friends ...
Where to get dust soap?
At the pharmacy
We were not helped by a remedy from a pharmacy, and quite expensive. Then we bought the Bars animal bathing agent at the veterinary store, it helps the first time ... Now we keep it at home all the time, otherwise the boy got into the habit of bringing these creatures home from the kindergarten ((
Does it really help?
But Para Plus didn’t help us, and they don’t care about dust soap. How to remove nits?
Rub with vodka or alcohol (if alcohol, then 15-20 minutes, and if vodka, then at least an hour, maybe two hours). Washed off, washed with shampoo and balm, and comb out the nits from wet hair with a comb.