Head Louse - Treatment

Treatment

There are many chemical and pesticide treatments available that aim to kill the louse, however except for hot air these often do not affect the eggs (nits). Wet combing is one of the most effective treatments, but persistence is required due to the life cycle of the louse, and it's recommended combing once every 3-7 days.

Another treatment is the "LouseBuster" machine which uses controlled, heated air to effectively dehydrate the lice and their eggs. Applying a blow dryer with proper technique works just as well on eggs, but not as well on hatched lice.

After treatment, patients are often instructed to wash all bedding and vacuum all areas the head may have been such as car seats, coat hoods and sofas, but this is not actually necessary since adult lice will die within 2 days without a blood meal, and newly hatched lice die within minutes of hatching. Combs and brushes may be deloused in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.

Tea Tree Oil is one of the few natural ingredients that have been proven to be effective in laboratory tests. Other home remedies such as putting vinegar, isopropyl alcohol, olive oil, mayonnaise, or melted butter under a shower cap have been disproven. Similarly, the CDC claims that swimming has no effect on treating lice, and can in fact harm the treatment by commercial products.