Go Ad-Free
logoThe People's Perspective on Medicine

Natural Alternatives for Treating Lice

Q. Friends have called in a panic about treating lice. Their six-year-old daughter brought them home from school.
When I was a girl my parents used kerosene, but I hated it. These folks are reluctant to use insecticide on their little girl, so I hope you can tell us some natural ways to get rid of lice.

A. Kerosene is an old-fashioned home remedy that is far too risky. Don’t use it!
A lice expert confided to us that alcohol is effective for overcoming lice. It is found in HairClean 1-2-3, along with coconut oil, anise oil and ylang ylang oil. Clinical tests have found this product effective even against lice that have developed resistance to standard treatments.
Listerine mouthwash, which also contains alcohol, has been recommended by readers. It can be massaged into the scalp, left on for 15 minutes and then washed out. Listerine also contains essential oils from herbs including eucalyptol, thymol, methyl salicylate and menthol. There are no scientific studies testing Listerine against lice, however.
No matter which lice product your friends use, they will get better results if they remove the nits with a fine tooth comb. Such nit combs range from a few dollars up to vibrating electronic versions for around $50.
Here are some links to ways visitors to this website have dealt with lice without resorting to something as dangerous as kerosene.
• Link 1
• Link 2
• Link 3

Rate this article
star-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-empty
5- 2 ratings
About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
Tired of the ads on our website?

Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements.

Browse our website ad-free
Join over 150,000 Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy

We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.