Are you desperate to learn how to get rid of lice naturally in one day? How to get rid of hair lice naturally and effectively is something many parents want to know how to achieve.

There are a number of natural remedies you can use to potentially rid your hair of head lice.

Head lice can be upsetting for children, parents and teachers but it is important to remember head lice are not an indicator of bad hygiene, they are something nearly every family will go through and finding an effective treatment that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals is where some people would like to start.

Lice are super itchy, irritating and can spread between family members very quickly. It is therefore important to get rid of them in a timely fashion. Getting rid of lice naturally in one day is possible with the right natural treatment.

However, lice eggs can live in the hair for up to 10 days and reapplying your lice treatment will be necessary to get entirely rid of them.

The chemicals found in head lice treatments are approved for use but this doesn’t mean they aren’t toxic and can be harsh on the scalp. Lice are becoming increasingly resistant to chemical treatments with chemical lice treatments sometimes take up to several days to several weeks to work.

Natural lice treatments are safe, have none of the toxic chemicals and can be effective. However, there is little clinical evidence to support this. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support it.

In this article, I run you through all you will want to know about head lice, answering questions like how to rid of lice naturally, different ways to get rid of lice naturally, how to get rid of lice eggs naturally and more to help you have a lice-free family!

Table of Contents

What Are Head Lice?

Head lice, also known as nits, are tiny little bugs with no wings. They are around the size of a sesame seed, and they feed on tiny amounts of human blood by biting the scalp. It sounds painful but head lice are not actually known to cause pain. They are, however, itchy and can transfer easily from person to person via the hair.

Head lice have a life span of 30 days and an adult female louse can lay up to 6 eggs per day. The eggs the female louse lays are attached to the shaft of the hair strand with a glue like substance.

Head lice are common in children attending school, and it is something nearly all parents will have to deal with. Head lice are attracted to clean hair. It is not indicative of poor hygiene or unclean environments. They also do not carry infectious diseases.

Lice can also be seen in adults. However, it isn’t as common, partly because children spend a lot more time closer to one another and partly because adults use so much heat and products in our hair that head lice are not attracted to.

There are several ways to get rid of head lice with many over the counter shampoos available to rid your hair of lice. Many of these treatments contain toxic chemicals, and with lice becoming more resistant to these chemicals, many are searching for safer natural treatments.

How Do You Get Head Lice?

Head lice do not come out of nowhere. You can only get them if you had direct contact with a person with head lice or something someone with head lice had been using.

Head lice infestations most often affect school aged children which is the result of plenty of contact with other kids – and their hair. Head lice come from physical contact from one infected person to the hair of another.

Head lice are not the result of living in unclean conditions or of poor hygiene, and they do not carry viral or bacterial diseases. Head lice are attracted to clean hair that is product free. Their feet have adapted to better grip the hair of humans and they are continuously becoming more resistant to chemical treatments.

How Do You Kill Head Lice?

How to get rid of head lice at home fast? The best place to start is with an extremely fine tooth comb specifically for combing head lice. These combs are a great way to quickly diagnose and effectively remove head lice and their eggs.

Wet combing the hair, in particular, is tedious but very helpful in removing lice and their eggs. However, getting all of them with a comb alone can be difficult.

Other options when wondering how to get rid of head lice at home are vinegar washes, essential oils washed through the hair, etc.

What’s The Problem With Chemical Lice Shampoos?

Chemical lice shampoos contain ingredients like pyrethrins and pyrethroids which can be linked with a number of unwanted long term effects. One off uses of these shampoos is likely not going to cause problems. However, head lice are becoming increasingly resistant to these chemical treatments and so additional treatments are nearly always necessary.

Research has linked chemicals like pyrethroids and pyrethrins to increased levels of estrogen, hyperactivity and additional disorders. These chemicals are often found in products like fly spray and household cleaning products.

If you are desperate to quickly learn how to get rid of lice in the home, chemical lice shampoos can be effective at quickly killing live lice. You will need to keep reapplying it to kill the additional lice that will continue hatching up to 10 days after.

Can Home Remedies Kill Lice?

Yes, home remedies can kill lice effectively. Whether you are looking to choose natural remedies or chemical shampoos, you will most likely need to apply them regularly for up to 10 days after initially killing the live head lice.

When looking at how to get rid of lice from home, you can effectively treat head lice naturally and here is how.

How To Get Rid Of Lice Naturally In One Day

Lice Combing

A fine toothed lice comb is one of the best options when looking for how to rid lice naturally. However, this will need to be done in conjunction with the other treatments given below to ensure effectiveness. It doesn’t matter what kind of lice removal product you’re using, you will need to use a fine toothed metal comb to rid the hair of the lice and their eggs.

How to get rid of lice eggs at home? Wet lice combing is a great option for those looking to use the least amount of products in the hair and still removing the active lice and their eggs.

Wet lice combing is a tedious and meticulous job, but it is the best way to ensure you are completely ridding the hair of any lice and their eggs. Unfortunately, lice eggs have the ability to stick to the hair very well and picking them out is often necessary.

Essential Oils

Another answer of how to get rid of lice naturally is essential oils. There are a number of essential oils that have shown some effectiveness in treating head lice. These include eucalyptus oil, clove oil, tea tree oil, neem oil, lavender oil and more.

Before you use any of these essential oils, it is important to dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut oil, or almond oil, etc. You should perform a test patch on the skin before using any essential oils to ensure you do not experience irritation.

How to get rid of lice fast home remedy recipe below:

Ingredients:

50ml Coconut Oil
3 Drops Tea Tree Oil
50ml Apple Cider Vinegar

Method

Mix your ingredients together and simply apply this directly to the scalp and hair and put a cap on, leaving the mix for 20 minutes.

Hair treatment for lice — Hair treatment

Vinegar Rinse

Vinegar is touted as being a treatment for head lice as it is believed the vinegar can help to dissolve the sticky glue that the lice eggs use to attack to hair shafts. It doesn’t hurt to perform a vinegar rinse before you plan on wet combing your hair with your fine toothed lice comb.

White vinegar is often recommended for this. You can use it diluted with water or just straight from the bottle.

Wash Clothing In Hot Water

Cleaning your entire house when a lice infestation is present is not necessary. Lice cannot jump or fly and will only survive around 24 hours without a human scalp to feed off of. Their eggs are basically glued to the hair so you are unlikely to find them around.

However, it is important to clean all items that the infected persons head has been in recent contact with. Wash things like hats, bedding, cushions, towels, etc in hot water. Items like nit combs will also need washing in hot water.

What To Do Next

Since head lice are laying eggs in the hair, getting rid of them in one day is not possible. Head lice eggs can remain unhatched for 10 days in the hair and therefore repeating the above treatments is necessary. It is usually recommended to perform the treatments when you first spot the head lice and repeat this on day 10 to ensure all lice are killed.

These treatments are time consuming and tedious and the thought of having to treat multiple children can be daunting. It’s totally worth the effort though to ensure the lice are effectively killed and the lice are not moving back and forth from person to person.

If your child has head lice and has a favourite stuffed animal to sleep with, for example, ensure you keep these items in a sealed bag for 2 weeks after initial infection.

Lastly, ensure you are doing your best to avoid head to head contact with others. If you have long hair, you should braid it or keep it in a ponytail. Do not share combs, hats or brushes.

Final Words

I hope you have enjoyed this guide regarding how to get rid of lice fast with home remedies. There are a number of natural options you can choose to treat head lice with. Give them a try for yourself.

Read about using almond oil on your hair here and shea butter on your hair here. Love the idea of an all natural washing powder? Find our recipe here. You can also find all our guides to natual living here.