How To Get Rid of Lice Easily

Head lice treatment can be straight forward. Follow the instructions below to learn how to get rid of lice.

The two preferred head lice treatment options available for treating head lice are the ‘conditioner and comb’ method and the use of an insecticide.

Using insecticide products for head lice treatment
Any head lice treatment product you choose should carry a Registered or Listed number.

If you use lotions, apply the cream to dry hair. For shampoos, wet the hair, but use the least amount of water where possible.

Head Lice - Pictures of Head Lice

Head lice live in the hair and they travel to the scalp to feed. Therefore, head lice products must be applied to all parts of the hair, including the scalp.

Care should be taken when using these products:

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
• In children less than 12 months old
• In people who have allergies, open wounds on the scalp, or suffer from asthma.

All products can cause reactions. If you are unsure, check with your chemist or doctor prior to using it

Insecticide resistance is both complex and common, so you need to check that the lice are dead completely. If the insecticide worked, the head lice will be dead within 20 minutes. If the head lice are not dead, the head lice treatment using insecticide has not worked and the head lice are resistant to the product and all products containing the same active compound.

You should go find a product that has different active compound or speak to your chemist or

Head Lice - Lice Comb

doctor. No head lice treatment kills 100 per cent of the eggs, so treatment must involve two applications, each seven days apart.

The conditioner and comb method for head lice treatment
If you choose not to use an insecticide, the comb and conditioner method described under ‘Finding head lice’ can be used every second day until no live head lice have been found for 10 days.

Head lice combs with long rounded stainless steel teeth, positioned very close together, are the most effective to treating head lice. However, any head lice comb can be used though.

Unfortunately, there is no product available that prevents head lice. However, tying long hair back and checking weekly for head lice, using the conditioner and comb method, can help prevent the spread.

Things to remember:

• Head lice have been around for thousands of years and anyone can get them.
• Using the conditioner and comb method once each week will help your family control head lice.
• Head lice do not carry disease.