Parents are reportedly turning to DIY treatments such as garlic and mayonnaise to try and get rid of their children’s nits, according to a new survey.
Head lice treatment provider Hedrin surveyed 1,000 parents and found three in four don’t know how to properly treat the issue.
It revealed one in 25 parents had used hair straighteners to try and burn the lice, while one in three opted for drastic measures like cutting or shaving their hair.
Meanwhile, around 3% have used garlic oil to treat the nits and one in 50 have even tried rubbing mayonnaise onto their child’s head.
Do any of these treatments actually work? The answer is a resounding no.
There are ways to get rid of nits at home – but they don’t involve mayonnaise.
One way is through wet combing, which is exactly as the name suggests. Wash your child’s hair with normal shampoo and apply lots of conditioner – then leave it in.
Comb the hair from the roots to the ends with a nit comb. Shamir Patel, founder of Chemist 4 U, tells HuffPost UK the conditioner makes it hard for the lice to move, and traps them in the teeth of the comb. “The conditioner also detangles hair, making combing easier,” he says.
It should take roughly 10 minutes to thoroughly comb short hair, and 20 to 30 minutes for long, frizzy or curly hair, states the NHS Choices website. You should repeat the wet combing on days one, five, nine and 13 to catch any newly-hatched head lice. On day 17, hair should be completely free of lice.
“Conditioner makes it hard for the lice to move, and traps them in the teeth of the comb.”
- Shamir Patel, a pharmacist from Chemist 4 U
This is the only DIY treatment Patel would recommend – and he suggests you could also try adding the conditioner onto dry hair, then combing.
If your child still has lice after repeated combing, ask your local pharmacist for advice. They may suggest trying a medicated lotion or spray, which should kill head lice within a day – although hair will still need to be combed through to get rid of any dead lice and eggs.
However, steer clear of products containing permethrin, head lice “repellents”, electric combs for head lice, and tree and plant oil treatments such as tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and lavender oil, states NHS Choices. These products are “not recommended, because they’re unlikely to work”.
For more information on treating head lice, visit the NHS Choices page here.