No, not in the way the advice promises. The CDC says there is no scientific evidence that suffocating head lice with mayonnaise, olive oil, margarine, butter or similar substances is an effective form of treatment, and the AAP says not to use home remedies such as petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, tub margarine, essential oils or olive oil, because no studies prove they work. The one non-chemical step both groups describe is combing, and the AAP says combing usually does not work on its own.
Head lice are a nuisance rather than a danger. The AAP says they do not cause serious illness or carry any diseases, and the CDC says head lice do not transmit any disease and are not considered a health hazard. The AAP’s advice is to work quickly but safely, and the guidance starts in the same place every time: be sure there are live lice.
Does Vinegar Kill Lice, and Does It Loosen Nits?
Vinegar is not a treatment for head lice. The CDC lists the active ingredients in the over-the-counter products the FDA has approved for head lice, and no form of vinegar is among them, so white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the same proposition in two different bottles. Neither the CDC’s nor the AAP’s head lice guidance names vinegar as something that kills a louse or an egg, or as a rinse that loosens nits.
What the AAP does say about nits is that they attach to the hair with a sticky substance that holds them firmly in place. That is also the test for telling a nit from dandruff, dirt or a hair spray droplet: the nit stays put, the flake does not. Getting nits off is mechanical work. The CDC and the AAP both describe a fine-toothed nit comb worked through wet hair in small sections, with the comb wiped on a wet paper towel after each pass so you can see what came out. Vinegar stirred into mayonnaise stacks one unproven remedy on another, and the mayonnaise method has the same evidence problem by itself.
Where a nit sits tells you more than any rinse. The CDC says nits attached more than a quarter inch from the base of the hair shaft are almost always hatched or dead, and that if no nymphs or adults turn up and the only nits are farther out than that, the infestation is probably old and does not need treatment. The AAP puts live eggs within 4 to 6 mm of the scalp.
Which Home Remedies Do the CDC and the AAP Warn Against?
A few of the remedies that circulate are not merely unproven; the guidance calls them dangerous. Here is what the CDC, the AAP and MedlinePlus say, remedy by remedy.
| Home remedy | What the CDC, the AAP or MedlinePlus says |
|---|---|
| Mayonnaise, olive oil, margarine or butter | The CDC finds no scientific evidence that suffocating lice with these or similar substances is effective. MedlinePlus says there is no clear scientific evidence that lice can be suffocated by home remedies. |
| Petroleum jelly or essential oils | The AAP says do not use them, because no studies prove they work. |
| Gasoline, kerosene or medicines made for animals | The AAP says never use them. They are flammable and carry substantial risk. |
| A plastic bag or wrap on the head | The AAP says never place a plastic bag on a child’s head, and that it is dangerous to place anything made of plastic there. |
| Pesticide sprays, foggers or fumigants | The CDC says do not use fumigant sprays or fogs: they are not necessary and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin. The AAP says do not spray pesticides in your home. |
| Vinegar, in any form | It appears nowhere in the CDC’s or the AAP’s head lice treatment guidance. |
Coconut oil is not named on those lists, though the CDC’s sentence ends with the words “or similar substances.” Whether coconut oil kills head lice deserves its own answer, and so does the plastic bag method, which runs into the AAP’s safety instruction before anyone reaches the question of whether it works. The CDC’s clinical guidance adds a blunt line of its own: do not smoke or use electrical heat sources, including hair dryers, curlers, and curling or flat irons, while a flammable lice lotion is on wet hair. Whether a blow dryer or flat iron does anything to lice on its own is a separate question. Natural head lice treatment options takes the non-chemical ideas one at a time.
So What Does the Guidance Say Works?
Medicine, used exactly as its label says, with your child’s doctor in the loop. The AAP’s sentence is short: the most effective way to treat head lice is with head lice medicine. The CDC says both prescription and over-the-counter medications treat head lice infestations, and that they are generally safe and effective when used correctly. Both put a step in front of that. The AAP says check with your child’s doctor before beginning any head lice treatment, and the CDC says consult your healthcare provider before treating young children.
The schedule belongs to the eggs. The CDC says some medicines kill lice and eggs, so retreatment is usually not required for those, while other medicines kill lice but are not effective at killing eggs, which means treating again about a week after the first treatment, 7 to 9 days depending on the drug, after all nits have hatched but before new eggs are produced. The AAP notes that over-the-counter treatments sometimes are not the most effective and that head lice can be resistant to their active ingredients in some communities, with the likelihood varying across the country. That is the question behind whether a drugstore lice shampoo kills the eggs.
Treatment is a household job and an adult’s job. The CDC says to check all household members and close contacts, and to treat everyone infested, plus anyone they share a bed with, at the same time. The AAP says an adult applies the medicine, never a child, and that a child should not be left alone with it in his or her hair. The CDC says to keep lice medications out of the eyes and not to use two different lice drugs at once unless a provider or pharmacist says to.
What If Oil, Vinegar or Conditioner Is Already on the Hair?
Stop layering, and tell your child’s doctor or pharmacist what is already on the hair. The CDC’s list of reasons a head lice treatment fails begins with misdiagnosis and with recent application of combination shampoo/conditioner or conditioner to hair, then not following treatment instructions, lice resisting the medication, and reinfestation after successful treatment. Its directions say not to use a combination shampoo/conditioner, or conditioner, before using lice medicine, and not to re-wash the hair for 1 to 2 days after the medicine comes out. The AAP says not to shampoo for 24 to 48 hours afterward.
If two or three rounds have already happened, the AAP’s answer is a phone call rather than a fourth bottle: check with your child’s doctor before beginning a second or third medicine, and ask the doctor if the treatments you have tried have not gotten rid of lice. MedlinePlus says to use only one product at a time unless your health care provider tells you to use two different kinds at once. The AAP notes that parents sometimes treat their children with over-the-counter treatments up to 5 times before seeking help from their pediatrician.
That is also the point where handing the job over saves a week of guessing. Lice Lifters treatment is non-toxic and safe for children, and it happens in one same-day visit; you can find a Lice Lifters clinic near you and say exactly what has gone on the hair already.
What Lowers the Risk of Lice Coming Back?
Contact habits and shared items, not a product applied to the hair. The CDC says head lice spread mainly by direct contact with the hair of a person who has them, that lice move by crawling and cannot hop or fly, and that getting head lice is not related to cleanliness of you or your environment. Its prevention list is behavioral: avoid head-to-head contact during play and other activities, including slumber parties and camp; do not share hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms or hair accessories; do not share combs, brushes or towels; and do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person. Nothing in it is a repellent, which is the honest answer to the search for a natural one. The AAP adds that regular checks are a good way to spot head lice before they have time to multiply.
For the house, the bar is lower than the internet suggests. The CDC says to machine wash and dry the clothing, towels and bed linens used in the two days before treatment, on the hot water cycle at 130 degrees Fahrenheit with high heat drying; to seal what cannot be washed or dry cleaned in a plastic bag for two weeks; to soak combs and brushes in hot water of at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 10 minutes; and to vacuum where the person sat or lay. Then stop. The CDC says spending much time and money on housecleaning is not necessary to avoid reinfestation, that lice die within two days if they fall off a person and cannot feed, and that the risk from a louse on a rug, carpet or furniture is very small. Animals do not get or spread head lice, and chlorine levels in pool water do not kill them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does white vinegar work any better than apple cider vinegar?
Neither is a lice treatment, so the choice between them changes nothing. Better to spend that energy confirming what you see: the CDC says misdiagnosis of head lice infestation is common and that nits get confused with dandruff, hair spray droplets and dirt particles. The AAP says lice medicine should be used only when it is certain a child has living head lice.
What kills lice and eggs instantly?
Nothing in the CDC’s guidance works instantly, because it takes time to kill all the lice. A few lice still moving slowly 8 to 12 hours after treatment is not a reason to reapply the medicine. If no dead lice turn up, or the lice seem as active as before, the CDC says the medicine may not be working and to talk with a provider.
Can combing alone get rid of head lice?
The AAP says the comb-out method usually does not work on its own. It is still the method both the CDC and the AAP give for checking and for clearing nits afterward: seat the child in a brightly lit room, part the hair in very small sections, and repeat every 2 to 3 days for 2 to 3 weeks until nothing turns up.
Do all the nits have to come out for the treatment to count?
Not in every case. The CDC says nits may stay in the hair after treatment but successful treatment will kill crawling lice, and the AAP notes that some prescription products do not call for nit combing. The CDC also says to treat again only if live, crawling lice are present several days after treatment.
Is it safe to leave an oil remedy on overnight under a cap?
The covering is the hazard, whatever is under it. The AAP says never place a plastic bag on a child’s head and that it is dangerous to place anything made of plastic there. The CDC, the AAP and MedlinePlus describe no overnight home remedy at all, so ask your child’s doctor before trying one.
Why does my child still itch after the lice are gone?
Itching can outlast the lice. The AAP says itching caused by head lice can last for weeks, even after the lice are gone, and the CDC says the itching is an allergic reaction to louse bites that may take four to six weeks to appear the first time. Scratching can leave sores that become infected with bacteria normally found on the skin.
Does the CDC’s head lice guidance cover lice found elsewhere on the body?
Not past the head. The CDC’s head lice pages cover Pediculus humanus capitis, parasitic insects that feed on human blood and usually live on the scalp, plus the eyebrows and eyelashes. Lice elsewhere on the body fall outside that guidance, and the CDC’s advice when you are not sure what you are seeing is to see your healthcare provider.
Find a Lice Lifters Clinic
If you would rather not run the experiment at all, start with a clinic instead of the pantry. Lice Lifters treatment is non-toxic, safe for all ages and built on our enzyme-based solution, it takes one same-day visit, and our 30 Day Guarantee applies when the whole family is checked. Find a Lice Lifters clinic near you and bring your questions about the remedies you have been reading about.
