Alright, were finally at the point where were going to start getting rid of these little pests! Below is a list of items to purchase depending upon the method you have chosen. Thankfully the shopping list is short and sweet.
Some of the items like the 100% Dimethicone oil is hard to find locally, but if you can find the items nearby that would be ideal (I actually tried talking to pharmacies like CVS to see if they stocked it, and the pharmacist didn’t even know what it was. After showing her the studies of its use for treating head lice, she was definitely interested).
*Full disclosure, that by clicking through the links on this page I do earn a tiny percentage of the purchase from amazon. It doesn’t cost you anything more as I get paid by amazon, and it helps me maintain this site!
Method 1: (Nuke ’em)
- Stainless steel nit comb
- Hair dryer (any that outputs ~130 °F will do)
- 100% Dimethicone oil
- Shower Cap
- Dressing Comb
- Baking Soda (optional)
Method 2: (drown ’em)
- Stainless steel nit comb
- Baby oil or Mineral oil
- 100% Dimethicone oil
- Shower Cap
- Dressing Comb
- Baking Soda (optional)
Explanation of Materials
Stainless steel nit comb – There are many nit combs out in the market, but we found that most of them don’t work very well (flimsy, too wide a gap between the teeth, don’t remove nits well). Do not buy a plastic comb, and get one with fine gaps between the rigid but somewhat flexible teeth. I’ve linked to a nit comb that worked well for us and gave us great results. It also happens to be the nit comb used in professional lice removal boutiques.
Nit combs work by physically removing the nit and head lice. The problem is that its effective use depends on the technique and thoroughness of the user. Being that we had never done this before, its effectiveness was probably about 60%. I view nit combs as primarily a cleanup tool to get lice crud out of the hair, and as another front for which we can assault the lice infestation.
Hair dryer – Head lice and nits will dessicate and die after prolonged exposure to temperatures of 122 – 130 °F (closer to 130 the better °F) (See Study).
You will want to use a hair dryer (it doesn’t need to be expensive) that can output hot air that is 130 °F or slightly higher for a faster procedure (the one I linked to was found at target.com at the time for $14.99, and has adjustable heat settings). Using a hair dryer with the correct technique is important as just blowing hot air on hair laying flat against the head is not effective – hair has great insulating properties (*tests were done with hair dryer bonnets and found they were ineffective against killing head lice). You’ll need to get hot air under the top layers of hair and deep down near the scalp to where the head louse lives and lays its nits.
One must hold a section of hair up and away from the head with a clip and direct the hair dryer output air towards the roots of the hair (where the nits are) at the temperature indicated for a duration of 1 minute.
100% Dimethicone oil (200 to 350 centistokes viscosity)- The STAR of the show. Dimethicone oil is a silicone based oil used in cosmetics which has been studied to be a safe and HIGHLY effective treatment for head louse removal (See Study). Dimethicone oil is safe, non-toxic, and has ovicidal properties which kills the louse nit effectively (See Study), and suffocates the live louse quickly. It is also suggested Dimethicone oil blocks the head louse spiracles (the holes through which they breathe and excrete water) which inhibits water excretion and in turn causes their gut to explode (See Study). What a happy thought!
A 12oz bottle has enough oil for a family of five (two girls with long hair, a boy with short hair, a man with short hair, and a woman with long hair – with some left to spare). Ask me how I know 🙂
Baby oil or Mineral oil – While not as fast acting or effective as Dimethicone oil (it does NOT have egg killing ovicidal properties), baby oil is inexpensive and readily available at local stores and is effective for suffocating live head lice, it just takes a long time. An application duration of 8 hours is required but will drown the live head lice and leave just the nits.
Shower cap – Used after treatment to keep things clean and tidy
Dressing Comb – Extremely useful during the application of Dimethicone oil. You probably have one laying around already. If not, borrow one from your homebody gamer friend.
Baking Soda (optional)- Baking soda is used to help de-tangle hair so the nit combing procedure goes as smooth as silk. Safe and non-toxic.