Head lice are ectoparasites that infest the scalp and damage the roots of the hair and get easily transferred from one person to another. They weaken the hair roots and may cause significant hair loss. The problem is especially common in children.
The most effective way of preventing head lice is to maintain good personal hygiene my shampooing and conditioning your hair regularly. Close contact with persons already suffering from the problem should also be avoided. You may follow a few simple home remedies to get rid of lice. Extract the juice of an onion by grating and crushing it, and apply it on the scalp, using your fingertips to massage the roots of your hair with this juice. You should wait for a few hours before washing your hair after the application. The sulfur present in onion juice destroys lice and prevents scalp infections. In order to completely destroy the eggs of the lice, you should follow this remedy for three days in a row. Another effective natural remedy is to grind a raw custard apple to paste using a blender and apply the pulp all over your scalp and hair. Put on a shower cap to allow the paste to settle completely into the scalp. After an hour or so, rinse your hair thoroughly with water. This will get rid of the lice and nits completely. You should also massage your scalp vigorously with small pieces of an apple every day for half an hour. This will get rid of lice in about a week. Also, before going to bed every night, grind a few cloves of garlic with some fresh lemon juice and smear this paste on the scalp. Leave it on overnight and wash your hair the next morning. The strong chemicals present in the juice of garlic act as natural disinfecting agents and kill lice. Alternatively, you may also add a teaspoon of camphor to some coconut oil and massage the roots of hair with this solution before retiring to bed at night. This destroys head lice and soothes the inflamed scalp. You may also mix one part of vinegar and three parts of distilled water and dab your hair and scalp with a wad of cotton wool soaked in this solution. Wait for at least half an hour after application and then wash your hair. This prevents infections on the scalp and gets rid of head lice.
answered by G M