How to Get Rid of Super Lice

Lice infestations are becoming more difficult to treat because of the emergence of super lice. Super lice are lice that are resistant to the common chemical, over-the-counter treatments. Since these lice have mutated to not be affected by commercial treatments, some families find that they can be harder to get rid of. However, by carefully combing through the hair with a nit comb, you can get rid of the lice and nits for good.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Dealing With Lice Infestations

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    Call the doctor. If your child gets lice, you should call your doctor to find out if the type of lice is regular lice or super lice. If the lice is a resistant strain, your doctor may prescribe a prescription drug or an alternative remedy.[1]
    • If your area is not affected by super lice, you can use an OTC product to get rid of the lice.
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    Wash all linens. If your child has lice, you should wash all the sheets, towels, blankets, and clothes that may have had contact with your child’s hair. This helps remove any bugs or eggs so they don’t reinfect your child.[2]
    • Wash the linens in hot water. This can help kill the eggs and bugs.
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    Vacuum upholstery and floors. In addition to washing the linens, you should vacuum all surfaces. This includes carpet, rugs, furniture, car seats, and pillows you can wash. This helps remove any bugs that have fallen off your child’s head.[3]
    • Vacuuming can also remove any eggs that have stuck to surfaces.
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    Take your child to a lice salon. If you can’t get rid of the lice, or you don’t have time to comb through your child’s hair, you can take your child to a lice salon. These are establishments where someone will comb through your child’s hair for you. They may also use heat to kill the bugs and eggs.[4]
    • These salons may be expensive and not available in all areas.
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    Check your child’s hair once a week. Catching the infestation of lice at the beginning is one of the best ways to get rid of it. This helps you stop more eggs from hatching before they get too bad. Check your child’s hair once a week for signs of eggs or lice.[5]
    • Use a metal comb that is fine-toothed. The space between the teeth of the comb should be small enough to pull out the tiny eggs or bugs in the child’s hair.
    • Separate your hair into small sections. This helps you get a good look at your child’s scalp and hair in case they only have a few nits or eggs.
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    Encourage your child not to share belongings. Your child catches lice from other children who have lice or eggs in their hair. Teach your child not to share anything that touches the head, like combs, brushes, hair accessories, hats, helmets, or anything else.[6]
    • Use caution when placing head items, like hats, helmets, or scarves, in communal spaces. If you leave your hat in a closet, drawer, coat check, or hat rack at a party, you may put you and your child at risk for lice.
    • Tell your children to use caution when playing. Touching other children’s hair and putting their head to another child’s head can transfer lice.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Choosing a Natural Product to Get Rid of Resistant Lice

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    Rinse the hair with apple cider vinegar. You can rinse your child’s hair with apple cider vinegar before placing an oil, like olive or coconut, on it. The apple cider vinegar can help loosen the eggs from the hair shaft. This helps them come off with the comb.[7]
    • You will need to put an oil or other substance on the hair, but let the hair dry first. The oil will then attach to the eggs and bugs, smothering them and helping them come out of the hair easier.
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    Use a heavy conditioner. One thing that you can use to help remove nits and bugs is a heavy or thick conditioner. The thick conditioner will help keep the bugs from moving and smother them and the eggs.[8]
    • Try brands like Pantene or Tresemme. Test the consistency of the conditioner before you use it because a thin conditioner won’t be thick enough to help pick up the bugs or eggs.
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    Try an oil. Some cooking oils, such as olive or coconut oil, can be used to help get rid of lice. Olive or coconut oil can kill the bugs and eggs. The oil can also stick to the eggs or bugs and help them end up between the teeth of the comb.[9]
    • Make sure to saturate the hair completely with oil.
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    Try essential oils. Putting essential oils on your child’s hair may help kill bugs and eggs. Tea tree, lavender, and neem oil have been shown to kill lice.[10] [11] Mix the shampoo with the essential oils, and let the shampoo sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then comb with the fine-toothed comb.[12]
    • Try mixing 20 drops of tea tree oil and a few drops of lavender oil into your child’s shampoo.
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    Let the oil sit on the hair for hours. For the oil to suffocate the bugs, you need to leave the olive or coconut oil on the hair for at least eight hours. Cover your child’s hair in oil and then cover it with a shower cap.[13]
    • You should do this during the day. Putting a plastic shower cap or bag over your child’s hair while they sleep can lead to suffocation.
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    Use OTC and prescription drugs. Some of the topical drugs used for lice treatments have become powerless because of the emergence of resistant lice. However, for several drugs resistance has not been reported, or at least not widely reported yet. These include:
    • Ivermectin 0.5% lotion
    • Benzyl alcohol 5% lotion
    • Spinosad 0.9% topical suspension
    • Malathion lotion 0.5% (resistance reported in the UK only)
    • Oral Ivermectin tablets are sometimes recommended for severe lice infestations, but this is not an FDA approved treatment.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Combing Through the Hair

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    Place the hair in sections. After you saturate the hair with whatever liquid you are going to use, you need to section the hair. Start by putting the hair in four to eight separate sections with clips. The sections should be small enough that you can easily comb through them with your comb at once.[14]
    • Later, you will put these sections into smaller ones when you comb through them.
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    Keep the sections separate. Make sure to keep these sections separate through the whole process. You will go through each section of hair methodically, so try not to contaminate a clean section by combining it or touching it to a section you haven’t gone through.[15]
    • Consider going along one side of the head first and then the next.
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    Comb through the hair methodically. Start with the top section first. Using your fine-toothed comb, comb through every inch of the hair. Go from the scalp to the ends. You will see eggs and bugs in the teeth of the combs as you go through the sections of hair.[16]
    • You should comb through each part of the hair. Comb over the top of the hair, then under it, then the right side and the left.
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    Clean the comb while you clean. While you comb through the hair, nits and bugs will end up in the teeth of the comb. You need to make sure to clean the comb after every few runs through the hair. This removes any eggs or bugs so they don’t get back onto the hair.[17]
    • Wipe the comb on paper towels to dislodge the eggs and lice.
    • Rinse the comb with hot water to remove any oil or residue from the comb.
    • After you finish combing through the hair, put the paper towel in a sealed bag and dispose of it. You can kill any eggs on the comb by placing the comb in a sealed bag and placing it in the freezer until you need it again.
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    Wash the hair with dish soap. After you have combed through the hair, rinse the oil or conditioner from the hair. Then, the hair should be washed with dish soap, then rinse out the dish soap. Comb through hair again.[18]
    • Combing through the hair again will help get any left over eggs or bugs, or any eggs that have been loosened by washing.
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    Repeat the process every few days. The best way to get rid of lice is to get rid of every bug and nit on your child’s head. To achieve this, repeat the combing process with the oil or conditioner every two or three days. This helps remove any nits that have been laid or bugs that have hatched since the last time.[19]
    • Most of your efforts should be focused on combing out your child’s hair. This is where you will eliminate the bugs.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/what-to-know-about-super-lice
  2. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20021627
  3. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20021627
  4. ↑ http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-ways-to-fight-super-lice-1473701572
  5. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html
  6. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html
  7. ↑ http://www.mommypotamus.com/natural-remedies-lice/
  8. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225143941.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.mommypotamus.com/natural-remedies-lice/
  1. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933647/
  2. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21484346
  3. ↑ http://www.mommypotamus.com/natural-remedies-lice/
  4. ↑ http://www.mommypotamus.com/natural-remedies-lice/
  5. ↑ https://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/ADS%20-%20LICE%20-%20How%20to%20Comb%20Hair%20to%20Remove%20Nits.pdf
  6. ↑ https://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/ADS%20-%20LICE%20-%20How%20to%20Comb%20Hair%20to%20Remove%20Nits.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20021627
  8. ↑ https://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/ADS%20-%20LICE%20-%20How%20to%20Comb%20Hair%20to%20Remove%20Nits.pdf
  9. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140225143941.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20021627

About This Article

Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Medically reviewed by:
Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner
This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006. This article has been viewed 52,802 times.
22 votes - 77%
Co-authors: 6
Updated: August 8, 2021
Views: 52,802
Categories: Head Lice Treatments
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