Get Rid of Lice With Orange Juice

Orange juice is acidic and high in antioxidants. Research suggests lemon juice may kill head lice. [1] Orange juice may also kill lice and loosen the eggs from hair.[2] It is important to note that orange juice is an unverified treatment for lice — there are no scientific studies supporting its use, and if it doesn't work, you are just prolonging the period of infestation and discomfort. If you choose to use the orange juice method, make sure you are combining it with twice daily combing and following other recommendations to control the spread of lice.

Steps

Using Orange Juice

  1. Have your child stand over a bath, basin or bowl. If you have a kitchen sink or shower with a flexible head, then that will be ideal for this process. Wrap a towel around your child’s shoulders and either clip it or have him or her hold onto it to keep it in place. This will help prevent any orange juice from getting onto your child’s clothing.
  2. Pour orange juice over your child’s head. You will need to use 1 cup of 100% pure orange juice. Do not use orange juice from concentrate.[3] Carefully pour the orange juice over your child’s head. Massage it in with your fingertips, making certain that the orange juice covers all of your child’s hair.
    • You can use fresh-squeezed orange juice if you prefer, but make sure that you strain out the pulp. It may be easier to buy some pulp-free orange juice to minimize your work, since this process is already quite intensive.
  3. Cover your child’s head after applying the orange juice. It is important to leave the orange juice on your child’s head and allow it to work. Do not leave your child’s head uncovered because it may drip or dry and become sticky in your child’s hair. Either wrap your child’s head in a cotton towel or cover your child’s head with a plastic shower cap or a swimmer’s cap.
    • Leave the orange juice on your child’s head for 30 minutes
  4. Shampoo and rinse as usual. After 30 minutes have passed, take the towel or shower cap off of your child’s head and shampoo and rinse your child’s hair as usual. After you have shampooed and rinsed your child’s hair, you should follow up by combing with a lice comb right away. Doing so will help to remove any dead lice left in the hair as well as any eggs left on your child’s scalp.

Combing Your Child’s Hair

  1. Comb the lice out of your child’s hair every day. Use a lice comb to comb out the nits, nymphs, and adult lice in your child’s hair. Use a fine-toothed lice comb (available in most pharmacies and department stores) to comb out your child’s hair.
    • Repeat the combing process after using orange juice on your child’s hair and then comb your child’s hair again either in the morning or the evening. You will need to do this for about 3 weeks to ensure that the lice are all gone.
    • Work under a good light so you can see what you are doing. Lice try to avoid light, but the light can help you see them.
  2. Wet your child’s hair with some warm water and conditioner. Wet combing has been shown to make it easier to spot lice in a child’s hair.[4] You may want to keep a spray bottle on hand to moisten your child’s hair if it starts to dry. Using conditioner will help you comb through all the tangles. Use enough to coat the strands and the roots of your child’s hair.
    • As an alternative to conditioner, you can use olive oil. Use enough to coat your child’s hair from the roots to the ends.
  3. Divide your child’s hair into small sections. To make it easier to comb through all of your child’s hair, it may help to divide it into several smaller sections. Use hair clips to put up some of your child’s hair and then take the hair down one section at a time. Comb each section from root to ends.
    • Remember, the nits can be found near the base of the hair at the scalp and the adults will be present throughout the hair and scalp. You may find it useful to use a magnifying glass if you have trouble seeing the lice.
    • Make sure that you rinse the comb often under running hot water as you comb your child’s hair.
  4. Wash your child’s hair. Once you have completely combed your child’s hair, shampoo and rinse your child’s hair. You can repeat this process right away if you like, but you may only want to comb your child’s hair once in the morning and evening, since it is very time consuming.
  5. Make sure you wash all the towels you use and sterilize the lice comb. After you have finished combing your child’s hair, immediately soak the lice comb and wash the towels. You can soak the comb in a 10% bleach solution or 2% Lysol solution for 30 minutes and then rinse it well. Wash the towels on the hot setting with detergent and then dry on high for at least 20 minutes.[5]
    • As an alternative, you can soak the combs in vinegar for 30 minutes or boil in water for 10 minutes.

Using Other Natural Methods

  1. Try the suffocation method. Coat hair from roots to ends with some almond oil or olive oil. Cover your child’s hair a towel or shower cap and leave the oil on for at least 1-2 hours. Then, completely comb out the hair, shampoo, and rinse. Repeat this process every day for 3 weeks.
    • Before using oil, test the oil on a small area of your child’s skin to make sure your child is not sensitive to it. (Place a drop or two of the oil on your child’s forearm and wait about 30-60 minutes, then rinse off. If there is no reaction such as redness or itching, you can use that oil).
    • Vaseline and mayonnaise are not recommended by most experts because they are messy and can be difficult to wash out.
  2. Kill the lice with essential oils. There have been a number of studies showing that some natural products, including those using tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, neem oil and lavender oil can be just as effective as OTC products and prescription medications.[6][7]
    • Before you try any essential oil, put a small drop on the back of your child’s hand. It is relatively rare, but some children do have allergic reactions to essential oils. Leave the oil on for 30 minutes to an hour and rinse off. If there is no redness or itching, you can use the oil. If there is any reaction, try again with another oil.
    • Mix 2 ounces of olive or almond oil with 15-20 drops of the essential oil. Apply this mixture to the scalp and work it through the hair. Leave on overnight, these oils generally take about 12 hours to completely kill the nits (eggs), nymphs (young) and adults. Comb out and shampoo, rinse and repeat.
    • Try one of these essential oils:[8]
      • Tea Tree Oil
      • Lavender oil
      • Neem oil
      • Clove oil
      • Nutmeg oil
  3. Wash bedding and clothing. Wash all (everyone’s) bedding, clothing, hats, jackets, stuffed animals and other items that may have been exposed to the infested person during the two days before treatment. Wash these items using hot water (should be at least 130°F) and the high heat drying cycle.[9]
    • For anything that cannot be machine washed, have it dry-cleaned. Just make sure that you check first with the dry cleaner and explain that it may have lice on it, so that they can take extra precautions.
  4. Bag items that can't be washed. If you have items that cannot be washed or dry-cleaned, it is recommended you place them in sealed plastic bags, keeping them sealed for two weeks. This is not always necessary, but this precaution may help ensure you kill every last head lice and nit.[10]
  5. Vacuum all living areas every day. Lice may have gotten onto cloth furniture surfaces or they might still be living on hairs that have fallen onto these surfaces, so make sure to vacuum daily to prevent the lice from finding a host again. Vacuum your home thoroughly, especially any surface that may have have made contact with your child's head. Areas that you should be sure to vacuum include:[5]
    • Carpets
    • Mattresses
    • Upholstery
  6. Soak hair tools, ties, and barrettes in very hot water. Use very hot water (at least 130°F or 54.4°C) to soak all of your hair tools and other hair items. Let them sit in the solution for about 10 minutes. This should kill the lice on these items. You can also use isopropyl alcohol to soak these items. Another option is to dispose of the infested hair tools and go out and buy new ones.[5]
    • Make sure that each child has his or her own personal comb and/or brush.
  7. Warn your child not to share any hats, headwear, or sporting equipment with other children. If your child is involved in any sport or playtime activity, make sure they have their own gear or equipment. Make sure they can keep track of it as well.
    • At the pool or gym, make sure your child has their own towels and other personal items.
    • Make sure your child understands that they can share toys, but they should NOT share combs, brushes, hats, scarves or hair accessories

Tips

  • Do not bother with fumigating or spraying your house. This does not help to get rid of the lice and it will introduce a lot of chemicals into your home.[5]
  • Make certain your child does not have any sensitivity to oranges or any citrus fruit or any of the oils used
  • Check your child’s hair often — there is no such thing as immunity to lice — they can come back over and over again!

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://sphinxsai.com/july-sept_2010_vol2.3/pharmtech/pharmtechvol2.3july-sept210/PT=25%20(1792-1795).pdf
  2. ↑ Australian Broadcasting News (ABC), Shannon's Cleaning Tips of the Week, http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/02/26/2173137.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.theimperfectmum.com.au/blog/faq-how-fight-headlice
  4. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20090319/wet-combing-best-way-to-spot-head-lice
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.webmd.com/children/tc/lice-cleaning-lice-from-combs-clothing-and-other-items-topic-overview
  6. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12389342
  7. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20727129
  8. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9439284
  9. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/prevent.html
  10. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs_treat.html
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