Home remedies to control head lice: assessment of home remedies to control the human head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis (Anoplura: Pediculidae).

As the frequency and level of pediculicide resistance increases throughout the world, the need for novel solutions to control pediculosis has intensified. The development and registration of new pesticides has become so costly that many chemical companies are unwilling to pursue it and health-care providers now face a serious lack of new commercial pediculicides. Many infested people resort to using "home-remedy" approaches that have not been scientifically tested. In this article, we examined the potential value of six purportedly effective "home remedies" (vinegar, isopropyl alcohol, olive oil, mayonnaise, melted butter, and petroleum jelly) to treat head louse infestations and the likelihood of drowning lice by water submersion. Results indicated that only the application of petroleum jelly caused significant louse mortality but no treatment prevented lice from laying eggs. Most home remedy products did little to kill eggs, despite prolonged exposure. Petroleum jelly caused the greatest egg mortality, allowing only 6% to hatch. It was extremely difficult to drown lice, despite extended periods (i.e., 8 hr) of water submersion, suggesting that killing lice by depriving them of oxygen is inefficient. None of the home remedy products we surveyed was an effective means of louse control. This suggests that when treatment failure occurs, an increased amount of time and effort should be focused on alternative chemical pediculicides and/or manual louse removal (i.e., combing) rather than using any of these products.

Head lice for A & E nurses.

Accident and emergency nurses are in an excellent position to offer skill and advice on the treatment of head lice, from health education to diagnosis and cure to contact tracing. This paper offers guidance on how to detect lice and how to treat infestation. There are a number of treatment options available, including pharmacological and physical treatments. Choosing the most appropriate option can be difficult due to reports of 'Super Nits' resistant to insecticides and lack of data to support the use of alternative methods such as 'wet combing' and aromatherapy treatments. However, nurses do need to be aware of how lice move between people, so they can take an active role in health education and make sure that patients affected by head lice are managed properly.