How can I get rid of lice with Mayonnaise and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)? Is this your worry? Well, having lice on your scalp must be one of the most uncomfortable experiences with bugs. Nature built them to suck human blood and your hair is a favorable habitat for them.
Your hair provides them with shelter and secondly, they have direct access your your scalp where they can have a blood meal anytime.It may be embarrassing to scratch your head in public. Those around you may read, lice! There are a few home remedies that can rid you of head lice beginning with something you probably have not thought about. Mayonnaise!
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What is Mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise is a fine thick emulsion made out of a mixture of oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings. The lemon juice could sometimes be substituted with vinegar depending on the producer and what the customers may prefer.
Mayonnaise is typically cream colored even though it ranges between cream and white depending on how the ingredients are mixed and which ones are actually mixed.
Can Mayonnaise be used to get rid of Lice?
Mayonnaise has proven to be effective against lice. This is a remedy that you can implement right away. Good enough, it works with any variant of mayonnaise so you should not worry about purchasing the wrong type of mayonnaise.
It works by killing the lice and destroying their eggs so the nits don’t popup long after the treatment. Are you interested in ridding your head of lice using mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise Lice Treatment Instructions for the Head Lice
Mayonnaise is effective enough against lice. You don’t need to run to the store and buy some costly product to rid you of lice. Here are the instructions.
- Scoop enough mayonnaise from container and place in the palm of your hands.
- With two hands, saturate your entire scalp and hair with the mayonnaise. Take note to apply on every part of your scalp and hair, especially behind the ears and in the back of your scalp to the hair line.
- Cover with an impervious fabric or a shower cap and leave mayonnaise on hair through the night. If you apply during the day, leave on the hair for eight years.
- Rinse off thoroughly in the morning or after eight hours. Use a comb as you rinse to rid the follicles of all lice eggs.
- Repeat the same process twice a week.
P.S.: For children, do not leave mayonnaise on scalp for more than five hours.
How to get rid of lice with Apple Cider Vinegar
Apart from mayonnaise, another effective ingredient against lice is apple cider vinegar. Its acidic properties kills lice and dislodges their eggs from hair follicles so that they don’t have a chance to multiply.
Here are the instructions on how to get rid of life with apple cider vinegar.
- Wash your hair as you would normally with your everyday shampoo.
- In a cup of water dilute a few drops of apple cider vinegar.
- Use the diluted vinegar to rinse your hair. Leave it on your hair for between 10 to 15 minutes.
- Rinse again with clean fresh water.
- Stick to a regimen of between two to three similar washes until all lice are eliminated.
How to remove lice using both Mayonnaise and Vinegar at the same time
At times it is advisable to combine two or more home remedies for better results rather than depending on one. You have to understand that most of these home remedies, for example using mayonnaise against lice, have not been tested by researchers.
- There are no lab reports that have tested them and found them to work.
- They are mostly pursued by people who have tried commercial options and have only seen poor results.
- Combining some of these remedies may be the best option.
Vinegar and mayonnaise work differently and that is why combining the two ingredients into one may be a better idea. Sadly, vinegar does not have an effect on adult lice but it does have an effect on the eggs and nits.
Both stick on the hair follicles and are they are notoriously difficult to remove or destroy. Vinegar detaches them and therefore they can be washed away. Mayonnaise on the other hand suffocates or deactivates the fast running adults so you can easily wash them away.
Read below to master the procedure.
- Scoop enough mayonnaise from container and place in the palm of your hands.
- Add a few drops of vinegar to it and mix in the palm until they form a smooth blend.
- With two hands, saturate your entire scalp and hair with the mixture. Take note to apply on every part of your scalp and hair, especially behind the ears and in the back of your scalp to the hair line.
- Cover with an impervious fabric or a shower cap and leave mayonnaise on hair through the night. If you apply during the day, leave on the hair for eight years.
- Rinse off thoroughly in the morning or after eight hours. Use a comb as you rinse to rid the follicles of all lice eggs.
- Repeat the same process twice a week for best results.
P.S.: Mayonnaise already contains vinegar. However, the vinegar is in low concentrations and would not give you the desired results. Adding apple vinegar + mayonnaise gives you a more potent agent against lice, eggs, and nits combined.
Other Effective Head Lice Removers
Lice are notoriously difficult to eradicate more so if you have lots of hair on your head and if you do not wash your hair very often.
If the lice are already laying eggs, it may mean even more lice will be biting your scalp in a week and an additional week before those nits can lay eggs again. Here are two options that you could use to rid your hair of lice.
Enzyme Shampoo for Head Lice
Thanks to research, you can now use one of the most effective agent against lice, their eggs, and nits in the form of a shampoo. Enzyme shampoos work just like lice molting enzymes work.
They mimic the enzymes the louse usually produce when molting, just like all insects do. So they dissolve the exoskeleton of the louse, the nits, and the eggs. They lose their “grip” on the hair follicle and drop off.
The enzymes in the shampoo also makes them vulnerable to other active ingredients in the shampoo.
Follow the procedure as outlined here below.
- Thoroughly apply shampoo all over the hair and scalp.
- Leave for about 10 minutes to let the enzymes act on the bugs, their nits, and eggs.
- Rinse off with clean water.
P.S.: Have a towel nearby where the bugs, their nits, and eggs will drop. Do not let them fall on your clothing, the floor, or anywhere they could find their way back to your hair.
Use Olive Oil for Head Lice
If you are not into using shampoos then you could go for something more natural, which is olive oil. Olive oil has its wonders and getting rid of lice is one of them. It has been used as an ingredient in many products. You can use it directly to rid of your lice problem.
To use olive oil for your lice problem, follow the steps below.
- Use a harsh shampoo to remove all chemicals such as conditioners that may reduce the effectiveness of the olive oil. The CDC highly recommends this step.
- Thoroughly apply olive oil in your entire hair and scalp. Apply to the end of the hairline and behind the ears where lice are known to hide and lay eggs.
- Cover with an impervious material and tie at the edges with an elastic material such as a bandana to prevent them from escaping.
- Leave in hair for between one and two hours.
- Remove the impervious covering and comb off the hair.
- Rinse off with cold water and a detergent.
- Use a dryer on your hair for about 30 seconds.
READ MORE: What is Lice or Dandruff Quiz?
Sources & References of Mayonnaise for Lice
- http://homeremediesforlife.com/mayonnaise-for-head-lice/
- http://headlicecenter.com/head-lice-mayonnaise/
- http://www.wikihow.com/Treat-Head-Lice-with-Vinegar
- https://lifehacker.com/5958579/kill-lice-with-mayonnaise
- http://www.kidsheadlice.com/head-lice-shampoo.html
- http://www.livestrong.com/article/99003-use-olive-oil-kill-head/
