Can You Use Lemon Juice for Head Lice?

Head lice are parasitic insects that can live on your head, eyebrows, and even eyelashes. Although they do not spread diseases, head lice can cause severe itching and discomfort. One popular home remedy for head lice is lemon juice. But can you use lemon juice for head lice? Does it work?

Why you should try natural remedies for head lice

Yes, lemon juice can help get rid of your head lice problem. It can kill head lice and nits because of its acidic nature and astringent properties. The best thing about using natural remedies for head lice like lemon juice is that they are arguably less risky compared to other remedies.

Other remedies such as those containing benzyl alcohol, ivermectin, malathion, and spinosad may be more effective, especially when they are administered properly. But some people may experience side effects. Also, these ingredients are strong and should only be used in extreme cases.

Natural remedies are great because there is little or no risk of side effects – save a few allergic and other manageable reactions.   But natural remedies have downsides too. They may not be super effective. They are at their best when they are used for minor and moderate cases.

If you have a stubborn case of head lice, you may want to try over-the-counter or prescription medication. If a person with head lice is two-years-old or below, you should also be more cautious about how you treat them.

How lemon juice can help get rid of head lice

You don’t just use lemon juice by itself, but you add in other natural ingredients. With that said, you should not use more than one head lice treatment at the same time.

Lemon juice combined with other natural ingredients is still considered only as one head lice treatment, so it is okay. But using two kinds of over-the-counter medication like pyrethrin permethrin is not.

Here are three natural ingredients you can mix with lemon juice:

• Almonds. The almond paste will not just suffocate the head lice. It will also make the infested person’s hair healthier because of its antioxidant properties and vitamins.
• Cloves. A study finds that clove oil has high toxicity against head lice. When in contact with clove oil, head lice resist and die.
• Garlic. Head lice don’t like strong smells, and this is where garlic comes in. Garlic also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

How to use lemon juice to kill and prevent head lice

Make a paste with lemon juice and one of the three natural ingredients that have been mentioned earlier. Then apply the paste to the infested person’s hair and scalp. Here are the steps you should follow:

Step 1

Extract the juice from whole lemons. If you don’t have a juicer, cut the lemons lengthwise for a more effective extraction. It also helps if you warm and roll the lemons before you cut them. Set the extracted juice aside.

Step 2

Choose one of the three natural ingredients – almonds, cloves, and garlic. Crush or grind them until they have a paste-like consistency.

Step 3

Add the extracted lemon juice to the crushed or ground natural ingredient until they mix well to turn into a paste. There is no specific measurement. Just gauge the mixture until it becomes paste-like.

Step 4

Apply the paste to the infested person’s hair and massage it through the scalp. Wrap the person’s hair with a towel. Let the paste stay in the person’s head for about an hour.

Step 5

Wash off the paste with water and shampoo the hair. Repeat this process every day for about five days to get rid of all the head lice.

Step 6

If you want to prevent head lice, you can also ditch the other ingredients and use lemon juice by itself. Leave it for a few minutes and wash it off with vinegar and then warm water. This is especially useful if you are at risk of getting head lice, like when you live with someone who has the parasitic insects.

Alternative remedies for head lice

Lemon juice may be destructive for a person’s skin if it is applied for too long. It can also sting if the person has open wounds. But it’s a good thing that there are alternative remedies for head lice.

• Essential oils. There are a number of essential oils that are proven to help get rid of head lice, such as clove oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and tea tree oil. But they are not without risks. Essential oils can be toxic, so it’s important to avoid ingesting them. Essential oils can also trigger allergic reactions, so you should apply them first on the infested person’s hand to test if they are allergic.
• Neem. Neem is a natural pesticide. The strong smell also helps drive away other potential pests. You can use neem to get rid of head lice. Crush neem leaves until they turn into a paste-like substance and apply it to the hair and scalp. Neem oil may also work. The great thing about neem is that it can also help ease scalp irritation that can occur because of too much scratching.
• Petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly can suffocate and kill head lice. Simply apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly on the infested person’s hair and scalp and cover the head with a shower cap. Leave it overnight and wash it off with baby oil and then with water and shampoo. Do this once a week for a month or two to get rid of the head lice infestation completely.

Get rid of head lice naturally with lemon juice

Yes, natural remedies such as lemon juice are effective against head lice. But they are only great for minor and moderate cases. It also doesn’t help that head lice are really stubborn creatures. They are slowly gaining resistance to a lot of head lice treatments. These resistant head lice are called super lice.

But for the common head lice, lemon juice and other natural remedies may be enough. Get rid of head lice now naturally with lemon juice.