Parents welcoming children home from school sometimes unknowingly allow parasitic insects in the form of head lice into their homes and families. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 12 million head lice infestations develop each year in 3- to 11-year-old children just in the U.S. Vinegar may help you combat lice infestations, but make sure you know the facts about vinegar and lice before you arm yourself with this common salad ingredient.
The Facts
Lice are wingless insects that survive by feeding on human blood. Species include body lice, pubic lice and head lice; vinegar is most commonly used with attempts to get rid of head lice. When adult head lice lay eggs, they attach the tiny nits to the base of your hair strands using a sticky substance. Visible signs of these nits, along with intense scalp itching or tickling and red spots on the head or neck, generally serve as the only signs of a head lice infestation.
Efficacy
Whether vinegar plays a major role in getting rid of head lice is open to debate. Joan Sawyer, co-author of "Head Lice to Dead Lice," notes that anecdotal evidence pinpoints vinegar as a possible option for loosening lice eggs but nothing more. In most cases, you may be able to improve your chances of getting rid of nits by using vinegar in combination with a metal nit comb; once the vinegar loosens the eggs, stroke the comb repeatedly through small sections of the wet hair, starting at the roots of the hair strands and following through to the end of the hair with each stroke.
Types
When selecting vinegar to combat a head lice infestation, stick with distilled white vinegar and apple cider vinegar; in general, these two types of vinegar are inexpensive, readily available and, according to Sawyer, acceptable for use in removing nits. Look for vinegar in the condiment aisle of your grocery store or supermarket; distilled white vinegar possesses a water-like appearance, while apple cider vinegar is amber-colored. Prices vary, but expect to pay as little as $2 to $4 per gallon.
Considerations
Vinegar may be able to loosen lice eggs, but treatment typically won't be effective unless you first kill the egg-laying adult lice. Chemical treatment for adult head lice includes medicated shampoos and rinses; natural treatments, such as olive oil and mayonnaise, typically require that you soak the infested hair and scalp for multiple hours---preferably overnight---before rinsing in vinegar and combing out the nits. Typically, you should dilute vinegar with water on a one-to-one ratio before applying it to your lice-infested head.
Warning
Check with your primary care doctor before using vinegar for lice in infants and children, especially if they just got over an illness. Depending upon what treatment method you opt for, you may need to soak your child's head for two to eight hours, which could lead to a head cold. Vinegar may cause eye irritation, so take extra care to ensure that it doesn't get in your eyes.
References
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Head Lice Fact Sheet
- "Head Lice to Dead Lice"; Joan Sawyer & Roberta MacPhee; 1999
- "Healing Remedies"; Lydia Wilen & Joan Wilen; 2008
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