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brushing hair image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com

Lice are tiny insects that thrive by sucking blood from the scalp. Lice are difficult to see with the human eye. Common symptoms of lice infestation include itching and redness. Various lice treatment products are on the market. But a simpler, less expensive method of killing these parasites calls for using common household items you probably have on hand. This homemade remedy will suffocate the lice.

Pour a cup of canola oil into a medium bowl. Pour in a cup of vinegar. Add 18 drops of tea tree oil and stir the ingredients until they form a thick, creamy paste.

Fill a spray bottle with tap water. Spritz your hair until it's damp. Then scoop the canola oil mixture out of the bowl with your hands and apply it to your hair.

Massage the mixture on your scalp, covering the entire area. Once that's done, comb it through your hair all the way to the ends. You can use a nit comb, but a fine-toothed comb works just as well.

Wrap a plastic bag around your head to completely cover your hair. Set a timer for three hours.

Remove the plastic bag and run the fine-toothed comb through your hair to remove the lice. Wash your hair with shampoo as usual. Lather and repeat if the first shampoo doesn't completely remove the canola oil mixture. Rinse your hair thoroughly and dry it as usual.

Tip

Double or triple the ingredient in the recipe if your hair is long or thick.