Do I have to buy over the counter medicine for lice?

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rebeltye	School now have a blow dryer thing that kills lice in the nurses office only available in schools that i know of Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Nicole D	im not sure if there is a home remedy for head lice. but if you have headlice, you are gonna want to buy a product that you can put on carpets and things. i would just buy the over the counter stuff. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

dream	u can buy it at any drug store, no script needed. its just a shampoo. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Tre B	Try a natural foods co-op store. They might carry something you'd want to use. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Old Uncle Dave	Chemical-free instant remedy for head lice: http://www.worth1000.com/entries/279000/279309WcEB_w.jpg http://www.kapped.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/natalie-portman-bald.jpg Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

OLiVeRs MoMmY	my little sister had lice..they sell like 3 different kinds of products to get rid of them..i think its like a shampoo and then they die or come out or something like that..i know you can buy them like at a drug store like walmart or here where i'm from they have it at heb..dont know if you have one of those from where your from but i know it helped out my sister alot..good luck!!! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Chasity	You should just buy the over the counter stuff. If you are embarrassed try going to walmart maybe they have a self checkout. besides I was a cashier there for a year...trust me they don't care what you're buying. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

stonechic	head lice can infest bedding, stuffed toys, furniture, and other areas that people sit or lay. you need to not only get rid of the lice and nits on the heads, but also on all furnishings and bedding. OTC remedies are the best and some home remedies MAY make it worse. Don't allow embarrasment to keep you from getting rid of these pests! If you don't want anyone to know, use the self check-out or go to a store across town where you don't normally shop and pay with cash. They don't care and you aren't dirty or weird for having to deal with this. Lots of people have had head lice. It's common for children to bring it home from school. My sister is a licensed cosmetologist and has people call all the time wanting to know how to get rid of lice. A Permethrin shampoo like Rid or NIX will get rid of head lice. If prevention of head lice just isn't possible and you find head lice on your children or yourself, you should treat the infested person for head lice immediately with a head lice shampoo. Rid, NIX, and just about anything with permethrins or pyrethrins will get rid of head lice. Another, less common, head lice treatment is Lindane. Most over-the-counter head lice treatments have a 1% concentration of the active insecticidal ingredient, so there isn't really much of a health risk. Washing your bedding and clothes in very hot water will get rid of head lice if you've come across an infestation. As soon as you find head lice on either yourself or a family member, and after you've washed with Pyrethrin or Permethrin, you should wash all of the bedding the infested individual has come into contact with. Articles of clothing worn in the past week should also be washed to help prevent a reinfestation. Very hot water in both the wash cycle and the rinse cycle (if possible) is recommended, as well as setting the dryer to high heat when drying the fabrics in question. To get rid of head lice infestations, thoroughly vacuum places where people rest often. You'll want to vacuum like the dickens if you find a head lice infestation in your house. Vacuuming beds, couches, chairs, and carpets will help suck up and head lice that have escaped the washer/dryer holocaust. Using an agitator on carpets and a bristled attachment on furniture are both recommended, to help uproot any stubborn adult head lice or even nits that may have fallen off and gotten stuck on fabrics or upholstery around the house. THROW THE VACUUM BAG AWAY OUTSIDE!!! Otherwise you will simply reinfest after all of your hard work. Head lice Remedies by PRESCRIPTION: For particularly resistant head lice, there are 5% head lice remedy concentrations available by prescription. Chances are you won't need something that strong because 1% concentrations are often more than enough to kill a few head lice, and there are any number of head lice remedies and treatments available online. Some things should be noted:If you're pregnant or you think you're pregnant, or you're breast-feeding babies, you shouldn't put this stuff on your skin. If it's causes you to break out into hives or rashes, or if you have trouble breathing, you should NOT use these products. Aside from those 2 things, Pyrethrin and Permethrin based head lice treatments should be just fine for getting rid of head lice. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

sapphire_630	I agree with Linda, put olive oil and Tea Tree Oil on hair very liberally and cover with a plastic bath cap. Most of the over the counter stuff is bad because it penetrates into your system and the lice for the most part have become immune to them. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

passingby	Melaleuca oil mixed with shampoo (perferably from the company). It is the same as Tea Tree Oil. You can check out the website. It is a wellness company selling natural products. www.melaleuca.com My daughter doesn't have lice but had small sores are the top of her head. I don't know if she was being bit or if she was itching from dry Skin but after she put shampoo in her hair I put 3-4 drops of oil in and she rubbed it in with her shampoo. 2 days and I am amazed at the results! And yes Melaleuca oil (Tea Tree Oil) can be used for lice. This is a much safer alternative too. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

DanC	There are several home remedies for lice, but I'm not sure that they're any safer than the OTC. For instance, one remedy is to soak the hair in kerosene and comb it through thoroughly and repeatedly. Will it work? Yes. Is it any safer? No, and in fact could be more dangerous (petroleum fumes, etc.). There are some herbal remedies out there. For instance, a 50% solution of Chinese Bai Bu (stemona root) will kill lice. But that's an awful lot of work to go through for something that works no better (though, in theory, is a bit safer). Anyway, as much as I love alternative medicines, I'd probably just use the commercial stuff here. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Linda	you could try olive oil with some Tea Tree Oil added, put lots all over your hair and cover it in plastic. leave for at least one hour and then start washing it out, use lots of conditioner.T hen you need to use a louse comb and remove all the nits and lice you can find. repeat every day for a week, and if you haven't found anything new for a couple of days you can start relaxing. To prevent catching them again, don't shampoo your hair, just use conditioner and add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil to your hair brush before you use it. And always tie up your hair when coming into contact with kids. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

missyvixen1217	Treat ALL furniture with spray (especially mattresses), vacuum daily. Wash all bedding in HOT water. Put all stuffed animals and anything not washable in big plastic garbage bags for a week or so (lice supposedly can only live off of a host for up to 55 hours). Soak all hairbrushes, combs, clips etc... in straight alcohol (throw them away and buy new ones if you can) I had a foster kid bring it into our house in October 2006 and I nearly lost my mind until an older lady told me an old remedy.....take everyone outside, spray or pour a bottle of cheap old rubbing alcohol saturating the hair, let it sit till evaporated then wash as normal. Surprisingly the alcohol DOES NOT dry you out like you would think it would but make sure to do it outside because the fumes are strong at first. Be careful to NOT get it into anyone's eyes, I made them all hold towels over their face and lay on the porch with their heads hanging over the edge. Comb until you are getting NO MORE nits off in the comb and make sure the hair stays damp while combing, the nits won't come out of dry hair as easily and also live lice do not move in wet hair and are easier to comb out. I fought the dang pests for two weeks before doing this and it WORKED the first time. Don't feel too bad, it doesn't mean you are dirty, lice actually PREFER clean heads! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No