Getting rid of lice is the most annoying struggle a person has to do. A person with a head full of lice understands how dire the situation is. Even though there are lots of lice shampoo, products, treatments, and home cures, some people still can’t just get rid of these parasites. Maybe they had used the remedies and treatments so often that they became immune to them. Or maybe not. Anyway, people also get fed up with all this itchiness, and lose their tolerance, they do what? Just shave their head all the way. In fact, I am one of them. And I did it twice.
This is what happened. The first time was when I was in fifth grade. And the second time was during my tenth grade. Our school had a rally for some national things, and it was scorching hot. Soaking in sweat, my thread of patience just snapped. I came back home and begged my mother to just shave my head and release me from this hell. My head was itching so much that I was crying in frustration. Because after spending all those money on lice shampoos, and treatments, I could do no change. Anyway, when she was shaving my head, trust me, I never felt this much relief and freedom. I got rid of all those itchy lice and then a happy ending.
What happened next after my hair grew? ^^ They somehow managed to get in my hair. I was just smiling in pain and lost my will. But I just regularly started combing and now they are gone. I guess I didn’t have to shave back then. Well, you gotta have all sorts of experience.
Coming back to the main topic, does shaving your head get rid of lice? Of course, it does. Since lice crawls using hair strands and hide themselves, getting rid of those hair will remove lice as well.
Should I shave my head to get rid of lice?
If you have no other options or just simply don’t want to resort to those treatments, remedies, and hassles, you should go with shaving your hair. Shaving your hair fully with leaving not a single millimeter of your hair left will get rid of lice.
Shaving your hair to become completely bald will remove the accommodation of lice. As you know, lice stay on our scalp and grip onto hair strands, and suck blood to live. When you shave the head, lice will get ridden off along with those hair. I mean, there is nothing they could hold onto or hide, how would they live there? It’s like leaving a herd on a desert to eat grass [as if there is grass on those sand].
Now, what type of shaving have you looked into? If you only do razor cuts or leave even a centimeter of your hair, those lice won’t go away. Even though almost 90% of lice will be thrown away along with your shaved hair, some nits and the smallest lice may stay on your scalp, or be gripping the roots of that tiny hair.
Only that shiny bald shaving will save you from lice. Otherwise, Why would you even shave to get rid of lice? Even a small or only one single nit can make your head full of lice in a few days. That 10% is an even bigger number.
Should I shave my child’s head to get rid of lice?
Some people or kids wouldn’t want their heads to be shaved. They get embarrassed because they are afraid other kids will bully or mock them. Truthfully, I shaved my head frequently, not because of lice all the time though. I was almost 5 years that time and cut my hair accidentally that looked way too hilarious. My mother shaved my hair to save it, although I cried not wanting to. The next day in my class, there were a few girls who mocked me and called me names. Even though I don’t remember many of my early memories, I never forgot this incident. That’s why, if you want to shave your child’s head, make sure to communicate with them and let them know. Ask them if they want it or not. You can always try different methods but the child may be left with some scars for life.
How to get rid of lice without shaving your head?
There are a few things that cause an itchy sensation on your scalp. It can be dandruff, can be dirt, or can be lice which is the worst. In fact, dandruff and lice both are the worst. Those who dealt with it know about its pain. The persistent ones kill one’s comfort. Whether you have dandruff or lice or even both, you can easily check them yourself. And if there are lice, just try ways to get rid of them. Even though they do not cause diseases and are not life-threatening, neglecting them is just not it. That does not mean, you should just shave your hair and remove them entirely. Rather than shaving, you can try these ways to get rid of lice.
Over-the-counter (OTC) treatment
If you do not go to professionals for prescribed lice treatment products, OTC works really well. It is a typical treatment everyone goes for the first way to get rid of lice. There are lots of chemical OTC shampoos or lotions like Sklice, RID, and Nix. They are FDA approved so you can try them. They get rid of both lice and lice eggs. Don’t use all types and stick to only one.
Prescribed products
If the OTC products work in vain and could not remove the head lice from you, you can resort to professionals at any time. They will consult you and give a product that may work best for you considering your situation.
Use Comb
The easiest and non-messy way is to comb your hair with a lice comb. If your hair is rough, either add oil to your hair or the comb. Part your hair in two parts and start combing from the root of the hair to the end as you do with the normal comb. Do that and don’t miss even a single strand. Lice will fall down from your head with every combing. However, doing it for only one day won’t get you anywhere. Use this technique once every 2 or 3 days for two weeks.
Among different types of combs, there is one metal type. That works the best other ones.
Wet combing
As I said I combed my hair to get rid of lice, that was wet combing. We know it is not right to comb your wet hair. But we are desperate to remove lice and lice cannot run or crawl as it wants when the hair is wet. Reducing its mobility makes it stay in one place. Shampoo your hair just as you do. However, you will need a good amount of conditioner. Apply conditioner and start combing from roots to end of the hair. You will see that with every single combing, lice will get stuck on the comb and come out of your head. The more your comb, the fewer lice will be left seen. This one too, don’t get lazy doing it only once. Do it twice a week for a few weeks.
Home remedies
Some home remedies work for smothering the lice by making them suffocate. Vaseline, mayonnaise, olive oil, etc are heavy agents. Using them on your head will smother the lice. Also, coconut oil, neem oil, and tea tree oil are some of the successful ones as well. However, these home remedies do not guarantee getting rid of lice in one go. You have to go for a few rounds.
As for oils, it is admittable but mayonnaise and vaseline are the messiest ones that people avoid using. Also, getting them out of their hair is another hassle. Tea tree oil has the most successful among them and coconut oil comes next. From personal experience, coconut oil has lots of benefits. You can also use neem paste. It is too bitter and helps get rid of lice.
