Lice ShampooEffective Lice Shampoos

Lice shampoo is available over-the-counter at drug stores and major discount stores.  If used as instructed, these products are usually quite effective for ridding a person of lice.  However, occasionally a person may need to get a prescription product to eliminate lice if they have an allergic reaction to the over-the-counter lice shampoos or if the shampoo failed to eliminate the problem.  Also, most lice shampoos will treat any kind of lice (head lice, pubic lice and body lice).   Often lice shampoos are packaged with one or two fine-tooth or nit combs to help remove head lice and their eggs.

How to Use Lice Shampoo


Lice shampoos are applied onto dry hair and left in place for a certain amount of time—for instance ten minutes.  When treating for head lice it is best to start behind the ears and at the nape of the neck and then continue inward and upward so the entire scalp is covered.  After the designated amount of time, warm water is then used on the hair to create lather and then the hair is rinsed thoroughly.  It is then dried with a towel and combed to remove tangles.

 

Steps after Shampoo is Applied

Immediately after treatment, the hair should be combed with the fine-tooth or nit comb that was included with the product.  This helps remove the lice and their eggs.  If nits are still visible, a person should use disposable gloves to remove them.   Keep the hair moist while combing—if it starts to dry you can moisten it with a spray bottle of water.  Keep parting the hair into small sections as you comb and do one section of hair at a time.

Using a lice shampoo is quite effective for getting rid of lice.  After the first treatment, generally there needs to be a follow-up treatment (done in the same manner as the first) sometime between seven and ten days later.


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