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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffLice can live for about two days without a meal, and nits will die within a week if they're not kept at the same temperature as that found near the human scalp. That's why it's so uncommon for people to be infected with lice by any method other than head-to-head contact. All close contacts need to be examined. Despite this low risk, you may want to:
- Wash items in hot water. Wash bedding, stuffed animals, clothing and hats with hot, soapy water — at least 130 F (54.4 C) — and dry them at high heat for at least 20 minutes. Soak brushes and combs in very hot water for five to10 minutes.
- Seal items in plastic bags. Place bedding, clothing and unwashable items in an airtight bag for three to four days. This will kill live lice, and newly hatched lice will die because they have no nutrition in those critical first days of life.
- Vacuum. Give the floor and furniture a good vacuuming.
- Goldstein AO, et al. Pediculosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Head lice: Fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/factsheet.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Head lice: Treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/treatment.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Ectoparasites. In: Rakel RE, et al. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/128370895-3/822018529/1481/307.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50029-4--cesec39_1386. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Schlossberg D. Arthropods and leeches. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/128370895-5/822078666/1492/1286.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50385-2--cesec27_16133. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Burkhart CN, et al. Fomite transmission in head lice. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2007;56:1044.
- FDA approves benzyl alcohol lotion for the treatment of head lice. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01993.html. Accessed April 15, 2009.
- Head lice: Prevention and control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lice/prevent.html. Accessed March 27, 2009.
