Anyone can get lice. Thousands of species have specialized in humans, animals or plants. That is no reason to admit defeat to the concentrated diversity of species and cunning infestation strategies. Natural home remedies provide effective protection in the fight against the penetrating parasites. Read this guide to learn how to successfully fight lice without chemicals.

Ladybugs like to eat aphids

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Home remedies for head lice
  3. Wet combing instructions
  4. Effective treatment plan
  5. lice in the garden
  6. Plants commonly infested with lice
  7. Do home remedies help against lice and mites?
  8. Lice and fleas on animals
  9. frequently asked Questions

    10. the essentials in brief

    • Vinegar, cooking oils, essential oils and moist combing help against head lice
    • Soap solution and nettle decoction help against all kinds of lice in the garden
    • Plant lice can be kept away with herbs: sage, garlic, thyme, wormwood and chervil are good neighbors for lice-prone plants

    Home remedies for head lice and nits

    It starts with severe itching and red spots on the scalp. If you look closely, the first living louse will freeze your blood in your veins. Now at the latest the question arises: What helps against lice? Chemical lice remedies are frowned upon for the treatment of children. Adults also prefer to use natural remedies. In fact, the kitchen cupboard has a lot that works as an effective home remedy against head lice and lice eggs. The following lines explain the preparation and use of the 3 best natural remedies:

    vinegar

    Pure vinegar is too harsh for delicate scalps. Add lukewarm water to ensure that the household remedy is fully effective against lice and nits. Please dilute conventional table vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:2. Mix equal parts of milder apple cider vinegar with lukewarm water. Rinse the washed hair with the vinegar water and let the solution work for 15 minutes. Then comb out the damp hair with a nit comb.

    oil

    Various oils are said to clog the tracheae of lice and loosen nits stuck to the hair. The focus is on edible oils such as sunflower, almond or olive oil. Mayonnaise is also considered an effective lice remedy due to its high oil content. Distribute the oil on hair and scalp. So that the old home remedy can work for 3 to 4 hours, wrap your head in a towel or foil. Then shampoo your hair several times and comb out strand by strand with a lice comb.

    Essential Oils

    In children from primary school age and adults, the oil is welcome to exude a strong, ethereal scent. The fumes are believed to suffocate adult head lice and their larvae. Of course, there is no reliable evidence for this thesis. Mix 6 drops of oil for every 100 milliliters of warm water. Wet the previously washed hair and leave the mixture on for a maximum of 60 minutes. Lice and nits do not fall off by themselves. Only after using the nit comb are you rid of the beasts.

    youtube

    Damp combing - step-by-step instructions

    The treatment of the head and hair with the selected home remedy only marks the prologue in the fight against lice. Only wet combing guarantees that you will actually get rid of the parasites. The following instructions explain step by step how to do it right:

    1. Let the natural household remedy work in and wash out thoroughly several times with hair shampoo
    2. Apply hair conditioner and do not rinse
    3. Brush your hair well (with a normal brush or comb with wider teeth)
    4. Separate damp hair in strands with clips or rubber bands
    5. Place the lice comb on the scalp
    6. slowly pull the prongs to the ends of the hair
    7. After each stroke, examine the nit comb for lice and lice eggs
    8. Before combing out the next strand of hair, rinse the prongs with hot water

    To track down tiny head lice and nits, wipe the comb teeth on light-colored kitchen paper or a white towel. The parasites are easy to recognize under green light. Ideally, you should use a magnifying glass to locate the pests.

    Effective treatment plan

    Lice need to be treated over a long period of time

    Lice and nits are tough. A single treatment is not enough for children and adults to finally get rid of the hardened rabble. Successful lice control requires a good deal of patience and a well-planned treatment regimen. The following procedure, which is based on the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute, has proven itself well in practice:

    • day 1: Distribute household remedies evenly, leave to take effect and comb out with a damp cloth according to the instructions above
    • day 5: Treat the head and hair again, including combing out with the nit comb
    • day 9: Repeat treatment to control later hatched larvae
    • day 13: Lice control by wet combing

    Continue the treatment plan until no more lice or lice eggs are found in the nit comb. Don't be afraid to use a magnifying glass to spot lice, larvae and nits without a doubt.

    background

    High risk of infection with head lice

    Brief physical contact is sufficient for infection with head lice. The wily parasites don't care about the age, gender or ethnicity of their human hosts. As long as a person has hair on their head, they are not immune to a lice infestation. If a family member develops head lice, it is strongly recommended that the rest of the family be thoroughly examined. To prevent this, damp hair is combed out strand by strand with a lice comb and the tines are examined under the magnifying glass.

    What helps against lice in the garden

    Roses are a common playground for lice in the garden. Nobody likes to treat the queen of flowers with chemical spray solutions. Likewise, toxic insecticides are taboo for controlling aphids on plants in flower borders, vegetable beds or on the balcony. Find out below which home remedies against lice on roses and other plants really help:

    soap solution

    You can conjure up the best home remedy for lice on plants from potash soap or soft soap. (44.90€) This type of soap contains no dyes or fragrances, and does without excess fat and thickening agents. When combined with water, it creates a natural lice control product that has been proven to outperform chemical insecticides.

    Production and application are very simple. Heat 1 liter of water in a kettle. Dissolve 50 grams of potash soap in it. Pour the cooled soap solution into a spray bottle. Spray the upper and lower sides of the leaves as well as shoots and leaf axils until dripping. For high infestation pressure and thick-fleshed leaves, add 2 teaspoons of spirit to increase effectiveness.

    Nettle broth

    For leafy vegetables, lettuce or ornamental plants with delicate leaves, a soap-based home remedy for lice is not recommended. A stinging nettle decoction has proven to be an effective home remedy on par with soft soap solution. Fill a container with 200 grams of fresh leaves from a non-flowering nettle plant. Pour a liter of water over the leaves and leave to infuse for 48 hours. Strain the brew and spray aphid-infested plants at intervals of several days.

    You can achieve comparable control successes with the leaves of wormwood, tansy, field horsetail or bracken. It is important to note that you use the finished brew promptly. If it is stored for a longer period of time, a foul-smelling fermentation will set in with the plant manure, which should no longer be sprayed on undiluted.

    Nobody should get a lice on their liver because of a few lice on their head or on plants. Fortunately, there are effective home remedies.

    Plants with frequent aphid infestation

    A good prevention against lice on bedding and balcony plants are regular inspections. Check the leaves and shoots regularly from spring to autumn to catch the parasites in good time. In the early stages of a pest infestation, you can achieve just as good results with grandma's home remedies as you can with chemical insecticides. The following table lists which plants are most frequently infested with lice:

    Flower and perennial bed Vegetable patch balcony plants trees/shrubs
    roses salad petunias liguster
    daisies tomato plants orchids fruit trees (cherry, apricot, peach)
    sunflowers cucumbers oleander Maple Tree (Pussy Maple)
    ivy strawberries Palm trees clematis
    geraniums cabbage geraniums honeysuckle
    carrots

    The larger and juicier the leaves, the higher the risk of aphid infestation. Poisonous plant sap does not prevent aphids from piercing the epidermis and sucking the life out of the floral victim. Exotic summer beauties, such as dipladenia and oleander, should be checked for the pests just as often as native flowers, perennials and shrubs.

    digression

    Drive out lice with herbs

    In the garden and on the balcony, put lice in your tongs by combining natural home remedies with repellent plants. For this purpose, you associate frequently infested ornamental and vegetable plants with intensely fragrant herbs. A proven dream team is roses and sage. Furthermore, garlic, thyme, wormwood or chervil are useful as a floral bulwark against an impending aphid plague. The mixed culture needs to be well thought out, because not all herbs will ward off lice. Basil is a popular destination for numerous aphids to feast on the plant sap.

    Home remedies for lice also help with mites

    Soap solutions should be applied several times

    In the fall, plant lice pass the scepter of terror to mites. Spider mites, in particular, continue on houseplants in winter where aphids left off in the garden. Both types of pests belong to different insect orders. Mites are arachnids and are hardier than aphids from the arthropod tribe. Soap solution as the best home remedy for lice shows no significant results against spider mites.

    In order to deal with the winter rabble, other calibers of combat are required. That doesn't mean you have to resort to chemicals. How to get rid of mites on indoor plants:

    1. Isolate affected plant in a bright, cool room
    2. shower thoroughly, including overhead
    3. Pack the complete plant in a transparent foil bag
    4. close tightly over the root ball with clips or string
    5. leave unopened on the windowsill for 2 weeks

    Rapeseed oil against lice and mites

    The use of rapeseed oil as a home remedy for lice and mites is a subject of controversy among experts and hobby gardeners. With fine drops of oil, the natural household remedy clogs the airways of lice and mites. The downside of the coin is that the vital wax layer on the leaves is also affected. The wax layer acts as a protection against evaporation. If anything, thick-leaved plants are primarily considered for treatment with oil, such as rubber trees or palm trees.

    tips

    Under no circumstances should you lump home remedies for head lice and plant lice together. Mix-ups don't end well for your green darlings. Fruit vinegar or lemon juice works wonders against head lice and nits. Sprayed on plant leaves in high concentrations, vinegar and lemon juice do not achieve any results against aphids, but only damage the leaf tissue.

    What to do against lice and fleas on animals

    The best home remedy for lice and fleas on animals is coconut oil. The lauric acid it contains kills most parasites. The intense smell is anathema to the remaining pests, so they quickly run away and let themselves fall. Good control successes have been recorded in dogs, cats, cattle and horses.

    For proper application, rub a little coconut oil between your palms and spread it over the fur. So that your loved ones don't lick the home remedy right away, massage the oil primarily into inaccessible places, such as between the shoulder blades. For cats, 1 drop of coconut oil per application is enough. Massage 2 to 3 drops into the coat of larger dogs.

    frequently asked Questions

    How can you tell if a child has lice?

    Head lice are bloodsuckers, comparable to mosquitoes and ticks. A first indication of head lice is constant scratching of the head. However, the itching does not always occur. A reliable diagnosis is possible if you find lice, larvae or nits (louse eggs) on the scalp and hair. This works reliably with a nit comb. Wash the child's hair with water and a conditioner. If you comb out the damp hair strand by strand, the 1-3 mm small grey-brown lice will not remain hidden.

    Is there a simple home remedy for black lice?

    A threatening picture of damage occurs when black lice colonize a plant in droves. The dark body color does not imply that control is more difficult than with green or red aphids. The old household remedy soapy water effectively kills off the parasites. Dissolve 50 grams of potash soap in 1 liter of warm water and add a dash of spirit. Fill the cooled soap solution into a hand sprayer and treat infested plants every 3 days until all black lice are gone.

    What can I do against white lice on orchids and other indoor plants?

    Mealybugs are often referred to as white lice, which are primarily unpopular as pests on indoor plants. The infestation can be recognized by white webs or mealy-white cotton balls on the leaves. Immediately move affected orchids to a bright, cool quarantine facility. Then mix 15-20 milliliters of curd soap and 2 teaspoons of spirit with 1 liter of water. Apply the soap solution with a soft brush every 2 to 3 days.

    tips

    Do you already know grandma's home remedies for aphids? To prepare it, brew fresh coffee and let it cool down. Fill the black coffee into a spray bottle and spray the infested plant until dripping wet. The concentrated load of caffeine scares the lice away never to be seen again. After three to four days, the aphid plague is a thing of the past.

Category:

Animals in the garden