The number of cases of head lice found has definitely increased over the last 20 years. More kids have a louse infestation and that in turn increases the number of other children exposed to the possibility of getting head lice.

The key to effective control of head lice is to break the louse lifecycle. This means that even the most effective treatments, including those that feature insecticides, should be followed up with a good combing to remove parasites from the hair. Although head lice did not carry diseases taking quick action is the best way to prevent other family members from becoming infested.

Treatment Options:

If you check on the Web, there are many home remedies that claim to be effective in treating a case of head lice. These include cooking oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, hair conditioner, and even olive oil. The whole idea behind these remedies is to smother the head lice. A louse can survive in hair covered with oil however even if left overnight.

This then brings up the idea of shampooing the remove the bugs. This unfortunately also doesn't work as lice can survive through two or more consecutive shampoos even if the soap is left in the hair an hour or more. Research has shown that lice can survive when immersed in water for as long as 14 hours. This means lice cannot be drowned.

No scientific research has suggested that cooking oils mayonnaise vinegar and other home remedy ideas are effective head lice treatments. While many of these treatments have their champions that post personal success on the Web you cannot rely on these testimonials as proof.

Three of the most popular insecticide-based products are Pyrethrins, Malathion, and Kwell. These products have been shown to be very effective in killing head lice but are by no means foolproof. Some parents have reported that these products are not as effective and assume the problem is insecticide resistant lice.

More often than not is that the directions were not following correctly or completely. The most common mistakes include not repeating the treatment after seven to 10 days as suggested on the label were not using enough of the product in the first place.

If the idea of using insecticides and chemicals on your child's hair is distasteful, follow the links below and check out some natural solutions for effective head lice treatment