One of the less serious but more irritating and embarrassing health problems to have is a lice infestation. Just thinking about them running around your head makes you want to start itching and scratching and, if you have lice, you know that once you've started on this itching and scratching, you'll want to keep on doing it. They are a major turn-off and definitely not good for the health of your scalp.

Lice seem like such small critters that you may thing they are easy to get rid of, but think again. Sometimes, we may try all kinds of shampoos or even try with our hands to rid ourselves of them, but it just won't work. No matter how hard we try, sometimes they just won't budge. And besides that, they seem to breed incessantly so that there are more of them every day.

Why not explore some of these tried and tested approaches to getting rid of lice.

A brisk shampoo with a 1% permethrin or Lindane lice shampoo will thoroughly and efficient remove the nits from your scalp. Remember, though, that this can be pretty potent stuff and not recommended for children below two years old or pregnant women.

Combing or nitpicking is also effective against lice, with or without any shampoo. Use a white comb to make it easier to spot the lice. Run the comb slowly and repeatedly through your hair at least three times a day. Inspect the comb afterwards to remove adult lice and nymphs.

If you want to try one of the many natural beauty skin care products that are said to be effective against lice, heed the results of a recent study on the potency and effectiveness of anti-lice shampoos which found that the top three products against lice are (1) Head Lice Cure, (2) Lice Doctor, and (3) Head Lice Remedy.

Some hair care specialists promote shampoos that contain Neem seed extracts as potent against lice as well as shampoos that contain pure essential oils, such as tea tree and peppermint oil. A recent alternative to head lice is Nuvo lotion, which contains Cetaphil.