Question:
I saw a natural head lice remedy on the Net that was part vinegar,
mayonnaise, and oil. Does anyone know the proportions?? I lost my
"recipe"
Answer:
Oils can be used to suffocate live lice.
There is a huge list of herbals that have been claimed to kill head lice,
but without good evidence of safety and effectiveness. When it comes to
actually killing lice, you are most concerned with the *differential* in
toxicity of the remedy toward humans and lice. There is no such thing as a
remedy that is toxic only to lice and not at all to humans. The medical
insecticides used for lice are chosen because there is a great differential
in their toxicity, so that they can be used to kill the lice with only
minimal toxicity to humans. Anyone claiming that an herbal has such
differential is selling snake oil. (Hmm, I wonder if snake oil could be
used to suffocate live lice.)
