Does Mayonnaise Kill Lice?

Does Mayonnaise Kill Lice?

Handling head lice can be a tricky and difficult situation if not handled quickly and/or professionally. The key is treating the individual with head lice before anyone else in the household can be affected. 

That being said, it can be tempting to seek out DIY or home remedies for solving the issue before visiting Fresh Heads. While we do not discourage families from conducting their own head checks, we don’t however encourage them to treat head lice at home. There are many reasons as to why, which will be discussed below as well as better treatment options and other steps you can take to prevent the spread of head lice.

Head Lice: What Are They And Why Are They Difficult To Treat?

Head lice are small parasitic insects that feed off the blood of a persons scalp. They are wingless and measure to about the size of a strawberry seed. Although a nuisance, head lice do not carry any transmittable diseases that are dangerous. The only real threat they pose is the level of uncomfortability they cause and how easily they can be transmitted between people. 

What makes head lice difficult to treat is firstly their eggs, sometimes called nits. These small dandruff-looking eggs are incredibly difficult to brush out of the hair. Whereas dandruff just flakes off the scalp, nits cannot be brushed or combed out with your traditional hair tools. Even the special over the counter shampoos designed to treat this condition are ineffective in removing nits completely. 

Another factor that makes head lice difficult to treat is their ability to rapidly multiply. Female head lice can lay up to eight nits per day and both male and female lice can survive for up to 30 days. It takes about 9 days for the nits to hatch. This is why it’s important to not only remove the bugs themselves but the nits as well. 

Does Mayonnaise Kill Lice?

In short: no, mayonnaise (and any other product used to suffocate head lice) does not work. 

You could be wondering why such a remedy is even considered as a treatment option for head lice. It is important to note that, all the while ineffective, mayonnaise is one of those “been around for years” myths that somehow became an incredibly popular suggestion to the public. 

But if it’s no use, then how has it been around for so long? Well, the mayonnaise remedy stems from the idea of killing head lice through suffocation. Thinking about the consistency of the condiment, it at first makes sense. It is pretty thick. But in order for the method to be effective, the mayonnaise must completely harden because it’s not thick enough to completely suffocate adult bugs. That can take up to 8 hours. And in all of this time one might think they’ve found a solution but in actuality one a few adult bugs just laid 50 more eggs. 

The most important thing to remember about treating head lice is that it is not enough to just kill the bugs. You must also kill the nits too. And this is the part that the mayonnaise supporters fail to understand. Mayonnaise and therefore the idea of suffocating the adult bugs, has absolutely no effect on the eggs. And that means the cycle of infestation will continue.

The Most Effective Way To Kill Head Lice

The most effective way to kill head lice if you suspect there is an infestation is to visit a professional in a timely manner. The sooner you treat the condition the quicker it is to get rid of and you reduce the chances of other family or friends catching it. 

We encourage you to conduct frequent head checks with a special nit comb and check the hotspots: over and behind the ears, the nape of the neck, and the crown of the head. Make sure to comb out through the entire head and perform a thorough examination. 

Lastly, if you find you are infected, seek professional help at Fresh Heads. We will conduct a head check for $14.99 and if a positive case of head lice is confirmed, we will continue with one of our signature treatments to get the bugs gone the first time. Our most popular treatment is our AirAlle dehydration treatment. 

Visit Fresh Heads! Get It Done Right The First Time!

Although we understand some might want to treat head lice on their own first, it’s important to understand that one might cause a severe issue that could’ve been solved easily the first time. At Fresh Heads we pride ourselves on being able to kill head lice and remove them completely with just one treatment. It’s all thanks to our signature AirAllé technology that was proven to be 99.2% effective in a scientific study. 

To schedule your lice removal service today, visit our website to find various locations near you!

Schools Without Lice.

Schools Without Lice

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, our mission is to get rid of lice in schools across the United States. We’ve partnered with the Lice Clinics of America to create the Schools Without Lice program. Through this program, we provide school nurses and teachers with free screenings, resources, and treatments. Together, we can have schools without lice!