Two proven routes: wet-combing with a nit comb every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks, or a pharmacy lice treatment applied twice, a week apart - and check every head in the house the same day.
Wet-combing works by removing every louse before it can breed; pharmacy lotions (dimeticone or insecticide types) kill on contact, with the second application catching new hatchlings. Treat everyone with live lice together or you will pass them back and forth. Skip the panic moves - no fumigating, no head shaving - lice barely survive a day or two off the scalp, so hot-washing recent pillowcases and brushes is plenty. Keep weekly checks going for a few weeks after. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you plan the blitz.
What to do
Common questions
How do you get rid of head lice?
Two proven routes, pick one and be thorough. Route one, wet-combing: coat wet, conditioned hair, comb from roots to ends with a fine nit comb in small sections, and repeat every 3 to 4 days for at least two weeks - this breaks the life cycle by removing every louse before it can breed. Route two, pharmacy treatments: lotions or sprays (dimeticone-based physical treatments or insecticide ones like permethrin where used) applied exactly per the label, usually twice, a week apart, to catch newly hatched lice. Either way: check every head in the household on the same day and treat everyone with live lice together, or you will ping-pong them. What you do NOT need: fumigating the house, bagging toys for weeks, or shaving heads - lice survive barely a day or two off a scalp, so a hot wash of pillowcases and brushes used in the last couple of days is plenty. Keep checking weekly for a few weeks after. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you plan the household blitz.