Over the last couple of decades lice have become resistant to some of the most common treatments. This spells frustrations for parents.
There is a new prescription product called Ulesfia Lotion (benzyl alcohol). According to the FDA, this topical treatment eliminated lice completely for 75 percent of those using it in a clinical trial compared to 26 percent using a placebo lotion. It requires two 10-minute treatments a week apart. The active ingredient makes it hard for lice to breathe and they kick the bucket fairly quickly. It does not kill the eggs (nits) though, which is why you need the second treatment. Ulesfia is pricey, though.
Here is one mother’s observation:
“My pediatrician just prescribed Ulesfia for my daughter who’s been battling lice for months. She has long hair and the cost was $600!
I don’t know how they expect anyone to be able to afford this. Hopefully, it won’t be long before someone comes out with a comparable cheaper OTC product.”
WT, Dec. 7, 2010
Parents have been experimenting with old-fashioned amber Listerine on the scalp. We have heard from many that massaging this mouthwash into the hair and leaving it on for awhile can also kill lice. In our Home Remedy Library, 82 people have voted on how well it works. They rated it 4.3 stars out of a possible 5. Here are just a few reports:
“We discovered this morning that my daughter had lice in her long thick hair, a LOT of lice and nits. After the Listerine treatment all the lice were dead and the gazillion nits got combed out. It really did work!”
JB, Nov. 7, 2010
“House brand generic mouthwash works just as well as Listerine. Soak hair for 2 hours covered in a shower cap. It kills ALL of the bugs so there’s no need to use any other shampoos, mayo, Vaseline, special chants, spells, voodoo, amulets or magic charms ;-)
“Soaking the hair in vinegar for 2 hours gets rid of most of the nits. You will probably have to pick a few eggs out. Check for nits once a week.”
GN, Feb. 21, 2011
Listerine may also do double duty against nail fungus, underarm odor and jock itch. Here is another testimonial:
“I also use Listerine to do foot soaks for my grandma. Did you know it kills toenail fungus? You just put a capful in the tub of water and soak the feet for 10 minutes. No rinsing required. It took a year for the nail to grow out, but now even the doctor is impressed. Voila!”
Dee, Nov. 11, 2010
