The Lice Shampoos and Treatments You Need When Your Kids Come Home With a Surprise
It’s gross, it’s hard to deal with, but it happens.
“Please come pick up your child. There is a lice outbreak in their classroom, and we found nits on their head.” That call will send tendrils of ice down your spine along with a great many questions. Everyone knows lice are hard to get rid of, and the best lice treatments and lice shampoos aren’t always what you’re expecting.
You've probably heard that the lice shampoos that have been long-considered the gold standards of delousing topicals are failing us as lice become resistant. This is unfortunately true, according to Dr. Todd Minars, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine. Now the question is how we treat lice in a time when what we've always done no longer works.
Best Lice Treatments and Lice Shampoos
- A Pesticide-Free Option: RID Super Max Kit
- Best-Smelling Physical Removal Kit: Lice Treatment of America
- Strong Chemical Shampoo: RID Lice Killing Shampoo
- Good Kit for Fine Hair: Vamousse Lice Treatment Kit
- A Different Chemical Formula: Zap Lice Treatment
- Repellent Spray: So Cozy Boo! Lice Repel Spray
- Best Preventative Shampoo: Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel
What Are Your Options?
As you might have guessed, there’s a literal science to successfully removing lice. Minars tells Best Products, “One reason for treatment failure is that some medications treat the lice but not the ‘nits.’” Nits are lice eggs, and they often “produce a new generation of lice that have hatched after you think you have treated the scalp.” The eggs aren’t killed by the chemical treatments, and so they must be physically removed.
You're also going to need to wash every item of clothing in your home in both a hot washing and drying cycle. And don't forget to vacuum absolutely everything. If your vacuum isn't the greatest, consider this an opportunity to upgrade, because you do not want recurring lice due to a below-average vacuum.
Physical Removal
You can go to a lice-removal facility and have it done for you, or you can do it at home using a nit comb and some form of lubricant for the hair, like conditioner. (Pantene is really popular at these facilities.) Also, Minars notes that some locations go back and forth between removal and a heat source like a hair dryer, which speeds the process along.
Topical Treatments
Treating the lice themselves is a little bit easier, but it can be costly. Minars cautions that “Topical lice shampoo options are usually really tedious and messy — but it’s an important step at eradicating the infestation.” He also recommends looking for lice shampoos that contain pyrethrins combined with piperonyl butoxide or a permethrin lotion at 1% as active ingredients.
It might take several steps and multiple treatments to rid your house and heads of the pests. If all of your treatments fail and you find that you're still infested with the damning insects, you will need to seek prescription options from your provider or, perhaps, an exorcism. Lice are evil, after all.
All of the products below have been used by yours truly, or people I know personally. They are the best options available right now. But you better believe if science comes up with a miracle solution, I will happily add it here.
