When a head lice infestation occurs, it can be devastating to everyone involved. Head lice is particularly tramautic for anyone with long, thick, or just plain beautiful hair. There are many simple ways to deal with the problem though, but all of them take a bit of time, patience, and hard work.

One of the biggest reasons for reinfestation, or difficulty getting rid of head lice is not taking all of the steps required to get rid of them. Most people concentrate on the head and hair of the infested person, not realizing they also need to treat the entire household. Lice can live for brief periods in carpets, pillows, stuffed animals, bedclothing, and even in the upolstery of your car. So treat the infested head and hair first, then be sure to take the final steps to make sure there isn’t a recurring lice problem in another week or two.

There are a variety of excellent ways to get rid of lice in someone’s hair. A previous article covers some of the oldest tried and true home remedies, but here are three more popular ones as well:

1. Good quality, fine tooth comb plus time, patience, love and laughter. Often when a head lice problem crops up with children, the problem doesn’t get resolved well because the kids just aren’t overly experienced at cleaning and brushing their own hair. A bit of love and attention from Mom usually does just the trick. Wash your child’s hair for them daily to be sure it’s fully cleaned. Also comb the hair at least once each day with a fine toothed comb so the head lice and nits will be pulled out. If the infestation is bad, you’ll want to use a nit comb several times each day. Do this for at least 10 days, because the nits will hatch in 7-10 days, and can start the infestation all over again.

2. Hair coloring or perms. We don’t particularly feel the chemicals in these hair treatments are any better than the harsh ones used in lice shampoos, but for many young girls with beautiful hair, it’s a popular option. The combination of harsh chemicals and strong smells from hair coloring and perms will usually drive the lice out of the head. And since the smell can stay around for a week or more, this may be effective to drive out any new lice that hatch from the nits. Combing well each day for at least 7-10 days after getting the salon treatment is usually best though.

3. Flowery scented shampoos. Lice thrive on the human body. And almost anything that masks or alters the normal human smell will often make the lice leave. This is why lice don’t live on dogs and cats: These animals do not have the human smell. Because of this, you can sometimes get rid of lice successfully – plus keep them from coming back – by using shampoos which have a heavy flower scent.

One other way to alter the standard human smell is to simply eat some fresh garlic or onions. Eating garlic or onions in large amounts, or over several days, will cause your body sweat to have a different smell. This will drive the lice away, along with any that hatch from the nits in a week or so.

Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA, and should not be taken as professional medical advice.