Olive Oil Treatment

• The treatment involves saturating the hair and scalp with olive oil to suffocate the lice. Cover the hair and scalp tightly with a shower cap for at least eight hours.
  
  

Nit Removal

• Removing the nits (eggs) is essential, and also the biggest difficulty with the olive oil treatment. The most effective way is combing them out of wet hair, either while the oil is still on the hair or after it is washed out.
  
  

Olive Oil Shampoo

• Another treatment involves adding 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. tea tree oil and 1 tsp. rosemary or eucalyptus oil to a small amount of shampoo. You'll apply this mixture and leave it on the hair for 30 minutes under a shower cap, then wash hair thoroughly.
  
  

Harvard Experiment

• The Harvard School of Public Health ran a small experiment on six lice and found that submerging the lice in olive oil killed them after two hours.
  
  

University of Nebraska

• The University of Nebraska at Lincoln, on the other hand, says studies indicate lice can survive overnight in hair covered with olive oil, mayonnaise or petroleum jelly.