Olive oil is the perfect substance to kill lice. It is non-toxic, soothes the skin, and is thick enough to cover the scalp and attached lice. Lice must be removed with a lice comb or suffocated over the course of at least eight hours to kill them. That makes the olive oil easier and faster than the process of picking up the lice by hand.
To use olive oil to kill lice, the entire scalp must be covered with it. Head lice live directly on the scalp and latch onto the scalp with small, claw-like hooks. This makes it difficult to remove the insects from the scalp with a lice comb. However, olive oil spreads easily and will coat any and all lice you want to kill.
To keep the oil on your head, you can place a shower cap over your hair. This will seal in the oil and keep it in contact with the scalp and lice. The shower cap should stay in place all day or all night. The night may be more comfortable and convenient for you.
The use of a lice comb should follow the olive oil treatment. If lice remain, the comb will remove them. After your oil treatment, wash your hair well and condition it. While the conditioner is still on the hair, use the lice comb to get rid of any remaining lice. Comb through each part of the hair, then rinse out the conditioner.