Don't treat head lice with mayonnaise
If ever you needed a reason not to slather your head in mayonnaise, here it is. A new review of DIY head lice treatments finds that putting the sandwich condiment on your scalp isn’t a safe or effective way to do away with the bugs. The same was true for petroleum jelly and essential oils. Those home remedies might even cause adverse reactions like skin irritation, the review notes. Head lice also seem to have grown increasingly resistant to one of the standard types of treatment, pyrethoids. The study’s authors caution that the treatments which do still work — including benzyl alcohol and topical ivermectin — should be used sparingly when needed to avoid the same fate.