Further Study on Dimeticones for Head Lice Treatment

A study aimed at comparing the efficacy of commercially available anti-head lice shampoos has demonstrated that products containing mineral oils are more effective for killing head lice.

The study by Balcioglu et al., published in December 2015 by the Turkish Society of Parasitology compared insecticides and dimeticone based solutions which are used for treating head lice.

The study used head lice specimens collected from primary school children before treating the lice with the commercial products and observing the effects over time by microscope.

The study suggests that physically effective products such as shampoos with mineral oils such as dimeticone can be used repetitively because they are non-toxic and there is no expected resistance from the head lice.