Borax is a product that should be used with care and never on the skin or scalp. Borax can indeed eliminate any insect infestation, but you should never use it as a lice repellent or mix it with shampoo. It can be toxic to humans, and children are much more sensitive to its effects. The use of borax can cause severe breathing problems if it is breathed in by accident.
Borax or sodium borate is a mineral that can have antibacterial and insecticidal functions. Its use in the home is quite widespread due to its cleaning and disinfectant properties.
However, its use for the removal of lice is relatively reliable. However, they can be absorbed through the sensitive areas of insects so they can help eliminate them.
How Does Borax Affect Lice?
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Borax is a product for external and domestic use, not for humans. It is proven that lice can barely last a maximum of 48 hours away from the head, then they die. Trying to spread borax throughout the house does not make much sense, more than trying to kill flea eggs and other insects that may be not only more sensitive to borax but survive without being attached to your hair.
Does Borax Repel Lice?
No, as a product that can only be used as a cleaner and never used on the human body, it does not repel lice. A good repellent has to be applied to your hair; that’s where the lice will reach, not your dining room table, your carpet, or your curtains. Washing your sheets with soap and water will have the same effect on borax lice and are less likely to cause related problems.
Related: Does Dawn Dish Soap Kill Lice?
Does Borax Kill Lice?
Lice can barely survive away from your head for up to 48 hours. They need your capillaries’ keratin to create the coating of the nit (louse eggs), and this needs your hair to live. If one falls, their hours are counted because they will not be able to reproduce or feed.
Lice resist soaps and shampoo, plenty of water, and even massage. Just removing them from the head and some products specifically designed for such a function kill them. Borax is a good disinfectant and works very well against pests like cockroaches, fleas, and mites because they are external. But parasites like lice need to be attached to the scalp, and you can’t put borax there.
How To Use Borax To Kill Lice?
There are many ways to use borax as a disinfectant or cleaner. In carpet cleaning, which is the most widespread, dust is usually spread on the surface and waiting 24 hours to remove it with a vacuum cleaner.
If what you want to eliminate is lice, you do not need to risk your family to suffer respiratory problems derived from borax aspiration. Lice do not lay eggs or breed on a carpet, doormat, or curtain. They need human hair, so if one falls on the carpet, it has a maximum of 48 hours to live. Also, the lice do not adhere to the carpet’s bristles or filaments, so you clean them easily when you vacuum.
Now, if you have fleas or mites, borax can help you a lot. By dissolving in water or spreading by sprinkling the area you want to clean, you can eliminate and repel these types of pests that are much more annoying and dangerous than lice.
