Step 1: Check Walgreens first
Walgreens carries Nit Happens in stores nationwide. It's the fastest in-person option tonight because many stores are open late (until 9pm or midnight), and you can check real-time in-store inventory before you drive.
🔍 Check Nit Happens stock at your nearest Walgreens walgreens.com → search "Nit Happens lice treatment" → Check in-store availability →Nit Happens is typically stocked in the pharmacy or personal care aisle, near other lice treatment products like Nix and RID.
How to check stock:
- Go to walgreens.com or open the Walgreens app
- Search "Nit Happens lice treatment"
- Select "Check in-store availability"
- Enter your ZIP code to see which nearby stores have it on the shelf tonight
Step 2: If Walgreens is out of stock near you
If your nearest Walgreens is out of stock, here's how to find a pesticide-free lice kit at other nearby retailers.
| Retailer | Typical Hours | How to Check Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Walgreens | Open late; 24-hr locations available | walgreens.com → "Check store availability" |
| CVS Pharmacy | Open late; MinuteClinic locations 24-hr | cvs.com → product search → "In-store availability" |
| Target | Typically until 10–11pm | target.com → "Check stores" |
| Walmart Supercenter | Many open 24 hours | walmart.com → "Check store availability" |
| Rite Aid | Varies by location | riteaid.com → store locator |
For each of these: go to the retailer's website or app → search the product → select "check in-store availability" → enter your ZIP code. This pulls real-time inventory data and tells you if it's on the shelf right now.
Step 3: Call ahead if it's late
If the store closes in under an hour, call ahead before driving. The pharmacy staff can usually confirm whether the product is on the shelf in about 60 seconds. The call saves a wasted trip.
What if no store near you has it tonight?
Option A: Manual wet combing tonight + Nit Happens arrives tomorrow
Manual wet combing with a fine-toothed lice comb doesn't replace treatment, but it reduces the lice load and buys you time. Use a lice comb on wet, conditioned hair, working in sections from scalp to ends. This won't eliminate the infestation, but it slows it down overnight. Order Nit Happens on Amazon for next-day delivery while you comb.
Option B: Use what's available at a 24-hour pharmacy tonight
If you can't wait, a dimethicone-based treatment (LiceMD, Vamousse) is the next-best pesticide-free option and is widely stocked. Dimethicone-based treatments have published cure rates of 69–92% following two applications (Burgess et al., BMC Dermatology, 2013) and are appropriate for all ages from toddlers up.
What's in the Nit Happens kit?
Treatment time per the clinical study was approximately 47.5 minutes for the first application. Plan for that full window — the brushing is what makes the physical-removal mechanism work.
While you wait for the kit: what to do tonight
Do these 5 things right now
- Don't panic. Lice don't jump or fly. They spread by direct head-to-head contact — finding them tonight doesn't mean the whole household is infested.
- Check everyone in the household who shares close contact with the infested person. Focus on the nape of the neck and behind the ears under bright light.
- Machine-wash bedding and recently worn clothing on a hot cycle (130°F / 54°C or higher) and dry on high heat.
- Bag items that can't be washed (stuffed animals, pillows) in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks. Lice off the head can't survive more than 2 days without a human host.
- Don't spray your furniture with pesticides. The CDC does not recommend home pesticide sprays for lice — lice don't live in the environment long enough to warrant it.
For a deeper dive into treatment timing and when a second application is needed, see One Treatment or Two? What the Retreatment Data Actually Says.
The bottom line
Walgreens is your fastest in-stock option tonight. Use the Walgreens app or website to confirm local inventory before driving. If Walgreens is out, check CVS, Target, or Walmart using their in-store stock checkers. If nothing's nearby, order on Amazon for tomorrow and do manual wet combing tonight to reduce the lice load. Don't buy Nix or RID if they've failed you before — resistance is real and widespread.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parasites — Lice — Head Lice: Treatment. cdc.gov. Updated 2025.
- Burgess IF, Brunton ER, Burgess NA. BMC Dermatology. 2013;13:5.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Head Lice. HealthyChildren.org. Updated 2023.