How to deal with lice

Lice are very different from most other human blood-sucking parasites. First of all, the fact that their entire life cycle takes place on the body of people or their clothes, and they have developed many adaptations in order to survive in different situations that their owners find themselves in. In addition, practice shows that if lice appeared on the head or pubis, then many today only have a very vague idea of ​​​​how to deal with them, which gives additional chances for parasites to multiply rapidly and massively infect others.

When dealing with lice, it is important to take into account their high survivability. So, lice withstand many hours of immersion in water, do not freeze out when a person is in the cold for a long time. But the main thing: their eggs - nits - are so firmly attached to hair or clothes that it is not at all easy to remove them by hand or comb them out, and they are also much more resistant to insecticides than adult lice and their faces.

That is why it is most often necessary to deal with lice in two stages.

On a note

It is also important that the whole fight against lice takes place precisely on the human body, which means that means should be used here that are as safe as possible for the infected and at the same time effective against lice.

Nevertheless, despite certain difficulties, the fight against lice and nits today can be carried out in a very short time: for this you just need to choose the right effective drug and be able to use it correctly.

This is what we will do with you…

 

Step 1. Choose the optimal tool

Lice control products are divided into several types:

• Pediculicidal shampoos, considered today the most popular for combating head lice. Most of them can be used for children.
• Lice sprays are generally considered more effective than shampoos, but they are harder to apply to the hair and more likely to cause side effects. It is most rational to use them against pubic lice. Special technical aerosols are also often used to treat clothing infested with linen lice.
• Lice creams - in addition to their consistency, they do not have significant differences from previous types of products. It is worth saying that there are not so many pediculicidal preparations in the form of creams.
• Lice combs are remarkable in that they have no contraindications and do not cause any side effects. Simply put, lice are simply combed out by them. However, the fight against lice and nits with the help of combs requires a serious investment of time and effort. In many cases, combs are used as an additional way to increase the effectiveness of other means.
• And, finally, folk remedies for lice, among which there can be dangerous, but effective - kerosene and vinegar, - less dangerous, but more difficult to access - hellebore water and cranberry juice - and very ineffective such as citric acid and garlic mask. It is interesting to note that in some villages conspiracies from both lice and prayer are still actively practiced.

For children, it is best to choose a combination of shampoo and comb. For people with very sensitive skin, asthmatics and allergy sufferers - only lice combs. With limited financial resources, you can use folk remedies, but at the same time act with extreme caution.

On a note

No matter how numerous different methods of dealing with lice are and no matter how many supporters they have, the most effective option has always been and is the removal of hair on the infected part of the body. At the same time, there is no risk of side effects, and the procedure itself does not require serious financial costs.

 

And further: Creepy photos of head lice, including macro photography (the article has more than 50 comments)

Step 2. Destroy adult lice and larvae

The fight against lice and larvae is usually simpler (and more effective) than the fight against nits, and the stage of insect destruction itself takes no more than an hour and a half.

Depending on the means, the procedure is carried out in different ways:

• When using shampoo, the head is first washed with a simple shampoo, after which shampoo for lice is applied to wet hair. The tool must be kept on the head for a certain time, indicated in the instructions. Then the shampoo is washed off, and the head is thoroughly washed with running water.
• Sprays are applied to dry hair until completely wet. Keep on the head strictly according to the instructions, then washed off.
• Creams are usually applied to slightly damp hair and massaged into the skin.
• The rules for using folk remedies are different, but in most cases they are kept on the hair much longer than specialized insecticides.

To increase the effectiveness of the means in the fight against lice, it is advisable to cover the head with a scarf, a plastic bag or a swimming cap after applying the drug to the hair. However, for some products, such head covering is unacceptable, and this is additionally indicated in the instructions.

On a note

Almost all folk methods of dealing with lice involve covering the head. When using kerosene and vinegar, especially on children, the condition of the skin should be checked every few minutes to prevent burns.

To fight lice with a comb, you need to diligently comb out strands of hair from the very root. For this, special rigid and thick metal combs are usually used. Some of them come with a shampoo or spray. As a rule, all lice are combed out in three to four days of procedures.

The fight against body lice requires applying the product to infested items and packing the sprayed items in bags for several hours. Washing things at temperatures above +60°C or hanging clothes in frost (below minus 10°C) is also effective for removing parasites.

 

Step 3. Remove dead and surviving lice and part of the peeled nits

At this stage, dead and weakened by the insecticide lice are mechanically removed from the head, as well as those nits, the strength of attachment of which to the hair was reduced by the agent. This stage of the fight against lice and nits is carried out using special combs. Ordinary plastic or wooden combs are not suitable for this procedure, because the distance between their teeth is too large, and they do not comb out the nits.

On a note

Even special combs often do not help to completely remove nits - individual eggs slip between the teeth and between them.However, in practice, it turns out that after several combing out, the lice on the head completely disappear.

Hair should be combed immediately after treatment with a pediculicide and several more times over the next three to four days. Such lice control measures in 95% of cases avoid re-treatment of the hair with an insecticidal preparation.

And further: Just don't burn your hair - vinegar is really effective against lice and nits (the article has over 100 comments)

Combs with long teeth have proven themselves best. Wide combs with a short blade in practice give a less pronounced effect. But there is no statistically sound evidence that special electric combs kill lice more effectively than simple ones.

Lice should be combed out over a bathtub or spread out with a white sheet, so that after the procedure the parasites can be easily washed off with water or thrown into the toilet.

 

Step 4. We finally finish off the parasites

With a serious infestation, lice control usually requires re-treatment of the affected area. To do this, after 8-10 days, the second step of the entire procedure is repeated.

The need for this step is usually due to the fact that not all nits are destroyed during the first treatment, and larvae are hatched from the survivors within a week. They are destroyed during re-processing.

If a double treatment is initially planned, the comb for combing can be omitted.

On a note

Some shampoos and sprays are ovicidal, meaning they kill both nits and lice. They are usually very expensive and quite aggressive. Among them, for example, is Pediculen Ultra alcohol-based.

In the description of a particular remedy, it is always indicated whether it destroys nits.

After this step, only empty shells from old nits can remain on the head. They crumble quickly enough with regular shampooing.

 

Step 5, preventive. Avoiding lice infestation

All measures to combat lice may not come in handy if you correctly and consistently avoid infection with these parasites. For this you should:

• avoid people with obvious signs of pediculosis - constantly combing their heads, having white dots on their hair, obviously not following the rules of hygiene
• do not use other people's things, hats, combs
• avoid casual sex
• be careful in public places
• use a swimming cap in pools
• make sure that children do not play with disadvantaged peers.

If these measures are followed, infection most likely will not occur, and you will not have to fight lice. However, even if one or two steps are skipped in the above instructions, lice can still be removed. But this will require a lot of effort and time, and sometimes more procedures. Therefore, it is most reasonable to act consistently, comprehensively, once and for sure.

Be healthy!

 

Key Points for Successful Lice Control

 

Useful video: how to rid a child of lice using effective and safe means

 

Interesting footage about lice and how to deal with them