Overview of drugs and preparations for removing lice and nits

It usually turns out that the need for a medicine for lice and nits arises suddenly: as soon as lice are found in one of the family members, they immediately try to process something as soon as possible (and sometimes they process it with anything - both kerosene and vinegar , even hydrogen peroxide is used).

It is rare that anyone will even think to call the nearest pharmacy and ask what kind of drugs for lice exist. Moreover, it can be difficult to get through to a pharmacy, because pharmacists are unlikely to immediately answer you, because perhaps they have some other business besides rushing headlong to every phone call. And if you already show miracles of patience and still get through there, then you will probably be called at least ten types of medicines for lice.

However, in such a hurry, it is easy to forget that not all drugs are equally effective and safe to use. Therefore, it is useful to get acquainted with at least the main types of lice remedies, which we will deal with next.

So, when choosing a medicine for lice and nits, first of all, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:

• safety of use - the medicine for lice should not cause severe side effects;
• effectiveness - at least the drug should destroy adult lice, and in the best case - also nits;
• availability - be available in pharmacies and stores and not cost too much;
• ease of use.

It is precisely because it is rare to combine all these qualities “in one bottle” that lice preparations breed on the market like mushrooms after rain. Some of them are safe, but do not give the desired effect, others are very powerful, but cause serious allergic skin irritation. Still others are both effective and safe, but require serious effort and time to use.

 

As a result, usually when choosing the best medicine for removing lice, you always have to sacrifice something.

We note right away: further in the article, it is chemical preparations against lice and nits that are considered. Compared to pediculicidal combs, such preparations are easier to use and allow you to get rid of lice and nits in one or two or three doses, and do not require constant combing for many days.

 

Lice shampoos

In general, pediculicidal shampoos are quite effective drugs against lice and, perhaps, of all similar products, the most convenient to use. They are applied to the head in the same way as ordinary cosmetic shampoos, and after the formation of foam, they are aged for some time (different, depending on the specific preparation, usually about half an hour).

Such shampoos are easy to rinse off, usually either odorless or scented with special fragrances. Of these, the most famous are the following:

1. Pedilin is a drug against nits and lice based on the insecticide malathion.One of the advantages is the ovicidal action - the shampoo successfully poisons not only adult parasites, but also kills embryos in nits. The product is not suitable for the treatment of children under the age of two years., and in adults, if significant amounts are ingested, it can cause cyanosis, allergies, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps (sounds scary, but in reality you have to drink at least a bottle of shampoo for this). Pedilin is good as a cure for pubic lice. The price for it is about 250 rubles for a 100 ml bottle.
2. Parasidosis - phenothrin-based shampoo, sold complete with a comb, which is convenient to comb out poisoned lice. The drug may cause allergies and is not recommended for children under 2.5 years of age. As a medicine against lice, Parasidosis is applied twice with an interval of a day: it is applied to the head for 5-10 minutes, after which it is washed off. It is sold in bottles of 60 and 100 ml, the latter costing about 300 rubles.
3. NOC shampoo is also a fairly effective Permethrin-based lice remedy. Widely used in detention centers. The price of a 50 ml bottle is about 75 rubles.
4. Shampoo LiceGuard - suitable not only for lice, but also as a cure for nits. Its main component softens the sticky secret with which nits are attached to the hair. After using the shampoo, the head must be carefully combed out with a comb. 120 ml of LiceGuard shampoo cost about 800 rubles.

And further: Killer remedy for lice and nits for 40 rubles - hellebore water (the article has more than 60 comments)

It is shampoos that are most often used to remove lice in school-age children.However, they are not the safest medicines for head lice, yielding in this criterion to some sprays.

 

Pediculicide sprays

Lice sprays are good because some of their preparations do not contain insecticides at all, but at the same time they effectively destroy lice.

For example:

1. The Nyuda lice drug works due to Dimethicone (liquid silicone), which clogs the respiratory tract of parasites. The same Dimethicone in other medicines is used as a remedy for flatulence and to improve the condition of the skin. Nyuda is applied to dry hair until it is completely moisturized, then after 45 minutes the hair is combed with the comb that comes with the kit, and the product is washed off. Nyuda Spray is widely used as a lice remedy for children, but is generally contraindicated for use in children under 3 years of age, pregnant and lactating women. The price is about 350 rubles for a 50-ml bottle.
2. Paranit lice spray also contains Dimethicone and mineral oil, suitable as a lice preparation for children. In general, Paranit is a good remedy for lice, but it does not help against nits at all, which is why the treatment must be repeated a week or two after the first treatment (to destroy the larvae that will hatch by that time from the surviving nits).

On a note

The specificity of Paranit and Nyuda is that Dimethicone is a hydrophobic substance and does not dissolve in water. Judging by the reviews, many parents complain that Paranit is very difficult to wash off.

3. Pediculen Ultra contains anise oil, which is considered a good remedy for lice. However, the drug is not recommended for use in children under 5 years of age.
4. A-Par: according to many reviews, it is almost the most effective drug for linen lice.But it cannot be applied to the body, since it is intended only for the treatment of rooms, furniture and clothing. If the instructions are violated, it can cause poisoning and hallucinations.

Review

“I didn’t know which medicine for lice on the pubis to buy, which one to buy on clothes. I bought A-Par, processed, well, in short, I was covered. At first I felt sick, then hallucinations began, I was in some kind of astral plane for two days. True, the lice in the end did not. A good drug for nits - everything that was brought out. Honestly, I don't recommend this to anyone."

Maxim, Barnaul

In general, it is among the sprays that one should look for a remedy that would suit the most fastidious user who is afraid of "any toxic chemistry."

 

Creams and their application

Lice creams are nothing special among other remedies. They often use the same insecticides that are used in pediculicide shampoos.

For example, Nyx cream is considered, although very effective, but quite rich in various side effects of the drug.

Nyx is not recommended for use in children under 2 years of age, pregnant or breastfeeding women. It is applied to dry hair along the entire length, washed off after 10 minutes. If necessary, the procedure is repeated after a week.

Review

“We could not decide for a long time, we took what was - a cure for lice Nyx. Otherwise, they would not have been taken to the hospital. He does not kill nits, lice die. I had to comb it almost around the clock after I smeared myself with Nix once. But in three days everything disappeared, that was, even after a week I didn’t have to process it a second time. ”

Tatiana, Kamenetz-Podolsky

You can also pay attention to benzyl benzoate from lice in the form of a cream - also quite effective, although somewhat outdated.

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

 

Concentrates: pros and cons

These funds are concentrated solutions of insecticidal preparations. They are quite effective against all types of lice, but are most often used as preparations for pubic lice.

Among pediculicidal concentrates, Medifox and Avicin are especially popular among doctors and exterminators in special detention centers. The first is dissolved at a concentration of a third of the bottle per 100 ml of water, and the second - 10 ml per 1 liter, after which the infected areas are treated with the finished solution.

These same lice preparations allow you to remove parasites on clothes. Not recommended for use in children and pregnant women, however, they allow you to dilute the initial solution in any concentration, which is convenient.

Review

“Use Medifox only according to the instructions - it's still a drug for lice, not cologne. I watered the causal place directly from the bottle, then everything from my knees to my chest was sprinkled with allergies. But the lice disappeared immediately. Powerful stuff."

Pavel, Nizhny Novgorod

 

Folk remedies for lice

Folk remedies for lice are generally considered the least effective and most dangerous to use.

Among them, the most famous are the following:

• Kerosene, which poisons lice, softens the shells of nits, but can lead to serious skin burns.
• Vinegar with a similar effect to kerosene.
• Hydrogen peroxide, which, in addition to killing lice, bleaches the hair and can severely burn the skin.
• Hellebore water, which destroys lice, but is quite toxic if accidentally ingested.
• Cranberry juice, effectively softening the shells of nits.

In addition to these remedies, traditional healers are often advised to use decoctions and infusions of wormwood and tansy, essential oils of various plants such as lavender and anise seed from lice. But such medicines in practice in most cases do not allow you to get rid of lice, but only protect against infection with new parasites.

Review

“When our daughter from school brought us this muck, we didn’t look for pills for lice, but in the old fashioned way we poured kerosene on our heads and covered them with a bag. After about 15 minutes, my daughter began to complain that she was baking. I quickly removed the bag, washed her hair, combed it out. God, how many parasites were there! They had the whole bathroom. There was some redness behind the child's ears, but it went away in two days. And in other children, I saw such burns done with kerosene, that it’s better to buy some kind of shampoo.

Anna, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

There are cases of ignition of kerosene on the hair of children when working with it near sources of open flame.

When choosing which medicine for lice is better, more effective and safer, you should definitely remember about a bald haircut. This is especially convenient for the fight against pubic lice: it is precisely because of the fashion for shaved pubes that the pubic louse is rapidly disappearing throughout the civilized world today. And if there is such an opportunity, there is a reason to remove all the hair in half an hour, let the skin breathe for several weeks and at the same time get rid of the parasites.

 

Important facts about lice and nits

 

Useful video: choose a drug for removing lice in a child

 

The mother accidentally set her daughter on fire when she removed her lice with kerosene