Head Lice

Having head lice is very common and home remedies for treatment are much in demand. It affects all social classes and have absolutely nothing to do with personal hygiene. Lice like clean heads even more then dirty ones and there is nothing shameful about being infected.

If you have a child there is a good chance you will come into contact with head lice at some stage and you will need my home remedies.
There are three kinds of human lice - pubic lice (also called crabs), head and body lice. Lice aren't dangerous and they do not spread disease, but they are contagious. They all feed on human blood.

What is it?

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are tiny, parasitic, wingless insects found on the heads of people. The only host of them are humans. They suck blood from the scalp and reside close to the scalp to ma head lice picture intain their body temperature.
There are 3 forms of lice:

the egg (also called a nit)
the nymph
the adult.

Egg (nit): Nits are lice eggs. They are oval and very small, about the size of a knot on thread, hard to see, and are often confused for dandruff or hair spray droplets. Nits are firmly attached to the hair shaft nearest the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits take about 1 week to hatch.

Nymph: The nit hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult head louse, but is smaller, about the size of a pinhead. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must feed on blood.

Adult: The adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has 6 legs. It can live up to 30 days on a person's head, needs to feed on blood several times daily. If the louse falls off a person, without blood meals, it dies within 2 days.

What are the symptoms?

Tickling feeling of something moving in the hair.
Tiny red spots on the scalp caused by lice bites.
Itching, caused by an allergic reaction to the bites, to the saliva of the louse.
Sores on the head caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected.
Persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and inflammation.
Majority of infestations are symptom free (asymptomatic).

Where are they commonly found?

They are most commonly found on the scalp, behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the neck (around the nape of neck). Head louse holds on to hair with hook-like claws found at the end of each of their six legs.
Head lice are rarely found on the body, eyelashes or eyebrows.

How can I get head lice?

Contact with an already infested person is the most common way to get the infection. They can spread quickly from person to person, especially in group settings. Though they can not fly or jump, they have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, which is common during play at school and at home.

Less commonly:

Wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats or hair ribbons, recently worn by an infested person.
Using infested combs, brushes or towels.
Lying on a bed, couch, pillow, carpet or stuffed animal that has recently been in contact with an infested person.

Since the only host of head lice are humans, pets or other animals can not catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.

How is it diagnosed?

lice on hair Though very small, lice can be seen by the naked eye. An infestation is diagnosed by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or adults. Finding a nymph or adult may be difficult, they can move quickly from searching fingers. They are an off white, brown or sort of dirt on colour. It is best to use a bright light to examine the hair and the scalp. The brighter the light the easier they are to find. You may even do this outdoors under direct sun light. Try running a fine tooth comb through the hair and then examine the comb.

Even if you do not find any live lice, you may still have problems. Look also for nits, lice eggs. Nits are found attached to the individual hair shaft, close to the scalp. They appear to be a tiny speck of sand on the hair. If you can not decide, blow on it. If it flies off on the wind - it was likely only a piece of dirt, lint or dandruff. On the other hand, if it just sits there and does not move - it is likely to be a nit.
If you are not sure if a person has head lice, the diagnosis should be made by a professional.

What is the treatment?

The traditional treatment for an outbreak of head lice is the application of powerful lotions containing pesticides. The main advantage is that such lotions can penetrate the hard casing of the lice eggs and kill the nits inside.
However, scientists and parents are beginning to think again, for the following reasons.

It seems that with repeated use these pesticides are losing their effectiveness. There are reports from some areas that live nits are not being destroyed and it is suggested that some adult lice may also be resistant.
There is concern about using powerful chemicals on young children. Pediatricians strongly recommend NOT to use medicated lice treatments on children under 2 years of age.
They are expensive and unpleasant to use. However, there are effective alternatives.

What are the effective alternatives for head lice treatment?

Are you interested in the all natural, absolutely safe home remedy recipes for treating head lice?

You will find a satisfying answer in my e-book:

Click here to learn more about Home Remedies for Head Lice!

When should I visit the doctor?

The home remedies will usually take care of a run-of-the-mill case of head lice. But you will need a doctor's help if the self-treatment fails or if the skin on the scalp becomes cracked, inflamed or infected.

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