Head Lice - Causes, Symptom, Remedies and Preventions

Head Lice - Causes, Symptom, Remedies and Preventions

Head lice cannot fly and they cannot jump from one person to the next; they are not transmitted from household pets or other animals. Instead, when they are caught, it is usually through head-to-head contact or by sharing hair accessories, such as hair-brushes, combs, hats or even by putting these items on top of each other.

Head lice can also survive for short times on bedding and furniture. Children are particularly prone to infestation with head lice as they often have close contact with each other at school or when playing. There is no link between the presence of head lice and a lack of hygiene or susceptibility to infection.

Head Lice Symptoms

Often the first sign of infestation is an itchy head or neck. The saliva of head lice is irritating on the skin, and itching is often worse behind the ears or at the back of the neck. However, head lice do not always cause itching. In some developing countries, human head lice have been blamed for passing rare diseases from person to person. In the United States and other devolped nations, lice do not usually cause direct harm to an affected person but the persistent irritation and itching can disturb concentration and disrupt sleep. When trying to eradicate the lice, care should be taken not to overuse potentially hazardous medicines.

Head Lice Home remedies and removal

For head lice problem wash your hair with vinegar. It will kill all the nits in two days. Apply coconut oil to your head after shampoo and condition.

-Add ten to fifteen drops of tea tree oil into shampoo bottle and use it daily.

-Rub listerine mouth wash on your head. This will kill all the lice.

-Massage your head with mayonnaise and comb it after 2 hours. This will kill all the lice and their eggs. Apply a mixture of lemon and butter on your head, wait for 15 seconds and then rinse your head.

Head Lice Prevention

Head louse infestations (pediculosis) are prevalent worldwide. In developed countries, the infestation rate of 4- to 13-year-old children remains high despite preventive efforts. This is due to the existence of numerous ineffective pediculicides, the incorrect use of the effective agents, toxicological concerns and the development of louse strains resistant to insecticides.

One of the most effective tools for the prevention and control of lice is the louse comb, which should be used regularly for the detection of living lice at an early stage of infestation, and as an accessory to any treatment method to remove living and dead lice. The louse comb can also be used systematically for the treatment of infestations, for confirmation that treatment with pediculicides has been successful, and for the removal of nits (dead eggs or egg shells).

Most pediculicides are only partially ovicidal. Therefore, 10 days after beginning treatment with any antilouse product, the scalp of the child should be examined. If no living lice are found, the treatment should be discontinued. If living lice are still present, treatment should be continued with a product containing a different active ingredient. Suffocating agents such as olive, soya, sunflower and corn oils, hair gels and mayonnaise are able to kill a significant number of lice only if they are applied in liberal quantities for more than 12 hours.

However, they lubricate the hair and therefore may facilitate combing and removing lice and eggs from the scalp. Nits may remain glued on the hair for at least 6 months, even after a successful treatment, and lead to a false positive diagnosis of louse infestation. If nits are seen on the hair, the child should be examined, but treatment should be initiated only if living lice are found. Formulations containing 5% acetic acid or 8% formic acid, as well as acid shampoos (pH 4.5 to 5.5) and conditioners, in combination with a louse comb, can be helpful for removing nits.

There is no conclusive evidence that using essential oils to repel lice is effective. Regular examination of the child's head using a louse comb is the best measure to detect re-infestation at an early stage. Educating caregivers, nurses and teachers about louse biology, epidemiology, prevention and control is of paramount importance. The psychological effect of an infestation with lice is significant and often associated with anxiety and fear. The child should not be made to feel responsible for having lice, or be punished or reprimanded.