If we take a look across the globe there are a wide variety of head lice treatments that are available, ranging from simple homemade remedies to special shampoos and oils. Head louse or lice are tiny insects found on the scalp of the head when one is infested. These can be spread through contact. A head louse infects your hair and it can live up to 30 days in your hair. During their life cycle, they also lay eggs in your hair. These eggs are called nits. Head lice are common in overcrowded places, especially in the schools.
Symptoms of lice infestation:
- Itching of the scalp
- Small bumps on the scalp neck and shoulders
- Tiny white specks (eggs) on the bottom of the hair, these specks are very difficult to remove
Here are some of the best homemade head lice treatments
How to go about head lice treatment? Fortunately a number of options are available nowadays and you can choose from a range of home remedies to a wide variety of medical treatments available. Let us first discuss about a natural lice treatment. This involves getting rid of louse by applying some substances which are commonly available in your home. You can use mayonnaise, petroleum jelly and olive oil. You can apply any one of these on your hair, and leave it overnight. To prevent dripping, a shower cap should be used. As it is difficult to get rid of eggs, it is advised to repeat this process after ten days.
Apart from this there are many other home remedies for the head lice treatment. You can use tea tree oil, almond paste, lemon juice to get rid of lice and nits. Lemon juice with garlic paste is a very effective treatment to get rid of the hair lice.
The most effective way to get rid of lice is with a nit comb. This is especially useful for children under two-years of age, who may have adverse reactions to lice shampoo and other chemicals used as a head lice treatment. These nit combs are available at local pharmacy shops and they are quiet reasonable. It is recommended to use these nit combs daily so that you get rid of these lice and nits.
Some medications are also available in the market for effective head lice treatment. Medications that are used to kill lice are called as Pediculicides. All Pediculicides are generally applied on the scalp and hair. Leave this on your hair for ten minutes and then rinse it off. These are very effective on the lice, but not on the nits. So it should be re-applied after 7-10 days. But it is very important to follow all the instructions of application and use carefully as, some Pediculicides have significant toxins. Some popular medications for the louse treatment are: Permethrin, Lindane, and Malathion.
A final thought of head lice treatment and prevention
As it is said, prevention is better than cure, it is very important to prevent the infestation of head louse. Following are some points that are to be kept in mind:
- Never share brush, comb, caps etc with a person who has lice infestation
- Keep your hair clean
- Regularly clean things that have direct contact with the hair e.g. pillows, seats and etc.
Treatment is very crucial, and should be done warily with all the prevention methods in order to avoid further infection. For the complete removal of the lice it is very important to repeat the head lice treatment a couple of times.