Home Remedies for Headlice - Scratching Out Headlice
Coping with headlice is an irritating problem that no one wants to deal with, but unfortunately lice are very contagious. Although they don’t carry disease, you have to take quick action to keep an infestation of lice from spreading to other members of your household. In this article, we’ll show you how to swiftly and successfully deal with this common but frustrating dilemma.
Lice are reddish brown bugs that live on the human head. They feed on blood, so they cannot survive on furniture, clothing or upholstery for more than two or three days. They also do not hop, jump or fly, so they are transmitted through direct and indirect contact with an infected person. Lice and lice eggs are most commonly spread through sharing items such as hats, combs, hair brushes and headphones. When searching for lice, sit in a brightly lit area and use a fine toothed lice comb. Look for lice and lice eggs in the hot spots, such as around the ears, at the crown of the head and at the nape of the neck. They lay their eggs close to the scalp but look along the whole hair shaft. Lice eggs are oval shaped, grayish-white in color and can’t be flicked off.
Studies have shown that lice are building a resistance to some pesticide head lice products. If you do have an infestation, consult your pharmacist to find out which product is best. Generally, an over-the-counter topical treatment is combined with the manual removal of nits for a two week period. Be sure to inform the pharmacist if you plan to use the product on children. Shampoos or creams containing lindane should never be used on babies, infants and children under fifty pounds.
The good news about an infestation of headlice is that they can’t live on your furniture and belongings because they need human blood to survive. Extreme heat is a louse’s worst enemy. Take all of your sheets and blankets, towels, and recently worn clothing and wash them in hot water. To dry them, use a very hot dryer setting for at least twenty minutes. High heat will kill eggs clinging to the fabric. To clean furniture, carpeting and curtains, a pesticide spray isn’t necessary. A thorough vacuuming should do the trick. For items that can’t be washed or vacuumed, put them into a sealed back for at least 48 hours.
Getting rid of head lice and nits does take some time and effort. The most important thing to do is be scrupulous about checking the infected person’s hair daily and manually removing the nits. Even after a treatment, the nits can hatch if they are left untouched. It generally takes about two weeks and two applications of a headlice shampoo treatment to successfully get rid of the problem. After that, be careful about sharing items such as hats and combs. After all that trouble, you don’t want those pests to come back!
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