RSS Feed
How to Get Rid of Lice
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
If you think back to your school days, you will no-doubt remember occasions where the school nurses would visit your class and dig through you and your classmates hair. What they were searching for was head lice, which is most frequently spread in schools where children share close quarters. This guide will show you how to get rid of lice without the use of dangerous chemicals and insecticides.
1. Louse identification
This article will concern itself with three different types of biting lice differentiated by their preferred home on a person’s body: head lice, pubic lice and body lice. None of these species are able to jump or fly, so infestation only occurs through direct contact with infested individuals or infested materials (brushes, headgear, pillows). An adult louse is about as large as the tip of a ball point pen and appears tan to light gray in color. Tear-drop shaped eggs are attached to the base of hairs near the scalp and appear yellow, gray or brown.
Head lice
Head lice live in head and very rarely in eyebrow hair. They attach their eggs to the base of individual hairs with a strong glue-like substance that resists washing and brushing. Their bites can trigger an allergic reaction that causes itching. Scratching can cause damage to the scalp along with a subsequent infection of the area. An infested individual will often have brownish-red or black specs on their back and shoulders.
 |
Pubic lice
Pubic lice take up residence in the crotch, anal area, thighs, abdomen, armpits and eyelashes where they live and lay eggs in the hair. This variety is usually spread through direct sexual contact but can also be spread through sharing of clothing or bedding with an infested individual. Pubic lice can be associated with sexually-transmitted diseases so any infested individuals should get tested for STD’s. As with head lice, an allergic reaction to the bites can cause itching and will occasionally turn them blue. An infested person will often find reddish or whitish dandruff-like flakes in areas of infestation. Excessive scratching can cause red, scaly skin with hardened or oozing lesions.
 |
Body lice
Body lice live only in one’s clothing, they move to the skin in order to feed and then return to the clothing. This type of louse is often found where large groups of people are crowded closely together such as prisons, orphanages, and refugee communities but is also common in vagrants that sleep in their clothing and rarely wash. It is responsible for the transmission of typhus and other human diseases. They lay their eggs only in the clothing and are easily dealt with by washing.
 |
2. Tools for getting rid of lice
This section will go into detail about the different tools that are readily available to help you fight a lice infestation. Insecticidal shampoos are discussed here, but please consider them only as a last resort. It is very possible to defeat a lice infestation without resorting to poison.
Soaps and shampoos
Coconut oil and olive oil are claimed to exhibit a mild pesticidal quality that can help kill adult lice, but these claims have yet to be substansiated so don’t overspend on soaps and shampoos that contain these products. Regular shampoo is sufficient. Shampoos leave eggs intact and so should always be combined with wet combing (See below).
Lice combs
There are special lice combs that are designed with teeth spaced out just far enough to allow hair to pass, but not nits (louse eggs). Purchase only the metal-toothed type as the plastic variety are often not as reliable for removing all of the eggs. Combing is much easier to do when the hair is moist and soft, so an ideal time is right after shampooing.
Insecticidal shampoos
Please consider insecticidal shampoo as a last resort. They kill both eggs and adults, but the pesticides can be absorbed through a person’s skin. Never shampoo with one of these products during a normal bath or shower as the residue can easily travel over most of the body, and never use an insecticidal shampoo on an infant or a person with open cuts, sores, or irritation of the scalp. Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle exactly and never use them on someone who is not infested.
If you decide to use an insecticidal shampoo anyway, consult your doctor first and stay away from any that contain lindane - Lindane is a known carcinogen and nerve poison that has been banned in many countries around the world. Instead, choose a pyrethrin based shampoo. Pyrethrin is a synthetic insecticide that is not only more effective than lindane, but much safer as well.
Environmental insecticides
Using insecticides in the environment is not necessary or recommended for lice infestations since lice tend to stick close to their hosts. There are some things in the environment that may need attention such as bed linens and headgear, but these are easily cleaned in soap and hot water.
Learn How To Get Rid of Lice >>
Pages: 1 2
i have had lice for a long time i tri everything but nothing works.my freind tried using (rubbing)achol and she said it worked so im goin to tri it.
my kids have been bringing them home since they started at school 5years ago i tell the school but all they do is send out letters the stuff i use dose not work no more i have tryed evry think what can i do i have had it up to my neck with it
i have been struggling with head lice for four months. i have six girls and two boys plus teenagers going in and out of my house due to foster care. we have tried many different things to get rid of it. my water bill has doubled and i have exceeded my budget trying things. i finall found an affordable remedy, tea tree oil. it kills the bugs and i was actually able to pull the nits out of my daughters unusually thin strands of hair. you can get it at walmart pharmacy. thank god for that.
i have had lice since 3rd grade and it wont go away help me it wont go away
Not a tip: ok i have had lice for like ever. me n a family member have tried so hard to get it out. we have had tried mayonaisse and vinger and the lice killing stuff and still nothing. i have been combing my head when i get out of the shower with a lice comb n been pulling out like 25 lice bugs and nits a day. I practiclly quit going to school of it and it is only the 3rd week. but when i pull the lice and stuff out of my head i see they are alive and i quickly get some disenficted spray and spraying on the comb in which it kills them. but i want to get riad of this. my cuz has had her hair treated and she never gets it but we are going for the super cheap way. someon please help me.
This comment is for cmr:
I see by your post that you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to lice-low income has nothing to do with where they come from first of all…secondly,no animals CANNOT give them to you and do not need to be treated..lice won’t “settle for the next best thing” they cannot survive on animals. Birds are definitely not carriers, not sure where you get your facts but before you go freaking people out with facts that are not true you should do some homework. Harvard has been and still studies lice (what kills them, life cycles etc.) you’d do well to do an internet search for the real facts before you post somewhere acting as if your comments are scientifically sound-almost everything you’ve said is non sense…I hope you didn’t scare any kids looking for good advice. BTW, they cannot jump either, they can however crawl very fast.As far as the measures you take with your house, that’s overkill; it is true that after 3 days lice cannot live without a host and die off-nits cannot hatch at room temperature,they prefer a warm climate (they hate hot and cold extremes and hatch in warm, not hot areas only, room temperature is not sufficient to sustain nits).I would suggest lice.ca for some scientifically proven facts….you may even save yourself $200 the next time you are faced with an infestation. Lice also cannot survive without feeding (on human blood,which is what they survive on). I hope some of this helps put some peoples minds at ease and clears up some of the overkill methods posted here.One person stated that persistence is the key,that is very sound advice when dealing with lice-keep washing/treating the hair,comb the nits until they’re all gone and disinfect surrounding areas(if you’re able to stay away from home for 2-3 days after treating to give any live lice time to die off from starvation, literally)eventually (if the initial source/cause is eliminated so you aren’t re infested)you will have success in the end with respect to disposing of little critters once and for all.As far as milatto hair goes, my niece is half Jamaican and is currently dealing with lice as is my son, I soaked her hair with NIX, combed in small sections after leaving in for 15 minutes, rinsed and then combed again-so far so good. I also put both kids hair up while soaked in olive oil the next night to loosen the nits,then combed while the oil was still in; I washed a few times and conditioned heavily… it does work and helps keep black hair soft and detangled-my best advice is to brush the hair first with a good brush and only comb with a steel comb in very small sections to avoid causing the child added pain-black hair is much more brittle and thick but responds just as well if you only comb very small sections at a time like I’ve suggested.Brushing out the big knots first with a proper brush saves time and makes the steel comb easier on the kids(especially ones with black hair) as only small knots may be left (or may develop during the process)to deal with. I hope this is of some help to someone out there and best of luck to all with this annoying problem.
Mage01
this isnt a tip:
ok, this is my third time having lice! its so annoying! we have been using rid, and like store brand sutff. and it STILL wont go away. e have bombed the whole house everytime we have had it. it just wont go away! any tips to help? please and thanks.
I have a 7 year old constant nit problem i use Mayonaise Yes Mayonaise rub in to the hair and scalp stick it on there head with a shower cap! works a treat do this once a week and wash and condition the hair as normal run through with the comb! No nits for a few days during term time! but during holidays no other kids nit free!
Help ????
THIS IS NOT A TIP ! my friend has headlice really really bad
and i have been researching for her and found LICENEx but i dont no where you get it from or how much ? :S
Please help