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Posts Tagged ‘lice infestation’

The Head Lice Petroleum Jelly removal technique
With millions of children in the USA suffering from an infestation of head lice every year it is little surprise that a surfeit of remedies is available, and the internet is awash with suggestions and forums that are full of excellent, and often weird, ideas. While there will be those who are happy to use a prescription insecticide lotion or spray, others may be wary of doing so thanks to the chemicals involved and will therefore seek alternative methods of treatment.
It has been suggested that in removing head lice petroleum jelly is a very useful substance, so let’s have a look at how it works, and whether it is a genuine alternative to the medically proven remedies.
To understand why coating the head in petroleum jelly kills head lice a little knowledge of the creatures biological make up is necessary, specifically in the area of its respiration. A head louse breathes through a series of holes down the sides of its body, and these holes can be closed to prevent against drowning when in water (which explains why they do not drown when we wash our hair) and it is these holes that we target when using the petroleum jelly.
Smearing the jelly across the head will undoubtedly have the lice shutting down their breathing holes, so the patient is obliged to wait – sometimes for several hours – before the holes reopen and are filled with the jelly. It is a simple remedy, and essentially suffocates the lice. However, it does have its drawbacks – it is very messy, extremely time consuming and is not guaranteed to rid you of all of the lice as some are more than likely to survive. Furthermore, it will not kill the nits – eggs waiting to hatch – and thus it requires repeating a few days later, when they are likely to have hatched into young lice.
While the technique is messy and takes up chunks of time it does have the distinct advantage of being absolutely safe; the insecticide lotions that the doctor prescribed all have possible side effects – although minor, such as irritation and a rash – and the use of petroleum jelly does not, other than the need to thoroughly wash the hair after each treatment.
The medical community will look down on such treatments in favor of scientifically proven methods, yet if something is absolutely harmless – and has been reported to work – costs nothing and is at hand, then there is no reason not to have a go.

Choosing a Head Lice Lotion
With such a variety to choose from choosing the right head lice lotion for your or your child’s treatment can be time consuming and confusing, and perhaps the best way to get the right information is to look at some of the websites that deal with head lice and have testimonials from people who have successfully used different brands or methods.
However, you are likely to find that there will be two distinct groups of people: those who prefer the insecticide lotions and shampoos prescribed by doctors, and those who opt to use natural or alternative substances for their head lice remedy.
There are arguments for both, and good reasons why you should consider such things carefully before going ahead.
The first thing to remember is that while head lice are potentially embarrassing they are not in any way dangerous; they do not pass on any diseases and they simply go about their daily lives with the worst you can expect being an itchy head. Yes, the thought of them feeding on our blood is gross, but there are many far nastier parasites out there. An infestation of head lice is not something that signifies poor hygiene, either, as up to 12 million children, in America alone, suffer from an infestation every year.
As the danger is nonexistent it is questionable whether using powerful insecticides to combat what is a minor problem makes sense. The three main insecticides used are Malathion, Permethrin and Lindane, and while the first two come with little controversy other than possible minor side effects such as exaggerated irritation of the scalp, the latter is a very controversial substance indeed that has been linked to serious convulsions in patients, and even to possible deaths.
The alternative lotions are those that are made from, or utilize, natural ingredients; Tea Tree oil is very much in vogue, and ylang ylang too, and products using these in their make up – shampoos and lotions both – have been found to be as effective as a Permethrin based lotion in independent trials.
Whether you choose to opt for the medically proven insecticides and have your doctor prescribe one of the safe versions, or whether you are prone to go down the natural route and look at herbal options, the choice is, after all, your own, but many would say that trying something completely safe and without any risk is a more sensible first step, particularly as the condition itself is far from a serious one.

Dealing with a Head Lice Infestation
The problems with head lice are many and one of the main ones is the speed at which they spread. It is a common misconception that head lice fly – they are, in fact, wingless – but they can only move between hosts by walking from hair to hair; this is why they spread very fast among young children – think of the playground and the physical contact.
It is also a myth that a head lice infestation can only occur where the child suffers from less than satisfactory hygiene; a head louse is not choosy about who it lives on, and all it seeks is head from which it can feed upon its staple diet – our blood.
Head lice multiply at an alarming rate: the female adult louse lays up to eight eggs – the famous nits – every day of her thirty day life, and a quick calculation gives you easily over 200 eggs. Each nit stays attached to a hair follicle for approximately one week then hatches as a nymph or young louse. In just a week to two weeks time it becomes a breeding adult, and begins the cycle once more. From that description it is simple to see just how quickly an infestation can spread, and how important it is that it is treated correctly.
Treating head lice is a subject that raises many arguments: there are many insecticide lotions – using Malathion, Permethrin or Lindane in the main – that are available by prescription, and these are widely proven to be successful in many cases, and there are natural shampoos such as those including Tea Tree oil, and essential oil that is used in many herbal medicines, and the choice is a very personal one that is left to the individual.
There also exist some more unusual ways of tackling head lice and nits – including the odd practice of smothering the hair, and the lice, in mayonnaise – that are known to be successful if somewhat messy, and the tried and tested head lice comb is an essential tool in all of this, whether in traditional close toothed form or in the shape of the new style of electric combs that shock the lice to death.
What is important to understand is that the first treatment will almost certainly not rid the head completely of nits, and the patient will need to be closely observed over the next two weeks in order that any emerging head lice nymphs are caught before they can begin to breed.

Head Lice Nymphs – an important part of the life cycle
The head lice is an ever present problem across the world, and one that has been with us for millions of years; scientists have discovered that even stone age man would have been prone to these irritating little creatures, and with the benefit of the digital age we are able to examine them in full detail via many websites that carry extremely impressive, and very interesting, pictures of them.
One thing that is helpful when looking to treat a head lice infestation is to understand the life cycle of these miniscule creatures, and it is quite a fascinating one that takes in three stages: the nit, or egg, the head lice nymphs and the adult head lice themselves.
Looking at the sequence it is easy to overlook the importance of the nymphs stage in terms of treatment, as this very brief period can be crucial to successfully treating the problem. Given that the nit remains as such for around one week, and then hatches as a head lice nymph, and that nits are particularly difficult to find and remove it is essential that we understand how long we have between the emergence of the nymph and its development into a fully grown breeding nymph.
In fact, the period is as little as one week, with two weeks being the most, and it is in this period that the patient needs to keep a very careful look out for newly hatched nymphs, and to repeat any treatment routine that may have been used in the first place.
Nits are difficult to remove as they are absolutely minute, and also they are stuck to our hair by a type of adhesive making them very difficult to dislodge, so many people – having safely cleared the head of adult lice – opt to wait for the emergence of the nymph, and to catch it before it reaches breeding age. Nymphs may be tiny, too, but they are big enough to be caught by a nit comb, or electrocuted by one of the newer devices before they can breed, while not even the most powerful Permethrin or Malathion head lice lotions can guarantee to kill every nit that exists.
The knowledge we have gained from careful observation and available information means that head lice have become easier to deal with; natural and prescription treatments are more widely available than ever before, and we are more understanding of what is needed in order to treat head lice at source.

The Head Lice Comb – essential tool
Treating head lice can seem like a complex and confusing routine as there are so many different prescribed methods, but one thing always figures in whatever regime you choose, be it washing or smothering, natural or insecticide, and that is the head lice comb, a very clever and extremely cheap item that is absolutely essential when eradication an infestation of head lice.
The head lice comb came about thanks to the very nature of the louse itself – tiny, indeed microscopic, the head louse and its eggs, otherwise known as nits, are immune to being removed by a standard comb as they simply pass through the gaps between the teeth. The special comb is designed with very closely coupled teeth and with a longer reach than normal, as it needs to get in to the scalp where the lice lay the nits, right at the base of the hair follicles.
The aim is to snag any living, or dead, lice and to try and do the same with the nits, although the diminutive size of these, and the way they are attached to the hairs with very strong natural glue, means this may be more difficult than at first believed.
As the nits are firmly attached to the hairs it is believed by some that loosening them is essential, and one method of doing this is to smother the hair in vinegar for the acidic content of the liquid will dissolve the adhesive and leave the eggs free of the hair. Naturally, this makes them easier to dislodge from the scalp by way of the head lice comb.
Many people choose to wash the hair with a naturally medicated or insecticide comprised shampoo, and this can have a great effect in killing the lice, yet combing through with the comb is still essential.
There is a second type of nit comb that has become available of late, and this is the electric louse comb; it works by administering an electric shock that is too small to be felt by us yet fatal for the louse, and is powered by a standard battery. These affordable and effective devices may signal the way forward in treating head lice, as the creatures are reported to be developing immunity to certain insecticides used to treat them as a rule.
Combs of this type, and traditional nit combs, are widely available these days, and are recommended for use with all treatments for head lice infestation.

How to get rid of Head Lice
The head lice problem is one that affects many millions of people across the world, as these irritating creatures are prevalent across the globe and have been for millions of years. The head louse is a very hardy creature that can be difficult to deal with, although once a routine has been found that appears to be successful the patient can look forward to a louse free existence.
The methods of treatment available differ greatly, but one thing that is always needed is the classic head lice comb: this is a small comb, deeper and shorter than a standard one, that has very closely packed teeth and is designed specifically to drag the lice, and the nits – tiny eggs that are attached to our hairs – from the hair, and whatever alternative method you use there is always the need for a nit comb to play a part.
Further methods involve the use of special medicinal shampoos, and among these one very popular prescription only insecticide shampoo is that known as Ovide; containing the insecticide Malathion in very small quantities, this is a preferred method by many, yet there are those who opt not to coat their children’s hair in chemicals that can have side effects.
The alternative is to use a shampoo that contains a natural substance, and among these Tea Tree oil – an essential oil taken from the tea tree plant native to Australia – is very popular indeed, and many claim it has excellent effect and brings about results.
There are more unusual methods of getting rid of head lice, for a popular head louse treatment method involves smothering them with household products. The head louse breathes through a series of holes on either side of the body, and these can be closed for periods of time to prevent drowning when we wash our hair. However, the louse has to open them at some time, and if we can smother them and prevent them from breathing then they will die.
To do this people use products that may at first seem rather odd – mayonnaise and olive oil are preferred – as these congeal on the lice and prevent it from breathing when it opens the breathing holes. Messy but reportedly successful, a thorough comb through with a nit comb, after a wash of course, is also needed to finalize this effective if unusual treatment regime. Following any treatment, regular inspection is also recommended in order to keep the population from reappearing.

Head Lice Scalp Treatment
Irritation of the scalp is a common indication of the presence of head lice, but it is not the only one. The irritation comes from an allergic reaction to the creatures biting into our scalp and injecting a fluid that prevents the blood from clotting; as not everyone has this same allergic reaction it is not a definitive signifier of the presence of lice, although it is one of the most common.
As the head louse lays its eggs close to the scalp it makes it the place to look for the creatures, and all instructions of how to get rid of head lice will instruct you to carry out regular inspections of the scalp for crawling lice and for nits, tiny white eggs, at the base of the hairs very close to the scalp.
Head lice scalp treatment ranges from the logical to the seemingly absurd, but the main routines involve thoroughly washing the hair and scalp using one of the many special head lice shampoos that populate the market these days. There are two main types of these – the medicinal and the natural – and it is worth considering the benefits of both, and the downsides, too.
In favor of the medicinal, prescription insecticide shampoos and lotions is the fact that they are scientifically tested and proven; they do, however, contain chemicals which are known to have possible side effects that cause irritation to the scalp, and in some cases an increase in dandruff, and many people are put off using them by this. Some lotions with smaller dosed of the insecticide are available over the counter, yet the effectiveness of these is disputed in many quarters.
Kinder to the scalp are the shampoos and lotions that come with natural addictives, particularly the widely used Tea Tree oil versions; this essential oil comes from an Australian plant that has been used for many hundreds of years by the Aborigines for a variety of medicinal routines, and many people swear by its effectiveness. Although harmless, it is not a certified method of deterrent or cure, and as such must be taken at face value by those who use it.
Examining the scalp for head lice is very important in preventing and treating the problem, and a head lice comb is very useful in this respect, too; keep up with regular inspections, particularly if a case is known in the vicinity, and make sure you catch any outbreaks very quickly.

Once and for all get Rid of Rid Head Lice Treatment!
Head lice – annoying and irritating creatures that are almost guaranteed to play a part in our lives at some point, and that have evolved over millions of years to become extremely resilient creatures that are unwanted visitors in homes across the world.
The argument over which is the best get rid head lice treatment rages in internet websites, books and magazines every day, for what is successful in one case is not guaranteed to be so in others. For instance, in the case of the often prescribed insecticide shampoos many people are insistent that they work, while others report that the chemicals involved – among them Permethrin and Malathion – were once successful but no longer seem to be. This is likely to be because the head lice have become immune to such insecticides, and is one reason why many people choose not to use these prescribed shampoos and to rely on natural alternatives.
In the case of shampoo these tend to be those that contain the ubiquitous Tea Tree oil, an essential oil whose use appears to be widespread and varied; again, the jury is out on Tea Tree shampoo as where many people report its success and effectiveness others, in equal numbers, declare it of no use at all. Therefore, what is right for one is not right for the other, which is why more unusual remedies have become widespread, too.
Chief among these is the practice of smothering the head lice, and this comes about thanks to an unusual biological feature of these tiny creatures: the louse breathes through a series of miniscule holes and, rather cleverly, these can be shut for limited periods of time which explains why lice do not drown when we wash out hair. However, this is a limited period, hence smothering the hair for a length of a few hours with thick substances such as, believe it or not, mayonnaise and olive oil can lead to the breathing apparatus becoming blocked, and the lice suffocating.
This method of getting rid of head lice is not foolproof – none are – and will still need the routine wet combing with a special nit comb in order to draw out the remaining lice and nits; remember that the nits can hatch in one week after laying, and only take a further week to become breeding adults, at which point the process begins all over again. Whichever method you use, keep an eye on the patient with regular inspections and examinations for at least a couple weeks after the initial treatment.

Head Lice Nits Treatment – What You Should Know
One of the most difficult parts of treating a head lice infestation is getting rid of the nits – the tiny eggs of the adult louse – as the cleverest part of the head louse life is how, and where, these absolutely microscopic eggs are laid.
To get rid of head lice nits’ treatment needs to be taken as very much its own thing, removed from the treatment of the lice themselves as they require a different approach.
The problems come from many sides, with the miniature size of the nits – small enough to be missed by a nit comb in some cases – being one and the fact that they are laid very close to the scalp and attached to the hair by a strong adhesive are others; combined these make removing nits very difficult indeed, yet there are interesting routines that can be carried out to help in the process.
Vinegar is a substance that has many surprising uses, and one of them is in the treatment of head lice nits; the reason is that vinegar is an acid, and the acidic qualities dissolve the glue that attaches the nit to the hair, so washing the hair in vinegar loosens the eggs up and makes them easier to remove.
Once washed, and rinsed, a wet combing with the nit comb should find more than usual, as they will not be attached as firmly to the hair follicles as they once were.
Understanding the head louse life cycle is useful in nit removal, too, and while there are many websites giving detailed information that are worth a visit, we can summarize it here: the adult louse lives for around one month, and in this time lays around six nits every day. The nits remain as such for around one week before they hatch into young nymphs, and in between one and two weeks are fully functioning breeding adults, beginning the cycle once more.
This is why the first routine for treating head lice nits needs to be repeated over the next fortnight, as any nits left behind will still get the chance to hatch. Once hatched, they then have a week before they may begin laying again – and that is the time you have to make sure you have cleared the head entirely of lice and nits.
In this process attention to detail is essential, for regular inspection of the hair and scalp is the best way to make sure that there is no louse activity.

Home Remedy for Head Lice
Incidences of head lice infestation are far from uncommon and it is often a result of finding these irritating creatures in the hair of our children, or ourselves, that leads us to seek remedies. The medical profession will undoubtedly point you in the direction of one of the many medicinal shampoos available, but these invariably contain insecticides that we do not necessarily want to introduce to our children’s heads, and furthermore some of these are now ineffective as the head louse has become immune to them.
Finding a home remedy for head lice is therefore a common pursuit, and one that can throw up some interesting, and often bizarre, suggestions. Using vinegar for head lice treatment, for instance, is a popular method of treatment, and one that comes among the more often used homemade remedies for head lice. What vinegar does is eradicate the very strong ‘glue’ that holds the nits – head louse eggs – to the hair, making them much easier to remove. Removal is done using an essential home remedy tool, the head lice comb; this specially constructed device is aimed at getting the at the lice and the nits, which live at the foot of the hair and on the scalp, effectively and successfully, and one of these is absolutely vital to successful treatment, whichever home remedy you use.
Many people swear by the use of Tea Tree Oil for head lice treatment, and this essential oil of the Australian Tea Tree, so named as the leaves were traditionally used as a substitute for tea, is known to have certain anti-fungal and medicinal properties, and is still widely used by the indigenous Aborigine people for many treatments. Widely available and harmless, this is one of the more favorable methods of treating head lice as it is known to drive them away. Tea Tree Oil is also found in some shampoos, so reading ingredients carefully, may pay dividends.
Getting into bizarre territory now we come across the suffocation methods; as the head louse breathes via small holes in its side it is believed that smothering the patients hair and scalp with certain substances – olive oil and mayonnaise are favoured – for a set time, and at repeated intervals, suffocates the insects and leaves the head lice free and clean!
All of these methods have some substance to them, and whichever one you choose there is plenty information on the internet to help you on your way to lice eradication.