How to get lice and nits: a review of effective methods and means

Parents who first think about how to remove lice from their child, usually carry out this procedure in a big hurry, almost in a panic. Often in the case goes almost the first available remedy for lice, which is found in the pharmacy, and in the worst case - on the advice of grandmothers, even kerosene or vinegar.

Therefore, first of all, you need to calm down and approach the solution of the problem deliberately and carefully. After all, it is important not only to remove lice and nits, but to make it as safe as possible for health and taking into account all contraindications to the particular remedy chosen (there are numerous cases where the wrong fight against parasites led to incomparably more serious health problems than the lice themselves could cause) .

In addition, in most cases, it is necessary to remove lice not only from the person who suffers from them, but also from all those who are in close enough contact with the infected.

• Lice are very easily transmitted from person to person through close contact.
• They quickly develop resistance to various insecticides: it is often the case that people who already seem to know what to put on lice are unpleasantly surprised to find that their favorite remedy no longer works.
• In their breeding lice pass through the nits stage - eggs in a shell tightly adhered to the hair. Such a nit has an increased resistance to different drugs, and therefore it is more difficult to remove nits — than the elimination of adult lice and larvae.
• It is also important to remember that lice can cause, in addition to severe itching and skin damage, dangerous infectious diseases, such as typhoid.

So, before you remove lice, it will be useful to understand the features of drugs of different groups, and only then choose the means that will be both effective and safe to use.

On a note

Lice infestation itself is a parasitic disease, colloquially referred to as lice, and in medical practice, pediculosis. Respectively, lice products called pediculicides. If the drug is additionally capable destroy nits - It is said to have an ovicidal effect.

 

Lice removal methods

During the acquaintance of a person with lice, many ways of removing lice have been tried. Today it is known that the following are effective:

1. Destruction of lice by drugs containing insecticidal substances. Such substances include, for example, Permethrin, Cypermethrin, Phenotrin, Malathion, Piperonyl Butoxide and some others. Thus, choosing how to remove lice, you can completely focus on the means with the content of these substances. The use of insecticide-containing agents is generally effective, but can lead to side effects.
2. Removal of lice and nits means not typical poisons, but, nevertheless, also leading to the death of parasites - kerosene, vinegar, methylated spirit, hydrogen peroxide and some others. Methodically, this method of removing lice on the head (or other parts of the body) does not differ from the previous one. However, the side effects of using such agents are much heavier than in the previous case, and improper use may cause severe skin burns and hair loss.
3. Combing parasites from the hair - for this purpose, special combs from lice are used, which are very thick and durable.But a simple comb, even with frequent teeth, to bring the parasites will not work. In general, the method of combing lice and nits using special combs is one of the safest ways of getting rid of parasites, however, it requires some effort and time. And the ridges themselves are worth a lot.
4. Appeal to special health services. Lice removal services are provided by special detention facilities, city sanitary-epidemiological stations, some clinics and even individual disinsection services. The method is very effective, but due to the use of powerful insecticides is fraught with the appearance of side effects.
5. And finally, temperature treatment - lice die almost immediately at temperatures below minus 13 ° C and above + 56 ° C. And if it is not possible to treat the head and other parts of the body safely with low temperature, special hair dryers completely allow to destroy lice with warm air. This method is particularly well suited for removing lice from contaminated clothing or hats: things simply wash out at a water temperature of about 60 ° C. You can blow hair with a special hairdryer, this method does not have side effects, but in our country there are no such hair dryers (in conventional hair dryers it is difficult to regulate the temperature, there is a risk of getting a burn or, conversely, not getting the desired result).

And, of course, the easiest, cheapest and efficient way to quickly remove lice - just shave the infected part of the body (the pubic and head louse live only on the hair).

If there is no hair, then there is no lice or nits. In the case when it is necessary to remove lice in men and boys, this method should be preferred to all others.

 

Choosing the right insecticide

Effectively remove lice can be of different types, which include:

• pediculicidal shampoos
• lice sprays;
• ridges;
• lice creams;
• pediculicidal emulsions and concentrates;
• as well as traditional medicine.

Perhaps the most popular insecticidal agents against lice today are pediculicidal shampoos, most of which allow you to remove lice in both adults and children.

Lice sprays are in many cases more effective than pediculicidal shampoos, but they irritate the skin more often and can cause some side effects. Most often, dermatologists recommend using sprays to remove pubic lice.

There are also special aerosols that should be sprayed onto the bedding and things infected with parasites: you can also remove lice from a person by such means,but due to an increased concentration of insecticides, this can be dangerous for the skin - it is important to remember.

Combs for combing lice and nits cause absolutely no side effects and are very safe for human health. However, lice are usually removed with their help long enough and difficult: you should comb the hair at least a week with a comb.

Most lice creams are similar in composition to other insecticidal agents, they are simply presented in a different dosage form, convenient for sanitizing the areas of the body affected by lice. Lice on the head with the help of creams is not much more difficult than shampoos or sprays, but most of all they are suitable for dealing with pubic lice.

From folk remedies most often for removing lice and nits use the following:

• vinegar
• kerosene
• cranberry juice
• hellebore water
• tar soap
• hydrogen peroxide
• sometimes garlic mask
• decoction of wormwood and tansy

and other means.

Kerosene, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide do help to bring out head lice, but often lead to severe chemical burns and allergic skin reactions. In this regard, it seems preferable to use from lice of cemeric water (it is really effective and relatively safe), as well as cranberry juice in combination with a comb.

As a result, for children it can be recommended to remove lice with the use of pediculicidal shampoos and the subsequent combing of parasites and nits using a comb. People with pronounced allergic or asthmatic reactions should use only a comb.

 

Flanges are the safest way to remove lice.

Combs are particularly well suited for removing head lice in children - it is in childhood that insecticidal agents most often cause side effects.

AntiV, LiceGuard and RobiComb have proven their best.

They need to comb the hair strands from the roots, and before removing the head lice, you need a little wet. The procedure should be carried out daily until the complete disappearance of parasites from the hair. With parallel use of cranberry juice or Hygia shampoo Using crests, you can remove the eggs of lice before the larvae hatch from them.

On a note

You should not particularly chase electronic combs, which, according to the manufacturer, will additionally destroy the lice with an electric discharge.These tools have not proven their effectiveness, and are much more expensive than simple ridges.

 

Apply lice shampoos

Pediculicidal shampoos remove head lice is quite simple: the tool is applied to the head, like regular shampoo, and left on the hair for 30-40 minutes. Then you need to wash the hair and comb a thick comb (sometimes this comb comes with the shampoo itself).

One of the most effective shampoos for lice on the head are Pedilin and Hygia - they help not only to remove lice, but also help to get rid of nits. Pedilin contains Malathion, penetrating through the shell of the nits, and Hygia - acetic acid, contributing to peeling nits from the hair.

Other shampoos - Medifox, NOC, Lauri - as an active ingredient contain Permethrin, effective against lice, but not giving effect against nits.

They usually remove lice in adults, performing treatment twice a week. With a single treatment, there are situations when the lice are not completely removed: the larvae hatch from the surviving nits during the week, which again begin to pester the infected person.

 

How to get lice special sprays

Sprays against lice are usually produced in small aerosol vials with a capacity of 30-50 ml and are very convenient to use because they are easily applied to the affected areas of the body. The volume of the bottle is enough to handle even long hair.

You can remove lice at home with the help of sprays by washing your head, drying your hair with a towel and applying a spray on them along the entire length. After that, you need to hold the tool on the head for 30-40 minutes, and then rinse.

Among the sprays, the most well-known are Nuda and Paranit - these are products based on Dimeticon (liquid silicone).

Dimethicone, unlike many chemical insecticides, is absolutely safe for humans. When treating meteorism, it is even applied inside, but this substance is destroyed by lice with the same efficiency as specialized insecticides, only the mechanism of action is different: silicone envelops the chitinous covers of insects with a thin film, blocking the respiratory tract and causing suffocation of parasites.

The disadvantage of most sprays is that it is impossible to remove nits with their help, and for complete removal of lice the treatment of the hair will have to be repeated.

 

Creams and lotions for lice

Lice lotions are insecticidal emulsions or concentrates based on water or alcohol. Depending on the concentration of the active substance lotions can be used for sanitization in finished form or require dilution with water.

Both creams and lotions are most rational to use to combat pubic lice, since it is difficult to smear the hair with a cream or insecticide solution on the head with thick hair. Lice are removed by carefully treating the infected area with a means and keeping it for as long as the instruction requires.

The most well-known concentrates Medifox, Medilis, Foksilon, and from creams - Knicks, Nittifor and Benzyl benzoate for lice.

 

Folk remedies: use with extreme caution

All folk lice removal means can be divided into two groups:

1. Kerosene, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, denatured alcohol, cemerica waterthat kill lice and nits are sometimes even more effective than special insecticides, but they require great care in applying, as they act on the human skin as tough as on the lice themselves.
2. Various essential oils, decoctions and infusions of wormwood and tansy, tar soap - means that have an unpleasant smell for insects and frighten them off, but with the infection taken place they are not capable of destroying parasites. It is during their use that complaints appear most often that louses are not displayed in any way.

Important!

Hydrogen peroxide in addition to the burning effect also bleaches the hair, and therefore, when applying it, you should be ready to change the color of the hairstyle.

Lice with the help of folk remedies usually seem cheaper than using more expensive modern drugs. But, you see, health is not worth saving. The risk of causing serious burns to yourself or your child is not worth those dubious benefits that at first glance promise easily accessible folk recipes.

Be healthy!

 

Useful video: complete removal of lice and nits with AntiV comb

 

How does lice infect and how to get rid of them