The head louse is a small wingless insect that lives on the scalp of humans. It has six hooked legs for a proper hair grip. It feeds on blood by biting its victims at the scalp. The intense itching is from the saliva after the bite. That's why children scratch so hard.
The louse lays eggs, called nits, on hair very close to the scalp, approximately 1-2 cm from the skin. The female louse lays between 3 and 5 eggs per day, for a total of 200-300 eggs during their 2-3 months of life. These eggs hatch after 7-8 days. After hatching, the empty shell of the egg remains attached to the hair. The louse becomes an adult after 10 days.
Head lice only infest humans. Pediculosis is the infestation of head lice. It is not the same species that invades pets. It is therefore unnecessary and even dangerous to use anti-lice products for veterinary use in humans. Conversely, it is unnecessary to treat pets in case of invasion of lice among the family members.
How does one catch head lice?
Lice easily spread primarily by direct contact of a head with another. That is why they are so common on the heads of children and those in close contact with children.
Head lice are fast walkers. Contrary to what one might think, they do not jump. They cannot fly nor swim.
They pass easily from one head to another when the heads of the children touch. Contamination can also be done through clothing or fashion accessories such as collars, scarves, caps, hoods, combs or brushes. At home, we must also think of the cushions, pillows and teddy bears.
Lice: a question of hygiene?
That hair is clean or dirty does not make any difference when it comes to lice infestation. It is therefore unnecessary to accuse a child, who has lice, of being filthy or having poor hygiene.
How to recognize lice?
Lice are insects whose size varies between 0.5 and 3 mm. They are dark in color, which can make them difficult to see on a dark haired.
Nits are small white dots attached firmly enough near the base of the hair. They are sometimes confused with dandruff. However, the films can be irregularly shaped and mostly they are easily removed. Nits, meanwhile, remain firmly attached to the hair, even if we try to remove them with fingers.
Infestation of lice or not?
Lice can be spotted throughout entire head. However, they have a preference for the neck and behind the ears.
A visual examination of the hair is less reliable than using a lice comb.
The most reliable system is to get a lice comb. There are all plastic (beware of teeth that break) or other models where the teeth are made of metal (a bit more robust).
Simply pass the lice comb in the hair, strand after strand. After each passage, tap the comb on a white sheet. This will quickly highlight the dark spots and try to locate the legs. If the infestation is more advanced, you'll often see adult lice move on the white sheet.
If a member of the family has lice, it is important to check the head of all members of the house and treat the same day. It is quite unnecessary to apply a preventive treatment to those who do not have lice.
How to get rid of lice?
The simplest and most radical is to remove what lice love so much, the hair. The easiest thing to do is to shave the child's hair. Lice go with the hair. No hair no lice. The problem is solved.
Obviously, for girls, it's a little tricky and probably too radical. We must turn to a more subtle, and therefore also less effective. Most chemical products available do not address the lice problem instantly. That is why the treatment must be applied a second time after 7-8 days when all eggs have hatched.
The easiest is to start the lice comb. Even if the method is rarely sufficient by itself, it is by far the most cost effective technique to remove lice. To improve efficiency, one can soak in a jar containing vinegar between each strand.
You can of course use an insecticide (pyrethrin based or malathion). All toxic warnings are far from having shown that these products are harmless. In addition, failing to properly apply the products, some strains of lice have become extremely resistant to insecticides. In this case, needless to persevere, you should try another strategy. It is very important to follow the instructions accompanying product. Insecticides are applied as shampoo or lotion.
If you do not like chemicals or that you are facing lice resistant to insecticides, turn to more natural products.
There are silicone that are used to physically drown lice. The product is applied to dry hair, strand by strand. We must let the hair dry naturally, overnight. Must reapply because the product does not kill eggs.
Other products act mechanically blocking the breathing holes of the lice. Lice die by asphyxiation. This type of product only works on adult lice, so do not forget to reapply after 7 to 8 days. Typically, the product contains a mixture of coconut oil and aniseed. Beware, the product has a very strong smell.
Also, we must remember to wash everything that may be at a minimum temperature of 60 ° C. For fabrics that can not be washed too hot, it is possible to spray with an insecticide spray.
Equally effective and less toxic, simply enclose the garment in a sealed plastic bag for 48 hours minimum. After this time, the lice die from lack of food.
Prevention
It is advisable to tie the long hair, which reduces the risk of touching another head. 2 drops of lavender essential oil seem to deter a few lice.
Related topic: "Head Lice Home Remedies"
The louse lays eggs, called nits, on hair very close to the scalp, approximately 1-2 cm from the skin. The female louse lays between 3 and 5 eggs per day, for a total of 200-300 eggs during their 2-3 months of life. These eggs hatch after 7-8 days. After hatching, the empty shell of the egg remains attached to the hair. The louse becomes an adult after 10 days.
Head lice only infest humans. Pediculosis is the infestation of head lice. It is not the same species that invades pets. It is therefore unnecessary and even dangerous to use anti-lice products for veterinary use in humans. Conversely, it is unnecessary to treat pets in case of invasion of lice among the family members.
How does one catch head lice?
Lice easily spread primarily by direct contact of a head with another. That is why they are so common on the heads of children and those in close contact with children.
Head lice are fast walkers. Contrary to what one might think, they do not jump. They cannot fly nor swim.
They pass easily from one head to another when the heads of the children touch. Contamination can also be done through clothing or fashion accessories such as collars, scarves, caps, hoods, combs or brushes. At home, we must also think of the cushions, pillows and teddy bears.
Lice: a question of hygiene?
That hair is clean or dirty does not make any difference when it comes to lice infestation. It is therefore unnecessary to accuse a child, who has lice, of being filthy or having poor hygiene.
How to recognize lice?
Lice are insects whose size varies between 0.5 and 3 mm. They are dark in color, which can make them difficult to see on a dark haired.
Nits are small white dots attached firmly enough near the base of the hair. They are sometimes confused with dandruff. However, the films can be irregularly shaped and mostly they are easily removed. Nits, meanwhile, remain firmly attached to the hair, even if we try to remove them with fingers.
Infestation of lice or not?
Lice can be spotted throughout entire head. However, they have a preference for the neck and behind the ears.
A visual examination of the hair is less reliable than using a lice comb.
The most reliable system is to get a lice comb. There are all plastic (beware of teeth that break) or other models where the teeth are made of metal (a bit more robust).
Simply pass the lice comb in the hair, strand after strand. After each passage, tap the comb on a white sheet. This will quickly highlight the dark spots and try to locate the legs. If the infestation is more advanced, you'll often see adult lice move on the white sheet.
If a member of the family has lice, it is important to check the head of all members of the house and treat the same day. It is quite unnecessary to apply a preventive treatment to those who do not have lice.
How to get rid of lice?
The simplest and most radical is to remove what lice love so much, the hair. The easiest thing to do is to shave the child's hair. Lice go with the hair. No hair no lice. The problem is solved.
Obviously, for girls, it's a little tricky and probably too radical. We must turn to a more subtle, and therefore also less effective. Most chemical products available do not address the lice problem instantly. That is why the treatment must be applied a second time after 7-8 days when all eggs have hatched.
The easiest is to start the lice comb. Even if the method is rarely sufficient by itself, it is by far the most cost effective technique to remove lice. To improve efficiency, one can soak in a jar containing vinegar between each strand.
You can of course use an insecticide (pyrethrin based or malathion). All toxic warnings are far from having shown that these products are harmless. In addition, failing to properly apply the products, some strains of lice have become extremely resistant to insecticides. In this case, needless to persevere, you should try another strategy. It is very important to follow the instructions accompanying product. Insecticides are applied as shampoo or lotion.
If you do not like chemicals or that you are facing lice resistant to insecticides, turn to more natural products.
There are silicone that are used to physically drown lice. The product is applied to dry hair, strand by strand. We must let the hair dry naturally, overnight. Must reapply because the product does not kill eggs.
Other products act mechanically blocking the breathing holes of the lice. Lice die by asphyxiation. This type of product only works on adult lice, so do not forget to reapply after 7 to 8 days. Typically, the product contains a mixture of coconut oil and aniseed. Beware, the product has a very strong smell.
Also, we must remember to wash everything that may be at a minimum temperature of 60 ° C. For fabrics that can not be washed too hot, it is possible to spray with an insecticide spray.
Equally effective and less toxic, simply enclose the garment in a sealed plastic bag for 48 hours minimum. After this time, the lice die from lack of food.
Prevention
It is advisable to tie the long hair, which reduces the risk of touching another head. 2 drops of lavender essential oil seem to deter a few lice.
Related topic: "Head Lice Home Remedies"
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