The summer vacation season is coming to an end. Children return from the camps not alone, but with "guests" in their hair. Their name is the worst for parents - lice. In medical terms, the children contracted head lice. Despite the progress in modern society, the danger of putting these uninvited "guests" on your head is high. You can pick them up anywhere. But how to remove nits and lice is not an easy task. Moreover, these small parasites are prolific. However, you should not give in to panic, say goodbye to your hair too. There are many civilized ways to deal with these parasites. How to remove nits and lice on your own once and for all?
What are these parasites?
Lice are parasites that feed on the blood of another living individual. They belong to the class Insects. Their size varies from 0.4mm to 7mm.
Thanks to well-developed three pairs of limbs, the insect is tenaciously fixed on human hair.
The louse, piercing the scalp, secretes saliva, it causes a reduction in the levelblood clotting. It is for this reason that a person feels a slight pain, which is accompanied by itching and burning of the skin.
Lice do not parasitize animals. The only source of infection is a person suffering from pediculosis or his personal belongings. Lice do not fly, but skillfully jump. Due to what the infection of another person occurs.
Classification
Pediculosis is caused by insects that parasitize humans. There are three types of lice that can temporarily “live” on a person:
- head;
- pubic;
- clothes.
Head lice "live" on the scalp.
Pubic, therefore, parasitize on the pubis, perineum, armpit hairline, eyelashes, eyebrows.
Dress (linen) lice "settle" on clothes, bedding and contact the human body several times a day.
Reasons
The main cause of head lice infection is close contact with an infected person.
Pediculosis can be caught in these places:
- on public transport;
- in kindergarten and school;
- in children's camps and sanatoriums;
- in public areas.
Lice can "jump" onto another person's head when wearing someone else's hat, comb, towel, and other personal items.
Symptoms
If your child comes home from camp and scratches his head often, then this is a wake-up call. Consider the main symptoms of pediculosis:
- Intense itching in the scalpScalp: Over time, a slight swelling may form on the surface of the scalp, which will develop into open sores.
- If you look closely at the head, you can see traces of lice bites. Outwardly, the bites resemble needle punctures, around which there is redness. Small spots of a grayish color or with a blue tint may also appear.
- Plaques form on the back of the head and temples, which peel off and begin to get wet.
The most reliable signs that allow you to diagnose pediculosis yourself at home:
- Nits are head louse eggs and attach to the hair shaft.
- The presence of lice themselves are small insects that move quickly throughout the scalp.
Lice live for about a month. And from the moment the female hatches to the first clutch, it usually takes 2-3 weeks.
A course of treatment can be considered effective and complete if it was carried out for a month, and after 30 days lice and nits did not appear again.
But before you remove nits and lice on your own, you need to know that these are significantly different from each other. Those drugs and products that act on lice may not be effective against nits. And vice versa.
Ways to fight
A radical, reliable and quick way to deal with lice and nits is a bald haircut. However, few people decide on such a procedure. Especially the girl with the gorgeous hair.
Let's consider less radical ways to deal with head lice:
Mechanical: Combing
- Chemical method: special products, table vinegar, kerosene, hellebore water.
- Mixed method (using the first two methods).
Before choosing a cure for nits, you need to know and follow certain rules:
- If lice and nits are located on eyelashes and eyebrows, then do not use common common drugs.
- It is forbidden to use drugs with a chemical component for children under 2 years old.
- If the lice did not die after the first use of the preparation, then replace the remedy.
- Combing is a must after each use of a lice remedy.
- After using an antiparasitic drug, do not blow-dry your hair.
- It is forbidden to use hair masks, conditioners during the removal of lice.
- After treating the scalp with an antiparasitic agent, you do not need to wash your hair for two to five days.
The best remedy for nits is to use a mixed pest control method. In other words, it is better to combine mechanical and chemical methods.
Pharmacy products
Many pharmaceutical products are effective in the fight against adult lice, but are useless against nits. Since many drugs are not able to hit inside the dense shell of the cocoon.
The ideal method of killing nits is the use of preparations based on organophosphorus compounds. What it is? They are powerful insecticidesthat act on parasites. The most famous is Dichlorvos. It destroys insects at the stage of their development. The main disadvantage is high toxicity, which affects not only the insects themselves, but also the human body. Spraying on the skin can cause irritation, allergies, and even poisoning. "Dichlorvos" can be used as a treatment of premises and things. Its price is quite acceptable - 60-160 rubles.
Another budgetary and effective method is an ointment based on mercury, sulfur, boron. Its composition is designed to corrode the chitinous shell of the parasite and the protective shell of its egg. The death of lice passes quite quickly. But it will be difficult to eliminate nits. The ointment is smeared through the hair after washing and drying. After twenty minutes, the hair should be washed with shampoo. You can buy a tube (10-20 g) at a pharmacy for thirty rubles. You should pay attention to the volume of hair. One treatment may require several tubes.
Shampoo "Pedilin", the price of which is more than acceptable for the effective treatment of pediculosis, is a drug based on the organophosphorus compound karbafos. This component does an excellent job with the insect cocoon, acting directly on the larva. The drug is quite convenient to use. It is necessary to wash your hair with Pedilin and hold it on your head for several minutes. Most often, washing your hair once with this remedy is enough to get rid of insects. However, it is required as a preventive measure to repeat the treatment of the head in a week. The price of "Pedilin" is democratic. For 100 ml of funds you will have to pay about 100 rubles.
Another effective shampoo - "Khigia" to get rid of nits. In addition to the base substance permethrin, the drug is supplemented with acetic acid. This element helps to dissolve the attachment of eggs. Cocoons remain motionless, so they will be easier to remove and comb out. Shampoo "Khigia" must be applied to the hair, hold for 20 minutes, and then rinse. After use, it is necessary to comb out the curls with a comb for mechanical processing of the scalp, since without a comb, the effectiveness of getting rid of the larvae is rather weak. 120 ml of shampoo will cost approximately 300-350 rubles.
How else to get nits out? Consider a list of inexpensive and effective remedies for nits:
- Nittifor is usually available as a lotion or cream.
- "Nyuda" is the most effective modern drug in the fight against lice and nits, which is based on dimethicone. The agent penetrates the respiratory tract of the parasite, causing its instant death from suffocation.
- "Para Plus" - nit spray - the most acceptable way to deal with nits. It contains insecticides, permethrin, karbofos. The first component does an excellent job with adult lice. Other components effectively affect cocoons. Thanks to the sprayer, it is convenient to apply the drug on the hair. It is enough to spray the spray over the entire length of the hair. And after ten minutes, rinse the hair with warm water and shampoo. However, such an effective remedy for nits will be expensive. For 116 g you will have to pay about 500 rubles.
- Hairspray "Charm". They need to process the head after washing. Desirabledo it outdoors. Then wrap your head with a towel or put on a plastic cap. Leave overnight. Hairspray acts similarly to the drug "Nyuda". The only difference is the price. Nuda is significantly more expensive than hairspray.
Many anti-pediculosis drugs have a number of contraindications. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with them before starting the use of the drug. The remedy for lice and nits for children and pregnant women should consist only of natural products. For example, cranberry juice or hellebore water. This category of suffering only mechanical removal of nits.
Folk remedies for nits
In addition to traditional anti-pediculosis remedies, you can get rid of lice and nits at home. Folk remedies are harmless and almost as effective as pharmaceutical drugs.
Let's consider safe inexpensive remedies for nits and lice:
Most often used sunflower, corn oil. And you can use oil from pumpkin seeds and grape seeds. The mixture should be gently spread over the entire scalp. Wrap with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Be sure to insulate the top with a scarf and leave overnight. In the morning, wash your hair with tar soap. Then start combing out the dead lice and nits with a comb. It must first be moistened in table vinegar so that the eggs are well removed from the rods
- Cranberry, lemon or pomegranate juice - these types of juices contain enough acid that adversely affectsparasites. The juice must be applied to the entire length of the hair and kept for about 15 minutes. Then rinse off and start combing out nits and dead lice.
- An excellent remedy for lice and nits for children is cranberries. To make juice from fresh cranberries, you need three handfuls. The juice should be rubbed into the roots of the hair, and the remnants of the pomace should be applied to the entire length. Cover your hair with a plastic cap and wrap the top with a towel. Leave the "compress" on the head for 3 hours. Then rinse off and start combing.
Table vinegar for rinsing and wiping. As a rinse, you need to take a 70% solution of vinegar, mix with water in a ratio of 1:10. Wash the head thoroughly with the solution once a day for three days. Table vinegar is suitable for wiping. First you need to dilute it with water in a ratio of 1: 1. Apply the mixture on the head with a cotton pad. After fifteen minutes, wash your hair thoroughly with cold water
Tar soap. Tar is safe for human he alth in the fight against parasites
Kerosene from nits is an effective but dangerous remedy. If it is ineptly used, it can cause severe burns to the scalp and face. It must be diluted with vegetable oil in a ratio of 1:10.
Folk remedies for getting rid of lice and nits are quite effective. However, they must be used with care and be aware that:
- Vinegar dries out hair a lot.
- A concentrated solution of vinegar can burn your scalp.
- After applying kerosene, the hair will not be able to get in order for a long time. Since kerosene is quite oily, it takes a long time to wash off and ruins the hair.
After applying any folk remedy, you need to put a plastic cap on the curls and wrap your head with a mohair towel.
Hellenic water
Hellebore water from lice and nits is often used. According to reviews, it is this tool that effectively copes with parasites.
Before use, wash your hair thoroughly with regular shampoo. Then apply hellebore water to the hair along the entire length. It is convenient to use a cotton pad for application.
It is important that the solution is carefully distributed through the hair. After applying hellebore water, you need to put on a plastic cap or bag on your head. Be sure to tie a scarf on top. Leave the product on the hair for half an hour.
After this time, wash your hair well under running water, and then wash your hair again with regular shampoo.
Combing is a mandatory final step.
Remember that hellebore water is considered a dangerous substance. Because getting even 1 ml of this water into the digestive tract can lead to serious poisoning, and if in large quantities, it is deadly for humans.
However hellebore water is actively used against lice and nits. The main thing is that there are no wounds on the scalp andscratches.
If after applying hellebore water there is severe itching, then the product should be washed immediately. In this case, it is impossible to endure.
Combing
This is one of the most loyal mechanical methods in the fight against parasites.
First, you need to wash your hair with a special shampoo, and then comb out parasites using a comb from lice and nits. It can be purchased at a pharmacy.
Special stainless steel combs for sale. Pay attention to such trademarks: AntiV, LiceGuard, RobiComb. In use, these combs are quite simple and convenient.
After washing the hair with a special tool, it is necessary to drive the “tool” along a separate strand of hair. You should start from the roots. Nits and lice get stuck in the comb. They need to be removed by wiping on a towel. To make it easier to separate the lice from the hair, you can lubricate the hair with olive or anise vegetable oil before combing.
Shampoo, ointment or other anti-pediculosis agent does not completely get rid of lice and nits. These preparations only facilitate the combing process.
How to prevent reinfection?
Wash your child's and your own things in hot water. Better boil. Iron the bedding well and steam the seams. It is in the seams that nits most often remain.
If things cannot be washed in boiling water, then put them in a bag and close tightly for 4 days. Without human nutrition, the parasites themselves will die during this time.
To minimize the chance of a new infection outside the home, you canfollow these guidelines:
- limit close contact with strangers, especially if they are of a low-income population;
- be careful in public;
- do not use other people's things (combs, clothes);
- carefully inspect the head at the first sign of suspicion of head lice.
Be sure to check the heads of all family members as head lice can spread quickly.
Remember that lice and nits are dangerous, but there are many ways to kill them. The main thing is not to panic and not waste time, but quickly use an effective method of treatment.
