These tiny insects attach to your hair are actually parasites that are spread by contact, and sharing hair tools and accessories. Children are most likely to get these, so don’t freak out if your kid comes back to school with these little guys running around his/her head.
Symptoms of Lice
Before actually eliminating lice is important to identify the symptoms that come with it. It’s crucial to identify the difference between dandruff and lice as well. These are some of the symptoms additional to the common itching:
- The feeling of something moving in your head/body.
- Soring scalp.
- Irritation in the place where it itches.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Red bumps where it itches.
- The appearance of lice eggs *
*In the case of dandruff, the white objects in your hair might be more near the scalp and are easier to remove. In the case of nits (another name for lice eggs), they stick to the hair more tightly and are spread throughout your entire head.
How to get rid of lice using home remedies
It’s important to know how to treat lice at home, before actually using a special shampoo or other chemicals. First of all, you should know that lice are susceptible to dye faster by strong smells but they can live without air for hours. Second of all is better to do the treatments overnight to really soak in the product and let it do its thing.
Our recommendation is that you act fast and effectively. That’s why we would like to give you a list of the things you will need in order to attack lice in a really eradicating way:
- A good quality shampoo to cleanse.
- Conditioner to remove the lice after treatment.
- A fine-toothed nit comb.
- Shower caps.
- A brush or gloves to apply the treatment evenly.
To understand better the benefits of the most effective remedies for these parasites, here are the natural ways to get rid of lice:
- Oils; The most common for treating lice are baby, almond, olive and essential oils in general. Not only the smell and liquid itself will suffocate the lice, but as the hair is wet and slippery it will be easier to remove them once the oil has soaked into the scalp.
- Neem oil; Is important to talk about this one separately since it is considered a natural insecticide. It is safe and effective to use on your head, and you can buy a shampoo that already has some in it or add several teaspoons to the one you’re currently using.
- Salt; Mixed with vinegar, it can have a lot of benefits not only for lice but for teeth whitening, for example. Spray the mixture onto the hair until it is a little bit wet. Leave on for about two hours. After that wash and use conditioner.
- Vaseline; Applying a thick layer to the scalp and leave overnight and use baby oil the next day to remove it. Comb your hair thoroughly after.
- Tree Tea Oil; Another oil that is really effective for treating lice. It is also a natural insecticide and you can mix it with other oils such as the ones listed above. Another addition to the mixture can be the Make sure you apply this to your entire head and leave it there for 30 minutes. Then rinse with hot water.
You’ll have to be patient with these treatments since it’s not something that can be solved in 10 minutes. So just use the right products in the correct amount, and let them act on the hair. Try not to put oil too often since it can lead to a really oily scalp. Make sure you do that 1-2 times a week max.
Another plus to these treatments is that they will leave the hair feeling very soft and hydrated when used in good measure.
Feeling disappointed of your short length hair? Get the solution here,
6 Best Home Remedies for Hair Growth.
How to Prevent Lice
If you or your kid has lice or he/she is at the age where they normally get lice, is important to be prepared to avoid having them (again). As said before, lice are spread by contact, so that is where the main focus will be.
- Avoid using other people’s hair brushes, accessories, etc.
- Change any type of cover that goes in contact with the head daily (towels, pajamas, sheets).
- Avoid touching things that touched the head, especially if they are not washable. In that case, put them in a Ziploc bag for at least 2 weeks so the lice suffocate
- Vacuuming is also a great idea that can be done in the car seat where that person put his/her head on.
Wear your hair up more often. It’s easier for lice to stick when your hair is loose and free. A full braid or a high ponytail will do the job. There are also some chemical over-the-counter products you can use since some of the natural treatments are for treating and not preventing. For example, you wouldn’t like to smell like garlic all day just to prevent getting lice, right?
Lice are parasites, so a good thing you can also do is buy a medicine or treatment that you can put in your drink and it will help you to cleanse your stomach so lice don’t feel that ‘attracted’ to you. Washing the combs that you used to take the lice out is a daily work and another plus that can help you not getting them again.
Enhancing the vacuuming part, you should not only do this in the place where the head lies down. Since there is constant itching, lice may have fallen into the ground without you noticing it. You vacuum your home more frequently and the results will improve.
Also, if you know someone close to you had lice recently or is being treated, don’t get too close to them for a while. May sound rude, but as long as you love them they should understand that is for your own good. Getting checked every other day is important, especially if that person is near a lot of kids every day. There are parents that simply don’t take care of this, but you should be responsible unlike them.
How to Prevent Lice Eggs from Hatching
Lice eggs are the ‘babies’ that adult lice leave all over your hair, and they grow to be lice and the process repeats all over again. It’s crucial that as soon as you notice the problem, you should get rid of them. With the thing mentioned above, you should comb the hair frequently. If there are more tangles it would be harder to find and dispose of the little parasites.
When washing your hair and use conditioner, leave it on for a few minutes since this will not only drown the lice eggs but also make it easier for you to comb the lice eggs out. You can also go to the drugstore and get some special shampoo for eliminating them.It would also be easier if you did the nit picking under a really bright light, just to make sure you comb thoroughly.
Another thing to conscious about is that you need to be patient and invest a lot of time in carefully removing the lice eggs. You might also want to invest in a really good quality metal comb since is the best material for this kind of situation. But don’t be fooled by the ‘Electric combs that will surely kill 100% of lice in one day’, that is just scam and false advertisement.
Overall, you need to be constant with any of the treatments you decide to use. And it’s highly recommended to vary the remedies so you avoid developing an allergic reaction to such products. Another thing that can help you get rid of them more easily is to do it in wet, clean hair. The comb will run through the hair more swiftly and you’ll notice that getting rid of them is easier.
Some quick tips to finish lice:
Ø Don’t use the same medication more than three times, even if it is not working.
Ø Don’t use more than one lice medication at a time.
Ø Don’t wash the hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment.
Ø Don’t use conditioner before applying lice medication.
If after two weeks the scalp looks infected, contact a doctor. It could be that some nits were left behind after the last combing or that you’re near someone who has lice, even that the treatment you’ve been using not working is possible.
You should acknowledge that having lice is completely normal and that a lot of people have to go through that since it is very common. As embarrassing as it can be to the person who suffers the consequences, is crucial to treat it fast and don’t hesitate in trying the remedies mentioned above.