Head Lice What are they and how to get rid of them
This is what probably happened: your child came home from school scratching its head and complaining about the itch. You feared the worst carefully searched its head and…yes you saw those creepy, crawly, itchy, parasitic, tiny little critters (did we leave something out?) running around and having a good time...oh no, Head Lice!
THEY are having a good time yes, because they are exactly in the right place; on the head of a human being, feeding and being kept nice and warm
Here we'll try to explain what they are, how you get them and how to recognize them
You probably saw them, they are those tiny, crawling, wingless insects found on the heads of people. And that's exactly the only place they live, human heads. They need our blood which they suck from our scalp. Another reason they live close to the scalp is because they need our body heat to keep themselves warm
Head lice life cycle
The life of a louse is divided in three stages:
First there is the egg or nit as it is also called
Then the nymph
And finally the adult
Nit, Nymph? A little explanation please...
Nit is another name for a louse egg. They are very tiny and oval shaped. It can be hard to spot them. They are attached to the hair shaft very firmly close to the scalp. There the temperature is exactly right for them until they hatch which is after 7 to 10 days
When the nit hatches, out comes a nymph, which is a baby louse. It is smaller than an adult louse but it looks more or less the same. It's about the size of a pin head. The nymph needs our blood to survive so it sucks our scalp to get to it. They mature into adults about 7 to 10 days after they have hatched
An adult louse is between the size of a pin head and a sesame seed. It has 6 legs with hooked claws that hold on to your hair and lives up to 30 days on your head
Its favorite hang out is on your scalp behind the ears, near the neckline at the back of the neck around what is called the nape of the neck. There it also needs your blood to survive so it feeds a few times a day
A louse that falls off a human head and doesn't find a new human home within 2 days will die because it can't feed on blood
Symptoms of Head Lice
Sometimes you don't even notice you have them until you take a closer look. So please do take a closer look
The most important symptom is of course itching. This is caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva from the louse when it bites you
It feels like something is moving through your hair, which might tickle a bit
Red spots on the scalp. These are caused by lice bites, so look for these as well
This is very simple; the most common way is when you come into contact with an already infested person. They spread very quickly and easily. They don't jump or fly but simply hook onto your hair when there is head to head contact, which of course happens a lot during play time at school or at home
You can also get them by wearing clothes or hats that are worn by an infested person or when you use their towels, brushes or combs
They can also get to you when you lay on a pillow, couch, bed, carpet or use a cuddle toy which has been in contact with an infested person. Only these ways of spreading are not as common as you may think, but still possible
By the way lice do NOT spread diseases and can NOT be transferred by animals, just by humans
Nothing to be ashamed of
It is also nothing to be ashamed of; everybody can get them, no matter what age or social class. They even prefer the cleaner heads to the more dirty ones so the idea of bad personal hygiene has absolutely nothing to do with it
Commercial treatments for head lice
Yes there are many lice treatments available in your drugstore or pharmacy but there are a few things that should make you think twice before you buy them
First of all they contain pesticides. Now the fact that you are looking for home remedies for head lice probably means you don't want to spray your kids with these nasty chemicals
Doctors agree that if your child is 2 years old or younger, you should not use medicated lice treatments anyway, way too dangerous. We think so too, there are many natural ways to get rid those pesky parasites
It is known that with repeated use of these pesticides they lose their effectiveness. The lice have become resistant
They are unpleasant to use; the chemicals are rather aggressive and can irritate the skin and your airways
Because of their chemical properties, breastfeeding or pregnant women or people with allergies and medical conditions should also not use head-lice medications
Finally they are expensive, especially compared to natural home remedies for head lice which use only ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen or medicine cabinet
Natural Home Remedies for Head Lice
After reading this last part it is easy to tell why WE prefer natural home remedies to get rid of head lice. If you're also convinced, or maybe you need some extra convincing, that home remedies are more powerful, more effective, more affordable and most important SAFER, read on
Chances are pretty big that there is a natural home remedy for head lice that will do the job for you
We have put together quiet an extensive list of home remedies that have proven their power in combat against these obnoxious little creatures
We recommended them to many people and invariably get a very thankful and positive response after they have used it
Our First Aid section provides many more Natural Cures, Home Remedies, Herbal Cures and Natural Treatments for all kinds of emergencies. You might want to bookmark it for quick reference
Or start from our home page so you can expand your knowledge about specific natural cures and home remedies or start to set up a solid basic understanding