Head Lice Causes and Sinks
Head lice are actually tiny insects, barely discernable to the eye. They live only on the human scalp, where they feed approximately 4 times a day on human blood. They do not cause any disease other then, in extreme cases, some itching, perhaps some infection and (of course) the social negatives of their appearance.
There are two primary symptoms: small red bumps and the appearance of the insects themselves and/or their eggs (called ‘nits’, which appear as tiny white dots).
Virtually anyone could, theoretically, get head lice although they are most common amongst young school kids. It has nothing directly to do with hygiene but rather the possibility of coming in direct head-to-head contact with another carrier of head lice. Head lice cannot jump nor can they move very fast thus they need direct contact in order to move from one host to another.
Another way head lice are contracted is via sharing of hats, combs, hair brushes, pillows, towels, etc.
Head lice are treatable with a variety of solutions. Some are over-the-counter and other stronger ones are prescription only. Many of them use pyrethrin or permethrin (brand names) but natural substances exist which kill and/or repel head lice too. The aforementioned two substances are actually mild pesticides and are not recommended for pregnant moms.
Amongst these products you’ll find liquids, lotions and crmes. Typically, after application you should not wash your hair for at least 3-5 days and often two applications are recommended in order to make sure all the little critters are killed.
Often the products do not kill all the nits (eggs). According to Nitwits, a lice removal clinic in Toronto, getting rid of nits tends to be a somewhat laborious physical process involving combing the hair carefully with a nit comb i.e. similar to a regular comb but with much closer-together tines designed specifically to pull the nits and/or lice out of the hair.
Just to be on the safe side, you should perform this hair-combing process once every 3 days for about 2 weeks in order to make sure you’ve eliminated all the problem.
For those lice and/or nits which might have migrated onto your personal items such as sheets, pillows, hats, etc., there are only two ways to kill them. First, by washing in water at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit (or dry cleaning), or (secondly) you can take items that you cannot actually ‘clean’ or wash and put them in airtight sealed bags for a couple of weeks. All the lice and/or nits will have starved to death by then. Rest in peace!
It’s never a bad idea to vacuum thoroughly around areas that might have been contaminated with head lice or nits. They will have died after approximately 2-4 days but still you want to be sure as many of them are totally gone as possible.
It’s difficult to prevent kids from getting head lice once an epidemic gets started. The best thing you can do is advise them against using someone else’s comb, hair brush, wearing someone else’s hat, or sleeping on sheets or pillows that have been used by somebody else.
A little caution goes a long way in the case of head lice but if you do get them, it’s not the end of the world. Just get some medication and follow the instructions.