Infection of a person with lice is called pediculosis. Insects bite through the skin, suck out blood, and their saliva provokes severe itching. Through scratched bite sites, infection can easily enter the body, and this is fraught with serious diseases. You can become infected from lice in a variety of situations, even if you follow all the rules of hygiene. Therefore, you need to know how to remove lice quickly and reliably.
Methods for removing lice
If a child or adult has a very itchy scalp or scratches that do not heal, it is necessary to conduct a thorough examination. Lice and their eggs (nits) are clearly visible to the naked eye. Parasites can be removed at home, but you must first consult a doctor who will select the most suitable remedy.
All methods of treating pediculosis can be divided into 3 groups:
- Mechanical – cutting or shaving hair, combing out lice;
- Chemical – the use of special agents with antiparasitic effects;
- Physical - boiling or ironing clothes.
Mechanical and chemical methods must be combined with the treatment of hats, bed linen, combs, and personal hygiene items. Lice die quickly enough outside the human body, but for a certain time they can remain alive and then return to the skin.
Gasoline and kerosene - what are the dangers of using them?
As a rule, these substances are used as a special hair mask. Indeed, all you need to do is soak your hair in kerosene or gasoline, put an airtight polyethylene bandage on your head and hold the insects under this pressure for 40 minutes, and all the parasites will be destroyed. To enhance the effect, olive oil or shampoo is added to these types of fuel.
But not only lice and nits suffer from such execution. A person who is forced to inhale kerosene or gasoline fumes for a long time can also develop serious health problems. And since these substances come into contact with the scalp, problems can also occur in this part of the body.
The fact is that even the purest and highest quality kerosene, which is considered almost edible, has never been tested in the laboratory as a medicine, either for external or internal use. Therefore, it is strictly not recommended to carry out such experiments on yourself.
How to choose the right product?
A dermatologist recommends how to remove lice, taking into account several factors. This is a type of insect: hair (live on the scalp), pubic (spread in the groin area), body (live on clothes and underwear, periodically biting a person where the skin comes into contact with these objects).
Various products are suitable for children and adults. Drugs containing aggressive chemicals are not prescribed in childhood, pregnancy and lactation. Individual intolerance to substances and allergic reactions are also taken into account.
The simplest and most affordable way to get rid of lice eggs and adult lice is complete hair removal. In this case, you won’t have to buy shampoos or other products or waste time manually removing nits. The only thing that needs to be done is to carefully collect the shaved hair and destroy it, as well as disinfect the room in which the procedure was carried out.
Composition of dust soap and principle of action
Dust soap resembles ordinary laundry soap, only it contains a strong insecticide - dichlorodiphenyltrichloromethylmethane (DDT). People call the substance DDT dust, which is why the soap itself received this name. The active component of DDT penetrates deep into the integument of insects, causing their inevitable death. Also, dust destroys the protective shells of lice larvae and eggs, which leads to their instant destruction.
The main component of soap is not excreted on its own; it can even accumulate in the body, entering through scratches, abrasions, and wounds on the skin. Therefore, repeated use of dust can harm the health of humans and animals.
Contraindications
The use of dust soap is contraindicated in the following cases:
- pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- childhood;
- weakened immune system;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- predisposition to allergies;
- for irritated or dry scalp;
- for various skin diseases;
- for reuse (soap can only be used once due to the toxic substance it contains).
Negative consequences of use
Excess DDT can lead to serious consequences:
- Mutagenic changes.
- Deterioration of the body's protective functions.
- Brain dysfunction.
- Formation and growth of cancer cells.
- Serious disturbances in the development of the child while still in the womb.
Signs of dust poisoning are:
- headache;
- the appearance of rashes of various types;
- nausea, indigestion;
- dizziness, lethargy;
- breathing problems;
- muscle spasms.
If even one of the symptoms appears, you should immediately consult a doctor. Taking activated carbon tablets and gastric lavage will not bring results.
How to comb out lice and nits?
The next option is to comb out the lice. It is necessary to choose a suitable comb and provide good lighting. An ordinary household comb will not work for this purpose. Its teeth are too sparsely spaced; they will not be able to remove nits that are tightly attached to the hair.
It is necessary to use a special comb for combing with frequent teeth and a reinforced design. To carry out the procedure you need:
- Cover your shoulders with a towel;
- Treat your hair with a solution of 9% vinegar or hydrogen peroxide with water in a ratio of 1:3 (this is necessary to destroy the adhesive that attaches the nits to the hair). The solution should be left for half an hour, covering your head with a towel;
- Comb your hair with a regular comb to detangle it;
- Comb out parasites, moving from one temple to another (the bangs are processed last);
- Comb the strands smoothly with a special comb, from roots to ends;
- Comb each strand on both sides, removing insects from the comb and dipping it into a container with a solution of peroxide or vinegar.
After combing is completed, it is necessary to disinfect the comb, wash clothes and towels in hot water, and iron on both sides. To make combing easier after treating with a vinegar solution, you can apply conditioner to your hair. In the process, already treated strands need to be separated from untreated ones using hairpins, which subsequently also need to be treated with vinegar against lice.
You can also use a special comb for combing. Such devices have useful functions and are very easy to use. For example, the Beurer HT 15 anti-lice comb beeps when it comes into contact with insects, which allows you to draw conclusions about their presence and quantity. The effect of destroying parasites is achieved through the action of electrical impulses. The device is safe for health and can be used by children.
Benefits of Combing
Combing is one of the most popular methods because it has several advantages:
- The method is suitable for people of any age;
- The use of combs and combs cannot provoke an allergic reaction;
- The negative effects of chemicals on hair, scalp and the body as a whole are excluded;
- There is no risk of chemical burns;
- The comb can be used at any frequency;
- The shelf life of such a device is practically unlimited; it can be used even after several years.
But it is possible to remove lice in this way only if you have a special comb and follow all the rules, as well as carefully treat the hair. The comb can also be used for preventive purposes by combing your hair with it once a week.
How to use lice shampoo
Anti-lice shampoo also has a good effect. This drug is prescribed by a doctor. Some products come complete with a special comb for combing. Instructions for use are included with each shampoo, but in general terms the procedure looks like this:
- The product is applied to dry hair;
- The shampoo is distributed along the entire length of the strands and over the scalp;
- Soaped hair should be massaged and shampoo should be left on it for a certain time;
- The product is thoroughly washed off with warm running water.
If necessary, the treatment can be repeated several times. After this, the hair is divided into strands and the parasites are combed out with a comb. You cannot do without combing, since the nits are in a special shell that protects them from the effects of antiparasitic agents. In any case, lice eggs will have to be removed manually. In case there are still undetected nits in the hair, shampoo treatment should be repeated after about a week.
Dichlorvos is a means to combat people!
This poison has long been used to kill various household insects. But few people know that it has a very wide spectrum of action, which includes not only lice and nits, but also you and me. Therefore, when using dichlorvos as a remedy for pediculosis, you can get immediate or delayed poisoning. Symptoms of the latter appear within 8 hours, making this health problem even more dangerous.
Today the market is overflowing with products for lice and nits, which have no effect on humans, but work well against parasites. Therefore, there is no point in self-medicating, because it is not only difficult, but also dangerous.
Comments
Is it possible to get rid of lice in other ways?
There are other preparations for lice, for example, tar or dust soap. And you should soap your hair, wrap it in cellophane and leave for 15-12 minutes, then rinse well and remove nits by hand. The disadvantage of this product is the unpleasant odor.
Turpentine ointment also helps get rid of lice. However, you need to be prepared for increased oiliness in your hair after treatment. Kerosene is far from the best option, since it is a flammable liquid that has a negative effect on the hair and can cause a chemical burn.
To remove the parasite, you can use essential oils of tea tree, rosemary, lavender, wormwood, wild rosemary, and mint. They are added to hair masks or regular shampoo. Oils repel insects with their pungent odor, but do not completely remove them. Another thing is that periodic use of oils significantly reduces the risk of contracting lice.
Vinegar can break down the sticky substance, helping to get rid of nits. But it is ineffective against adult lice. To combat parasites, cherry water is used - a decoction or tincture of cherry. The composition should be applied to the hair and left for several hours. However, in this case, severe allergies cannot be ruled out, especially in children. You cannot use cherry water if there are wounds or scratches on the scalp.
Treatment of cats and dogs
Dust soap can be used to combat fleas and other parasites in pets. In this case, be sure to use a special veterinary collar to protect the animal from getting the product into the mouth, eyes and ears.
Parasites are removed using dust as follows:
- Fill a large basin with warm water to about half full, or you can use a bathtub.
- Put a protective collar on your pet, place it in water and wet the fur.
- Lather the entire body of the animal, except for the face.
- Let the foam soak for 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse off the product well (preferably several times).
- Dry your pet with a terry towel.
- After the procedure, give your pet a drink of fresh milk to cleanse the body of toxins and take it out into the fresh air.
