Combing out lice and nits is most often used as an auxiliary method after exposing the hair to a medical or folk drug. This method allows you to comb out not only the parasites themselves, but also mechanically get rid of lice larvae - nits. Removing nits is more difficult, since the eggs are tightly attached to the hair, at its base. They are covered with a dense shell, which complicates the process of fighting parasites. In the fight against head lice, efficiency plays an important role. The average lifespan of a female is 40 days, however, during her life cycle she is able to leave offspring, which number in the hundreds of larvae.
Tools
The effectiveness of combing directly depends on the tool with which you are going to manipulate. The most popular ones in this regard are:
- crest;
- electric comb.
We recommend reading: a review of the best combs for lice and nits in humans.
The specificity of a special comb lies in the material of the teeth, their close distance from each other and the rigidity of the structure. This makes it easy to pass through the hair and comb out tightly adhered nits. The teeth of high-quality combs are laser-cut, which ensures thorough processing. The edges have a rounded shape, which prevents injury to the scalp. Metal combs have proven to be the best in this matter.
Manufacturers of products for head lice also sell a comb as a set. As a rule, such combs are of low quality, which affects the effectiveness of the procedure.
Attention! In addition to the material, combs differ in the length of the teeth. Combs with long teeth are designed for combing long hair, and combs with short teeth are for short haircuts.
Electric combs shock parasites with an electric shock. The discharge is of low power, it is harmless and practically unnoticeable by humans.
Using an ordinary comb, be it a massage brush (commonly known as a massage brush) or a comb, will not give a positive result. These types of brushes are designed primarily for untangling tangled hair; the bristles are too far apart from each other, which does not help comb out small enough lice and nits.
Remedies for head lice
To achieve the best result, before combing, it is better to treat your hair with an anti-lice product. Recipes for some of them:
- Decoction of pomegranate and mint. The infusion can be prepared at home. To do this you will need a glass of pomegranate juice and a few mint leaves. Boil the resulting mixture for about 10 minutes, then let it brew. Cool to room temperature, rub into scalp and hair.
- Onion mask. To prepare it, you need a medium-sized onion and two egg yolks. The onion is finely chopped and mixed with the yolks. The mask is applied to the scalp and distributed over the entire length of the hair. It is better to cover your hair with a bag and a towel. Leave the mask on for a couple of hours, then rinse thoroughly. Wash your hair with regular shampoo.
- Among traditional medicine recipes, kerosene is often mentioned to combat lice and nits. However, this method can quite easily lead to a chemical burn or cause a severe allergic reaction.
- Treatment with vinegar solution. Considering that the solution will be applied directly to the scalp and hair, it is important that the vinegar used is no more than 9% concentration. Vinegar is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. Then the hair is treated with the solution. Wrap your head in a towel and leave for 30 minutes. The maximum residence time with the solution is no more than an hour. Vinegar does not kill lice and nits, but is very effective in removing nits from hair.
- Hydrogen peroxide. It is able to influence the adhesive substance with which nits are attached to the hair and facilitate their separation from the hair. The solution is prepared by adding water in a ratio of 3 parts water and 1 peroxide. Cover your hair with a plastic bag. Apply to hair and leave for about half an hour.
Important point! Hydrogen peroxide has a lightening effect, so it is important not to exceed the dosage and treatment time.
The pharmaceutical industry offers a wide range of products for head lice:
- shampoos;
- sprays;
- ointments;
- solutions, etc.
Such products can destroy all living lice in 15–20 minutes and facilitate the process of further combing out. However, they are ineffective against nits.
How does infection occur?
Methods of infection interest people much more than the processes of lice reproduction. In this case, places with significant concentrations of people in a limited area are potentially dangerous, especially if there is a violation of sanitary standards in them, first of all, these include:
- Communal apartments.
- Various hostels.
- Children's preschool and educational institutions.
- Camps and other recreational places.
Direct infection with pediculosis can occur in the following ways:
- Close contact and contact between an infected and healthy person. It is worth noting that when communicating at a distance, infection is impossible, since lice cannot jump or fly. However, these are very fast insects, so in most cases a very short and insignificant close contact is enough for the parasite to move unnoticed onto a healthy person.
- Another common method of infection is the use of the same personal hygiene products by a healthy and infected person , especially those that come into contact with hair.
- If you sleep in the bed or wear clothes of an infected person, there is also a high risk of infection.
- Infection through water, for example, in public baths or ponds.
Preparing for brushing
The process of combing out nits requires careful preparation, the quality of which determines the likelihood of re-infection and the spread of parasites. Missing just one individual can quickly lead to a resurgence of the parasite population.
Before combing you need to:
- Cover your shoulders and place light paper or cloth on the floor. Newspaper is not suitable for these purposes, since it will be difficult to notice insects against its background. If fallen lice are discovered, they must be destroyed immediately.
- The person who will process the product should protect themselves from infection: wear gloves, remove hair, and put on a light-colored robe.
- Periodically rinse the comb in an alcohol-containing solution or vinegar and remove dead insects from the comb.
- It is better to prepare a workplace near a window or choose a room with good artificial lighting.
- Pre-apply balm to your hair, which makes strands easier to comb.
Preventive measures
It is a pity that we cannot completely protect ourselves from the disease described, since every day we come into contact with a large number of people. But there are preventive measures that help reduce the risk of this problem:
- Do not use other people's things, especially combs, bed linen, towels, and clothes.
- You can get infected from poorly treated hairdresser's tools, so the place for cutting should be chosen carefully.
- It is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene, namely wash your hair, change bed linen, change combs.
- Young children need to have their hair cut more often and have their heads checked for parasites.
- For prevention, you can apply lavender, anise, and tea tree oil to your hair.
Instructions for use
To effectively remove lice and nits from hair, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- If possible, pre-treat your hair with a head lice remedy. Both pharmaceutical products and traditional medicine are suitable for this.
- Do not dry your hair, dry it slightly so that it remains moist. So, parasites are more noticeable.
- Hair should be combed with an ordinary comb and divided into strands. If you brush yourself, it will be convenient to tie your hair in a high ponytail and then pull out thin strands from it.
- It is better to start combing from temple to temple, then proceed to the back of the head. If you have bangs, they should be processed last.
- Comb from roots to ends, slowly running the comb through the hair. Pin up treated hair.
- The strands must be taken small so that they can be easily combed with a comb.
- You need to comb the strand on both sides, then rinse the comb with the prepared solution and remove insects from the tool.
- After processing, all instruments and tissues must also be “neutralized.” Fabrics should be boiled for several minutes, shaken well outside and ironed.
- The comb must also be boiled and cleaned after each treatment.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean the house and pay close attention to upholstered furniture. It is better to wash bed linen and clothes at high temperatures.
- If household items on which insects could remain cannot be washed, then they should be packed in plastic bags and left in this condition for 14 days. A living individual cannot exist without food for more than 6 days, so in 2 weeks without food both lice and nits die.
Symptoms of head lice in children
Child behavior - what to pay attention to?
If your child returns from a trip and scratches his head, neck and ears, you should start checking the child's head, because it could be head lice. If a child has one louse, it is difficult to notice; you need to pay attention to the bites on the back of the head and behind the ears. It is often difficult to recognize scabies in very well-groomed children.
Be alert if your child experiences itchy skin after returning from a trip. If your child begins to itch three to four weeks after returning from camp, it is worth contacting a dermatologist to check the skin for lice.
After about this time, in a healthy person, the symptoms of scabies disappear. The first and most characteristic symptom is severe itching of the skin in the evening and at night, when the body warms up under a blanket or after a warm bath. Initially, skin lesions are most often located on the hands, in the spaces between the fingers. Scabies does not affect the face and interscapular area.
When there is a suspicion of head lice, it is necessary to check the child's head - and this is mandatory after the child goes to camp or kindergarten!
Children of preschool and primary school age are also recommended to comb their heads once a month to check for lice.
Advantages and disadvantages
The combing procedure has both its pros and cons. Each case is individual, so based on the information received, it will be easier to choose one or another means of combating head lice. Hair combing has the following advantages over other means of combating head lice:
- This method will not cause an allergic reaction in the body, which is quite possible when using special shampoos or other chemical products. It also has no age restrictions and is harmless to use even for the smallest children.
- There is no chance of getting a chemical burn.
- Unlike chemical remedies for head lice, the comb has a shelf life throughout its service life and can be used even after several years.
- The comb can be used repeatedly.
- The special design of the comb allows you to comb your hair without damaging the scalp or tearing out hair.
This method also has a number of disadvantages:
- Combing is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Even a single procedure takes at least an hour; the procedure must be repeated for at least seven days every day. When other remedies against head lice require less time and effort.
- If you have to comb yourself, without resorting to the help of strangers, the procedure becomes much more complicated.
- The cost of a good quality comb is much higher than the cost of regular lice shampoo.
Important! If your choice is mechanical treatment for head lice, namely combing, you should remember that the result of the fight will depend not only on the quality of the tool, but also on your dedication and diligence.
Lice reproduction
Many people have encountered such a problem as lice in their lives. When infected with pediculosis, a person is looking for a way to get rid of these blood-sucking parasites as quickly as possible and is not at all interested in how they reproduce. However, many scientists are closely observing this process, finding it quite interesting, since it differs from the methods of reproduction characteristic of many other insects.
This happens as follows:
- The female is ready to begin mating with the male within the first two days after she has undergone her last larval molt.
- Fertilization is internal and occurs very quickly; just a few hours after mating has occurred, the female begins to lay eggs.
- The development of eggs and larvae also occurs very quickly, this is due to the fact that the oviposition is located in human hair or animal fur, so the question of lack of food or the need to obtain it never arises.
- The eggs are attached to the hair and can be located at varying distances from the roots.
- Each egg is equipped with a specific case with a sticky structure, which dries after gluing, so it is attached quite reliably. An egg hidden in such a case is called a nit.
- Soon, small insects will hatch from the nits - new offspring of lice.
Frequency of combing
Having chosen this method of combating lice and nits, you should be patient. The parasites will not disappear after the first treatment; repeated daily treatments will be required to completely eliminate lice and nits.
Moreover, the number of repetitions subsequently depends on the quality and thoroughness of the very first combing. This approach is primarily due to the fact that even one nit missed during combing can multiply very quickly and prolificly.
Therefore, it is extremely important not to interrupt the process and complete the procedure until all parasites are completely destroyed.
For preventive purposes, it would be useful to carry out treatment once a week. This applies primarily to children, who are especially susceptible to infection. After the course of the procedure, a follow-up examination should be done a week later.
Even if the nit went unnoticed, after such a period of time the louse will hatch from it and it will be clear whether errors were made during processing and whether the procedure needs to be repeated again until the parasite population increases.
The times when the discovery of head lice meant cutting your hair to zero are behind us. However, despite the development of modern medicine and improved living conditions, pediculosis still exists. And, as before, it is not customary to talk about this trouble out loud. The main thing in the treatment of pediculosis is timeliness, scrupulousness, diligence and an integrated approach to treatment.
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