Treatment of Head Lice

Head lice vary in size from approximately 1 to 3 mm in size. They have been around for thousands of years and are generally known as not being native to any type particular color, age or race of person. Give any chance, they will not discriminate between who they feed on and more importantly it is safe to know that they do not carry or transmit diseases. They are wingless insects that live and breed, including feeding, on the human scalp. Not possessing legs that can jump or wings means that head lice can only crawl. The term NITS is generally given to the eggs that a female louse will lay. On average, the female louse lays 3 to 10 eggs a day and the eggs can generally be found within 2cm of the scalp. The eggs have s resemblance to dandruff and, unlike dandruff, they are easily spotted as they can not be brushed off the hair.

Head to head contact with someone with head lice is the most common way of catching head lice. Common among children due to the expose and relative closeness of children in schools, head lice can effect anyone. It is always recommended that treatment of head lice is given to anyone who has come in contact with someone who has head lice. However, there should not be any reason to treat those who have not come in contact. Although having head lice is not a particularly nice thought, the cleaning of the house is not generally an issue. The cleaning of the infected persons pillowcase (anything that has come in contact with the infected head) is generally sufficient when trying to eradicate the problem. Washing of the pillowcases should be done at at least 60 degrees Celsius. It is also suggested that putting the item in a clothes dryer for at least 10 minutes on the highest setting also helps eradication. One of the most common ways of getting rid of head lice is by using a specially designed comb. With long, hard steel teeth positioned together the force of the hand in the motion of the comb tends to get the majority of eggs off the hair. Alternatively, the use of every day materials from the home cupboard can help with the treatment of head lice.