Head lice – these tiny parasitic critters have always been a cause of concern for parents who have children experience an infestation which is why the rush in finding the best lice medicine and head lice home remedies never died. Kids’ daily activities have always been active in school, play or at home and unavoidable circumstances sometimes occur where they could acquire head lice. Head lice infestation, otherwise known as pediculosis, can easily spread from one person to the other through direct head to head contact making the condition highly contagious, which is why children are more prone to infestation because of their daily physical contact with other kids who could have active lice infestation. So it would be prudent for parents to take action and treat an infestation early on whether by over-the-counter or prescribed medicines or home cures for lice.

There are cases though where children are overtreated for louse which could cause unnecessary side effects such as skin irritations even with natural head lice home remedies. This happens because an itchy scalp, dandruff, or dust particles are misdiagnosed as active lice and live lice eggs meaning there was never an infestation in the first place. In order to diagnose properly, head lice symptoms must be observed properly. One distinct symptom of lice is the head itching and scratching. It is a form of an allergic reaction when lice start to feed on blood from the scalp. Look for evidence of active lice on your child’s head. However, lice are so tiny and can sometimes blend well with the host’s hair making it a lot more difficult to find one active moving on the scalp. Alternatively, look for live nits or lice eggs usually found near the base of the hair shaft. Nits are commonly mistaken as dandruff or dust particles because of its color and size. Note though that live nits are oval in shape, hard and are mostly found around and behind the ears and at the back of the head or near the nape area. If you can positively confirm an infestation, then it is time to begin with lice treatment.

There are a number of head lice treatments sold in the market and different head lice home remedies can also be found online. It is up to you to choose which treatment you prefer best. Either way, in treating lice infestation, strict adherence to instructions could make a significant difference in the success of the treatment. Using lice medicine may be the easiest, less hassle way to treat lice infestation. More like pesticides for lice, over-the-counter and prescribed medicines are toxic to lice on contact. A downside to the treatment is that majority of these medicines cannot kill live nits which means there is a possibility of reinfestation unless retreated. This is why physicians would recommend retreatment after 7 to 9 days from the first application which is enough time that live nits hatch and unleash new sets of nymphs (immature or young head lice). Yet, there still lingers controversy on chemical lice treatment and that is the resistance of head lice to the medicine itself. Experts believe that the reason for resistant lice could be one of the following:

1. Misdiagnosis of active lice infestation
2. Not following the directions of the treatment to the letter
3. Lice have developed a resistance to the treatment itself. This could be remedied by using a new treatment as per doctor’s advice
4. There is reinfestation

Another point of concern with chemical treatment is the fact that it is toxic and could be dangerous to children 2 years of age and below. Also, most parents are more concerned of the side effects lice medicines can cause to children. Plus, most lice medicines cannot kill nits. So, they opt to choose safer and natural ways of dealing with lice through available home remedies for head lice.

Head lice treatment home remedy is extremely popular with parents who want to use non-toxic means of getting rid of head lice. Different recipes exist everywhere and parents share their unique experiences with their recipes with other parents who share the same dilemma. But regardless of the popularity of head lice home remedies, there is no 100% guarantee they are effective. While some parents would find a particular remedy effective, the same remedy could have a different effect on others. But even with the possibility of trial and error, most parents still feel more confident and safer with natural remedies. To list a few of home remedy for head lice and nits:

• Treatment with oil-based ingredients such as mayonnaise or olive oil is supposed to ‘smother’ head lice. If left on hair long enough, say 2 hours while some opt to leave it overnight, lice will have difficulty breathing, thus slowing them down. More lice will be removed once hair is rinsed and combed with lice comb.
• Treatment with Vaseline is also one of the head lice home remedies. Just like oil-based treatment, the application of Vaseline makes it hard to breathe for head lice. The downside to this kind of treatment is the fact the Vaseline can be a pain to remove. It usually takes a week of washing and shampooing to get rid of all the Vaseline.
• Herbal treatment is also available as home remedy for head lice through the use of tea tree oil and other essential oils. The most common way to use tea tree oil is by taking 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil and mix with a small amount of baby shampoo that has no conditioner. Some would add a few drops of olive oil to the mixture. Lather the mixture properly into the hair and leave it on with shower cap for at least 30 minutes before rinsing. Comb with lice and nit comb.
• White vinegar is the treatment that is effective in killing lice. It is believe that the acid in vinegar can dissolve nits’ exoskeleton, killing them altogether or make them a lot easier to remove. You will have to soak the hair with white vinegar, cover with damp towel and leave it on for 30 to 60 minutes. Some would prefer to leave it on overnight. Rinse in the morning and comb with head lice.

Non-toxic lice products are also available in market today. One in particular is the HairClean 1-2-3 that contains coconut oil, anise oil and ylang ylang oil and has been proven effective in Israel. LiceOut is a non-toxic gel that traps head lice so that it is easier to remove them with lice and nit comb.

With all the remedies available for use, it is still best to continue using lice and nit combs to permanently remove head lice and nits. Head lice home remedies can be effective means of getting rid of lice, but it is also wise to take supplementary measures as prevention from reinfestation.

Head lice infestation is not a condition that’s out of the ordinary. It is so common in fact, that millions get infested each year. Lice do not choose a particular type of human host. Anyone is at risk of infestation so everyone should be educated well enough on how to kill lice, no exceptions. However, statistics show that majority of the victims of infestation are children below 12 years of age. This explains why there is a growing concern of parents for their children who are still attending preschools in day care centers, or kids in elementary grade levels due to their vulnerability to lice. It is a valid concern anyway because nobody wants to see their child suffering from an endless itching, or worse, from public humiliation and isolation. It is basically any parent’s mission to find the most effective and efficient way on how to kill head lice.

What’s important to know about lice is that they are not dangerous, albeit irritating and absolutely annoying. No one died from head lice infestation, but they can cause skin irritation or allergic reaction to the infected person’s scalp. They may be very contagious but they do not spread diseases. It is never a good idea to slack in ridding your kids of head lice, so start educating yourself on how to kill lice so that you can treat your kids when the need arises. Do not fear head lice, instead fear the thought of these disgusting parasitic insects crawling, breeding and sucking blood right on top of your children’s heads!

Lice Diagnosis

The moment you suspect your child of having head lice symptoms, do not treat it right away. Misdiagnosis of head lice is very common, so before you decide on how to kill lice, confirm the presence of lice by doing an inspection on your child’s head. Check all areas of the head especially around and behind the ears, and at the nape, at the back of the head. If a crawling louse cannot be found, then look for live lice eggs, also known as nits, firmly attached to the base of the hair. A viable louse egg is normally found – inch from the base of the hair shaft. This suggests that the child is infested.

Treating Head Lice

There are different ways on how to kill lice but since killing head lice is not a one-step, one-day process, it takes perseverance on your part to finish the head lice treatment until the end.

Chemical Treatment

There are a number of over-the-counter and prescription medications, also known as pediculicides, available on drugstores worldwide that eradicate and kill lice. Lice medicines are toxic, so it is very important to use them with extreme caution, especially on children. Follow the instructions found on the box or on the label of the medicine to the letter. It is not advisable to use shampoo and conditioner prior to applying lice medicine unto the hair; likewise, do not re-wash the hair after removing the medicine for 1-2 days to be more effective. Check the hair regularly, or every 2-3 days by combing, using lice or nit comb to remove dead, dying or live lice and nits. In treating head lice infestation, eliminating lice eggs or nits is very essential. Since there are no approved head lice medicines that can completely kill lice eggs, retreatment is usually recommended to deal with live nits. The best retreatment schedule is done after the eggs have hatched and before new eggs are produced which is usually on day 9 from the start of the treatment.

Home Remedies and Natural Treatment

Now, more and more parents are at ease adopting natural ways in dealing with lice infestation for reasons that it is safer to use, cheaper, and effective. Also, because children aged 2 years and below shouldn’t be exposed to toxins, natural home remedies are more helpful in removing head lice and nits. Natural ingredients that have been tried and tested on an active infestation range from mayonnaise to white vinegar and Vaseline to olive oil. These are applied thoroughly all over covering every inch of scalp and hair and leave it overnight covered in shower cap. These non-toxic ingredients are supposed to ‘smother’ the lice and kill them. The next day, hair should be washed and combed using lice and nit comb to remove live or dead lice and nits.

Regardless of the treatment method you choose to use, the conventional way of removing lice and nits are still vital to the complete eradication of these pests. Combing infested hair using lice comb regularly can slowly but surely eliminate live lice population. Robi comb is a new breakthrough in lice technology where it detects and kills lice on contact. It is a piece of mechanical device operated using a battery wherein it produces a humming sound while being combed until it discovers lice and zaps them dead. With all the treatments available to treat lice, they cannot eliminate viable nits completely with nits being very resistant to lice treatments. This is where manual nitpicking comes in. This is the only way that live nits that survive treatment can be removed. This is a very tiring, monotonous task but as was mentioned earlier, lice treatment is not as easy as 1-2-3. It requires perseverance and that is how to kill lice effectively.

Prevention and Control

Even if your kids do not have lice, it is still best to have preventive measures to avoid and control infestation. Lice are mostly spread through direct head-to-head contact, so avoid direct contact with infested persons. Do not allow borrowing and sharing of clothing such as hats, bonnets, scarves and coats; personal effects such as combs, brushes, head bands and towels. Avoid using stuffed toys, pillows, linens, blankets, couches and carpets that the infested person recently used. Educate your kids about head lice and how these insects can be acquired, in order to control the infestation. These things may be simple enough to do but can go a long way in the prevention of head lice infestation.