What are head lice?
Head lice are small parasites (tiny insect-like creatures) which are found on the hair. They do not spread any serious diseases but can cause embarrassment in public.
Who can get head lice?
Although kids are more prone to head lice, they can even affect adults. There is a misbelief that head lice are found mostly in people belonging to the lower class. Regardless of a person’s age, sex, or social worth, lice can travel to anybody’s head. Girls usually face this problem more than boys because of their long hair. They are almost the size of a sesame seed and very difficult to spot. Their eggs are called nits which are even harder to locate in the shafts.
How head lice spread?
Head lice cannot fly or jump. They travel from one person’s head to another when their head’s come in contact with each other. Once head lice lay eggs in your hair, they get multiplied in huge numbers and it becomes difficult to get rid of them.
Symptoms
These lice feed on human blood thereby sucking your scalp which gives rise to an itchy, scratchy feeling. Sometimes this may even result in red spots on the scalp causing a burning sensation.
How to remove them?
Avoid sharing your comb, hat or hair accessories with others because louse can survive on such items for a short period of time.
Special combs for head lice are available in the market. You can use them in conjunction with the home remedies given below, to get a fast relief from head lice.
Home Remedies:
1. Apply coconut oil on your scalp. Cover it with a cotton cloth and leave it overnight. Take it off in the morning and you will find all the dead lice and nits on the cloth. Wash your hair as usual. Coconut oil is absolutely safe and good for hair. Thus, you can repeat this daily until you get rid of all the eggs.
2. Lather your scalp with a mixture of conditioner and water. Be generous while using conditioner. This will de-tangle the hair so it becomes easy to comb. Use a head lice comb to thoroughly brush all the sections of your hair.
3. Take a look at your head every once in a week. Use direct sunlight which allows lice and nits to be easily visible. Early eradication of louse is the best as no further eggs will be laid.
4. Use tea tree oil to massage your hair or mix a few drops of it with your regular shampoo. Tea tree oil kills the lice leaving them choked.
5. Salt can be also used effectively as a head lice remover. Add two-three teaspoons of salt to one bottle water. Shake it well so that all the salt particles melt in it. Sprinkle this on your hair in a way that all the strands get soaked well. Cover your head with a shower cap and leave it for about two hours before taking a regular hair wash.
6. Take 10 garlic cloves and crush them into a paste. Add this to three teaspoons of lime juice. Mix well and apply on all parts of your hair. Leave it for half an hour and rinse thoroughly with warm water. Shampoo and condition properly so that the pungent smell of garlic goes away.
You can even combine two remedies together at a time, as per your convenience and the availability of resources for much faster results.
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