Home Remedies for Lice infestation

Lice infestation, also known as pediculosis is a common human problem. There are three types of lice – head lice, body lice and pubic lice that infest humans. Lifecycle of lice has three forms – nit, lymph and adult lice. Life of lice is about 30 days. Lice will die if they stay away from human body for more than two days.

So What Exactly are Lice? Lice are parasitic insects that are a brownish or grey color. They typically infest areas of the body that have a hair covering and cause itchiness and scratching. Lice infestations can spread rapidly when there is close contact between a group of people. This is why lice infestations are particularly common among children, because of the close physical contact that children tend to have when playing and also in playschools and nurseries. Lice thrive on human skin, feeding of human blood and laying eggs on hair shafts, just over the skin surface. The symptoms of lice infestations like itching and scratching are mainly experienced because of an allergic reaction to the saliva and excreta of the lice.

When we talk about lice and lice infestation most people tend to think about head lice, but these are not the only types of lice.

Head Lice: Head lice thrive on the scalp, and although they are extremely tiny they may be observable towards the nape of the neck or just behind the ears, and in any other region where hair growth is scanty. Lice have a short life cycle of just about 30 days, and they therefore have rather rapid reproductive cycles, reaching maturity in week and laying eggs that hatch in another week. The eggs that are attached to hair shaft are actually what are referred to as nits.

Body Lice: Body lice on the other hand cannot be found easily on the body as they burrow into the skin. Body lice may be observed in the seams of clothing or undergarments and they generally affect people who have poor hygiene levels.

Pubic Lice: Pubic lice infestations are often referred to as crabs and are generally found on the skin and hair in the pubic areas. At times they may also occur on other areas of coarse body hair like on the chest and on the eyebrows and eyelashes, but this is a lot less common. Pubic lice are most often spread through sexual contact with infected partners or at times through contact with contaminated objects like clothing and linen.

Good hygiene is not the only safeguard against lice infestations as not all types of lice are picked up through the same interactions. Direct contact with infected persons or contaminated objects is however necessary as lice cannot survive off their human hosts for an extended period of time. Keep in mind that lice can easily be passed on, making the condition highly contagious, which is why it is important to exercise a great deal of caution. If you have been exposed to potential infestations then it would be wise to seek treatment as the symptoms of lice do not always become apparent immediately. For mild head lice infestations some relief may be got from head lice home treatments, but keep in mind that in the case of a severe head lice infestation or most other types of lice infestation even the best natural head lice treatment may be quite ineffective. Natural treatments for head lice infestations will simply provide relief from symptoms for a brief period. In addition to lice treatment with home remedies it would be advisable to use medicated shampoos as well. Most over the counter treatments for lice, particularly for head lice are very effective.

Symptoms for Head Lice

Head lice are found behind the ears and near the neck. They may cause itching, crusting, and redness on scalp. Sometimes head lice do not show any symptoms. Repeated scratching of lice bites may cause skin infections. These infections may lead to swollen nodes resulting into lumps on the neck and behind the ears.

The symptoms a lice infestation may not always develop and may also take a lot longer to develop in some people because the symptoms of itchiness and skin irritation are caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva and excreta of lice, which means that the appearance of symptoms depends on individual sensitivity or tolerance levels. A head lice infestation would also probably cause symptoms like the appearance of skin rashes and irritation on the neck.

Causes of Head Lice

Head to head contact is the primary way of transmitting head lice. However, they are also transmitted through indirect contact like sharing pillows, hat, carpet and so on. It is a popular misconception that poor hygiene is one of the causes of head lice that probably has more to do with the fact that head lice are easily transmitted in conditions of overcrowding because of the increased physical contact.

Causes of Body Lice

Unhygienic conditions like not taking bath daily, not wearing washed cloth and so on are the primary reasons for body lice. A direct contact with the person having body lice will transmit body lice. Body lice are mainly seen in people from underdeveloped countries.

Causes of Public Lice

Pubic lice are transmitted by direct sexual contact. Using condoms does not provide any protection from pubic lice.

Remedies for Head Lice

Although natural lice remedies are extremely popular, home remedies to get rid of lice may not always be the best lice treatment option. The effectiveness of natural head lice treatments varies from person to person and there have been no scientific validations for any of the claims of the effectiveness of these head lice home treatments. Natural lice remedies may be used to treat mild lice infestations, but if there are no results within a few days, or if the infestation recurs then make sure you seek medical treatment. The problem of lice treatment also stems from the rapid reproductive cycle of lice. This basically implies that although the home remedies to get rid of lice may successfully get rid of them, eggs or nits that have already been laid will hatch to repopulate the area. This is why lice treatment is generally repeated within a period of four to five days or a week as the eggs hatch within this time.

Treating head lice with tea tree oil and olive oil treatments for head lice are quite popular. Some people also claim that the use of mayonnaise as a topical application helps control lice infestation problems.

Head lice home treatment with vinegar is probably one of the most popular of all lice treatment home remedies. For head lice problem wash your hair with vinegar. It will kill all the nits in two days. Apply coconut oil to your head after shampoo and condition. Add ten to fifteen drops of tea tree oil into shampoo bottle and use it daily. Rub listerine mouth wash on your head. This will kill all the lice. Massage your head with mayonnaise and comb it after 2 hours. This will kill all the lice and their eggs. Apply a mixture of lemon and butter on your head, wait for 15 seconds and then rinse your head.

Keep in mind that the treatment for lice infestations goes beyond the treatment of the affected areas of the body. In addition to the use of natural head lice treatments or medicated products you need to take stringent measures to decontaminate the household and any objects and items of clothing that may be contaminated. While getting rid of head lice or lice on your body may not be tough it is very common for infestations to recur. Clothing and bed linen can be washed in hot water with detergents or left in airtight bags for over a week to kill off the lice and their eggs. Objects like combs and brushes, hair bands and clips should be soaked in hot water or medicated shampoo, or both, or they could simply be thrown away and replaced. Because of the ease with which lice are passed on it is important that every member of the household is treated simultaneously, whether or not the symptoms of lice infestation are present as these symptoms often become apparent much later, by which time the lice may have again been passed on.

No Diet for Lice

There is no special diet recommended for lice treatment.

Other Suggestions for Lice Treatment

Never share your personal belongings with a lice infested person. Do not have sex with lice infested person. Do not apply kerosene on your head for lice treatment.