Hygeine has Nothing to do With Head Lice and Nits

One of the myths and fallacies about head lice is that they live in dirty hair and cause sickness. In point of fact, the risks presented by head lice are virtually zero. These wingless parasites live amongst human hairs and feed on extremely small quantities of blood extracted from the hosts scalp. Even though they are unpleasant, they are also moderately innocuous. Once you have the true facts, you will be in a better position to getting rid of head lice should this pest end up entering your home.

The reality about head lice is that they are more annoying than they are hazardous. Despite popular belief, hygiene has little to do with head lice and nits. At the worst, the bites might cause an itchy scalp and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation or infection. The opinion that lice jump from one person to the next is also incorrect. Lice are transferred by direct contact or through sharing items like a hair brush, hat, furniture or bedding. To check for head lice, carefully examine the scalp for live insects or head lice eggs, called nits, on the hair shaft. Provided that the infestation is not heavy, it is more common to see nits, rather than adult bugs crawling on the scalp.

Even though there are a thousand and one supposed head lice remedies, very few of them, if any, actually work. Even more worrying is the fact that a lot of these so-called solutions are nothing less than dangerous. For example, some people believe that kerosene or gasolene will obliterate head lice. While that maybe true, the poor soul whose head they are treating might die in the process as well. Petrol or kerosene should never be used because the fumes are liable to combust because of their volatility. An additional ill-founded myth is that petroleum jelly is a great way to wipe out lice. Once again, there is some truth in that in so far that the Vaseline will smother mature lice but it will do very little against nits. Besides that, it is virtually impossible to get the greasy mess out of your hair afterwards.

Just washing your hair with regular shampoo along with water will not get rid of head lice by itself because this annoying little bugs are able to survive underwater for up to 24 hours. The most effective method of freeing yourself of head lice is to use a medicated lice shampoo, which you can obtain in any good drugstore. When employing such products, many of which contain insecticides, it is important that you follow the usage instructions otherwise your efforts will be in vain. Applying these medications in larger quantities or too often can in reality do more damage than good.

Lice and nits will die at temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit, so laundering clothing, bedclothes and towels in hot water or using the tumble drier can efficaciously get rid of the problem. Hairbrushes and combs can also be cleaned with hot water. At the end of the day there is no need to panic about these pests. A case of head lice can be treated quickly and effectively with a visit to the drugstore.

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