How to treat lice with home methods

Lice are considered one of the most common problems among children, especially during the school season, and because of mixing between children, which worries parents and makes them look for ways to treat lice at home.

What is lice?

Lice are tiny parasitic insects the size of a small seed that feed on human blood. 

Lice live on the scalp and hair. They are small insects 2-3 mm long, oval in shape, grayish-brown in color, and they do not have wings.

 Adult lice live about thirty days, and lice die quickly if they fall from the hair, and the female lays about six eggs per day, and the eggs are called nits, and they are located at the root of the hair, near the scalp, which is small, white in color, then the eggs hatch and become lice.

 Young lice turn into adult lice after about two weeks, and if you see lice or eggs, this means that you are infested with lice, and the way to get rid of lice is to kill the insect and the eggs that the insect lays. 

Lice are one of the most common pests that many people suffer from, especially children. It also causes skin and health damage to humans, such as severe itching. Therefore, we will present to you in this article many medicines and methods that help in treating lice.

Methods of treating lice

There are many methods that are used in the treatment of lice that we present to you in this paragraph:

• Using specialized combs: In some stores there are special types of combs designed in a way that makes them effective in removing lice, the idea of ​​these combs is to clean the hair completely by stripping insects Hand stuck in hair. If you want to use combs to get rid of lice, you must first wash the hair of the head well with water, in order to prevent the lice from escaping from the comb, then the affected person is placed under a clear light, and someone picks up his hair and combs it starting from the hairline (the lice often stick to it) Then the hair strand must be combed to its end to ensure that the insect is rid of it, and that it does not remain stuck in one of them. 
• Hair cutting: The comb should be used to get rid of lice with other types of treatment to increase its efficiency. Hair tufts sources. If the victim is a girl, her hair can be shortened until the hair is very short, and thus it is easy to distinguish the insects on them, and get rid of them with a lice comb or any other means.
• Hot air: It is suitable to use any source of hot air to eliminate lice, but the most effective and simple way is to use a hair dryer, as hot air causes the lice eggs to dry out and kill the developing embryos inside, and it also causes the lice eggs to dry out. It kills most of the adult insects in the scalp. However, this process will need a lot of repetition to achieve good results, it is necessary to dry the hair with hot air daily until the symptoms of lice disappear, in order to ensure that the newly laid eggs are destroyed continuously. 
• White and red vinegar: This method was developed to get rid of lice, and it depends on the acids present in the vinegar, which help to kill insects that live in the head, whether they are lice or small lice eggs (called nits). The idea is to rub the entire affected human hair with vinegar, leave it for several hours, and then wash it thoroughly with water. Repeat this treatment two or three times a week until the symptoms of lice disappear.
• Mayonnaise: The idea of ​​using mayonnaise is based on the same principle as white and red vinegar, and mayonnaise is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Health as an effective way to combat lice, as some substances found in mayonnaise can destroy the internal cells of lice, and it also kills the eggs and leads to their cracking. This method is used by rubbing the scalp with mayonnaise, in addition to white or red vinegar, so that it is an integrated mixture, and the entire head must be covered with a plastic cap and left for a while, then the hair is washed and dried to kill lice. 
• Onion juice: It is used by rubbing the juice on the scalp and the rest of the hair, leaving it for three hours, then washing the hair with shampoo.
• Mix a mixture of equal amounts of olive oil, mayonnaise and Vaseline and mix them together and apply on the head, then cover the head with a plastic cap until the next morning, then wash it with shampoo. 
• Basil leaves: Wash fresh basil leaves and put them in a blender, then add a little water to it until it becomes a paste and cover the whole hair with it and leave it for half an hour until it dries, then wash the hair with shampoo. 

How to prevent lice infestation

The following is recommended to reduce the chances of people, especially children, getting hair lice:

• Avoid direct contact, especially hair, while playing or doing other activities at home, school and anywhere else.
• Avoid sharing clothing and personal items, such as hats, scarves, coats, or sportswear, with anyone else.
• Avoid sharing hair combs or towels with anyone else, and if used by someone else with lice, they should be disinfected by soaking them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
• Avoid lying on beds, sofas, pillows, or rugs that have been in frequent contact with a person with lice. 
• Clothes worn by the patient should be washed in hot water. 
• Dry clothes and non-washable items can be placed in a plastic bag and stored for up to two weeks.