How to Get Rid of Head Lice
You have probably heard of lice, but have you heard of a louse? Lice are simply a group of tiny bugs that often get into people’s hair. A louse is a tiny, wingless insect with a flat body. Many types of these biting or sucking bugs are parasites that live on humans and animals. How can we dispense with these annoying critters?
Required Materials
Bowl
Hair pin
Shampoo
Soap
Tissue paper
Towel
Water
Required Tools
Lice comb
Instructions
Know Your Enemy. We often hear of schoolchildren suffering from head lice. However, more than one type of lice can become annoying to humans and animals. Head lice live on the head. Their bites can create an allergic reaction that results in irritation. Symptoms of head lice are brown-red or black dots on one’s back and shoulders. Meanwhile, body lice live in people’s clothing where they lay their eggs. Body lice travel to the skin periodically, to feed. Thirdly, pubic lice live nearby people’s private parts and eyelashes. Their bites can cause itching and flakes that look like dandruff. (See how to treat dandruff)
Head Lice Source. After being plagued by head lice, find their source. If your child has been infested, inform his or her school. The other children can then be inspected for head lice. Adults with head lice should inform anyone they have been in close proximity to, during the past week.
Eliminating Head Lice. You will need a plan of attack to solve your head lice problem. First, wash all of your used clothing, head gear and bedding in a washing machine. Use the hottest setting. If items cannot be placed in a washer, put them in a dryer for half an hour. Again, the hottest setting should be used. Next, shampoo the infested victim with hot water, and then wrap a towel around the head for 15 minutes. Use a special fine-toothed lice comb to comb out the critters’ eggs. The comb should be swept through the hair as close to the scalp as possible. Cleaned hair should be pinned and the comb should be cleaned periodically, rinsed and dried off with a tissue. Repeat this “wet combing” process weekly for four weeks, or until the lice problem in your nearby environment has ended. After the first wet combing session, the person who had been infested should stay out of the house for about a day. Head lice typically cannot live over 48 hours without feasting on blood. Also, lower your home’s humidity, to kill any remaining head lice. Finally, refrain from sharing hats and hairbrushes during the “extermination” process.
Body Lice. If you have body lice, inform anyone who you have shared clothing or bedding with, and everyone with whom you have had sexual relations. Body lice infestation can be terminated by washing your clothes in hot water, and bathing in hot water. You should also be treated for any pathogens that lice may have transmitted to you.
Pubic Lice. To destroy pubic lice, wash your clothing and bedding in the washer’s hottest setting. Shave, wash, and comb out any areas that pubic lice have affected.