subject: Natural Head Lice Treatment Home Remedies [print this page] Head lice are tiny wingless parasitic insects that dwell and breed on people"s heads. They are 1-2 mm long and dull brown in color. They are hematophagous as they nourish themselves by biting people"s scalps. These diminutive insects are a pest not a health peril. Nonetheless, there is some opportunity of bacterial disease caused by too much scratching which makes the skin red and tender, and causes enlargement as well. Natural Head Lice treatment have been known to be the easiest ways to treat these small parasites.
Pediculosis is universal amongst children aged 3-10 years and their families, therefore any person coming in near head-to-head contact with an infested person can also contract lice. According to conventional estimates by the Toronto Public Health Association there are 6-12 million people global who pick up head lice each year. Additionally, they can also be transmitted through sharing of hats, scarves, combs, hair ribbons, pillows, brushes, towels and helmets.
A research conducted by Kosta et al at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem indicates that boys are significantly less bug-ridden with lice and nits than girls (lice: 15.2 and 29.6%; nits: 21.5 and 35.4%, respectively). The infestation pace with lice and nits is considerably higher in children with long (68.9%) and medium-length (63.9%) hair than in children with short hair (44.0%).
Treatments
One should carefully comb the full scalp with a lice comb and the teeth of that comb must be examined carefully to uncover any lice. For children with, foul, long and frizzed hair, an alternative method of diagnosis is to look at the hair at 2 cm intervals and look for lice in close proximity to the scalp. Kosta et al have further found some further interesting details about both the aforementioned techniques, "analysis of louse infestation using a louse comb is four times more effective than direct visual inspection and twice as fast". Nevertheless, special interest must be paid to the areas in the vicinity of the ears and the nape of the neck with both methods. Nonetheless, it is beneficial to use a magnifying glass to detect lice in the scalp or the teeth of the comb.
If women are inflicted with infestation during their pregnancy or breastfeeding they should directly contact their doctor and take advantage of the prescribed medicines and/or anti-lice shampoos, balms etc. In case of a seizure disorder or a skin infection one should refer to a physician for appropriate medicine. Of course the best Natural Head Lice treatment are found in many home remedies.
There are some other regular folk remedies such as using vinegar, petroleum jelly, mineral oil, baby oil, cooking oil, tea tree oil etc. Conversely, such techniques are not recommended as their helpfulness has not been scientifically acknowledged. The itching in head could be due to a number of reasons such as dandruff in which case all the above mentioned techniques would not succeed to rid pruritus and scratching. Hence, it is always recommended to see a dermatologist and get a thorough check up of the scalp.
Resources:
For natural head lice treatment, home remedies and information plus pictures to help you identify head lice see http://myheadlicehomeremedies.com. Learn more about headlice at http://myheadlicehomeremedies.com/2010/12/08/natural-head-lice-treatment-home-cures/
