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Please read our Golden Rules of self help before considering the information on this page.
Head Lice
VERY CREEPY CRAWLIES
You know, I am one of the least squeamish persons you are ever likely to meet. I don't get put off by the sight of blood and I understand that death, guts and manure are all part of life.
But gee, do I HATE insects! Apart from bees (because of the honey) and praying mantises (because they eat other insects), I would happily nuke all of them. So the subject of insects that actually craw on you fills me with horror! I know that every single mother who has received a note from school warning of lice infestation feels exactly the same way.
So here are a few facts you MUST know in order to win the battle against lice infestation:
Lice may live for several weeks on a person, but they rarely live more than 48 hours when removed from a person's body. Therefore they will not live in cracks and secret dark corners waiting weeks to jump on a human that happens to pass by.
Head lice cannot hop, jump or fly. Their legs are adapted for grasping a person's hair.
Head lice are not known to transmit any disease agents. However, secondary infections may result if the skin is broken by continuous scratching.
Nits (lice eggs) are small (less than 1 mm), white to cream colour, and oval in shape. They are glued to the base of the hair shaft, especially behind the ears or on the nape of the neck.
Lice are transmitted by close personal contact with an infested person or by sharing their articles of clothing and personal items such as hats, headbands, scarves or caps, combs and brushes.
Over-the-counter products work well against the nymphs and adults, but most will NOT kill the eggs, and since one single female head louse produces about four eggs per day and a total of about 88 eggs (or nits) during her lifetime, the cycle continues. As many of you have discovered when, in spite of all your efforts, it seems that the disgusting little beggars will not leave!
This is why I developed my anti-lice programme:
Get an anti-lice shampoo from the chemist. Follow the directions carefully. Make sure the hair is dry when the shampoo is applied and that the shampoo covers the whole head, especially behind the ears and the nape of the neck.
Use a special fine toothcomb to remove dead lice, this will also remove some of the nits. However as we mentioned before, the shampoo does not kill the nits that have not been removed. Unless you do the following thing:
Granny's Secret Anti-Nit Weapons
Mix 20 mls of kerosene to 50 mls of Baby oil and saturate the scalp and hair with it. Make sure to not drip it in the eyes! The kerosene actually breaks the coating on the nits shell. Leave it for an hour, then pass the fine tooth comb through and wash the hair (with normal shampoo), adding vinegar to the last rinse. Then, rub Apricot kernel oil in the scalp and hair and let the kid go to bed with this. The vinegar and Apricot oil do not kill the insects but they are an antidote to the harsh effects of the treatment.
Now here is an interesting fact: lice actually LOVE clean hair because they can move easily on it. It's a bit like driving on a speedway, rather than an old unsealed road. To make life difficult for them, grease your hair! They hate it! So use baby oil or greasy stuff on your hair and scalp during an infestation, they will bail out.
Treat all the suspect articles mentioned (combs, hats,…) by washing them in detergent and drying them in a hot drier, this kills the nits. Treat the bedding also. Get together with the school to nominate de-louse day, so that all kids are treated AT THE SAME TIME. Share this information with all mothers, so all kids are treated the same way and they can dig the Grease look!
Repeat the procedure after two weeks just in case of survivors. I know it seems a lot of trouble but if you consider that using lots of chemicals repeatedly will not kill the nits, this programme is really worth it.
DID YOU KNOW…
That the seeds of Annona reticulata are pediculicide? In English this means that the seeds of the custard apples kill lice! So next time you buy the delicious custard apple, don't throw away the seeds: put them and as much oil as it takes to cover them in a blender and blend them to a pulp, if it's too thick add a bit more oil. Leave the mixture in a jar for a week then strain it. Put it on kid's hair overnight and shampoo in the morning. You can also use it on dogs who suffer from fleas: mix it with baby oil and comb massage through the dog's fur before you take them for a walk in the park. Then wash them. Don't use it on cats because they will attempt to lick it off, it's not good to eat and you will have a very cranky cat.
For a personalised treatment please contact me here.
The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. None of the products mentioned on this website are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
The information on this website is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional.
This information is made available with the understanding that the author and publisher are not providing medical, psychological, or nutritional counseling services on this site. The information on this website does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.
Liability for individual actions or omissions based upon the contents of this site is expressly disclaimed.