Most school-age children catch nits at some point because young children often have their hair touching when they are playing enabling the insects to crawl from one child to another. Infestations can quickly spread through groups of friends, classmates and families. It's therefore essential to know how to carry out head lice removal.
Some people may think that removal is a difficult task because it can be easy for children's hair to become re-infested if their family or friends have not been treated. Head lice have also shown some resistance to traditional insecticides. However, there are ways around these problems.
Infestations should be taken care of quickly, as left untreated, even one louse will multiply. There are various lotions available to treat this problem. Scientists believe that lice will not become resistant to the newer lotions because instead of relying on insecticides, modern lotions contain silicones and oils, which physically affect the insects making them unable to breathe.
It is important to check with a health-care professional before treating a baby, pregnant woman, someone with asthma, eczema, or allergies, or cuts or scratches to the head, with a medicated lotion because some lotions may not be suitable in these cases.
The instructions that come with the lotion should be followed carefully as different lotions need to be left on the scalp and hair for varying amounts of time, from minutes to overnight, before being washed off. They usually need to be re-applied after seven days but some newer lotions only need to be applied once.
In order to prevent re-infestation the whole family should be treated for this condition and children's friends and class mates alerted so that their hair can be checked and treated if necessary. Tying long hair back and braiding Afro hair can also help with preventing re-infestation. Towels, bed linen, hats and scarves belonging to the affected person should also be washed.
Alternatively, the pests can be removed by wet combing. To do this, the person with the infested hair should have it washed, rinsed and liberally covered in conditioner. The hair then needs careful combing, section-by-section, with a fine-tooth comb, easily available in pharmacies. After each stroke, the comb needs to be checked for any insects. It can either be rinsed in warm water and the insects discarded into the water or wiped with a tissue. It is important to make sure all of the hair is combed in this way. This treatment needs to be repeated every few days until no more pests are found. Wet-combing can be time-consuming, especially on curly or long hair, but ideal for anyone wishing to avoid chemical lotions.
Catching nits is very common and it can be itchy, uncomfortable and embarrassing. If not dealt with promptly, they can multiply quite quickly making them more difficult to remove, so it's important to know how to deal with head lice removal in order to act quickly if the need arises.
Some people may think that removal is a difficult task because it can be easy for children's hair to become re-infested if their family or friends have not been treated. Head lice have also shown some resistance to traditional insecticides. However, there are ways around these problems.
Infestations should be taken care of quickly, as left untreated, even one louse will multiply. There are various lotions available to treat this problem. Scientists believe that lice will not become resistant to the newer lotions because instead of relying on insecticides, modern lotions contain silicones and oils, which physically affect the insects making them unable to breathe.
It is important to check with a health-care professional before treating a baby, pregnant woman, someone with asthma, eczema, or allergies, or cuts or scratches to the head, with a medicated lotion because some lotions may not be suitable in these cases.
The instructions that come with the lotion should be followed carefully as different lotions need to be left on the scalp and hair for varying amounts of time, from minutes to overnight, before being washed off. They usually need to be re-applied after seven days but some newer lotions only need to be applied once.
In order to prevent re-infestation the whole family should be treated for this condition and children's friends and class mates alerted so that their hair can be checked and treated if necessary. Tying long hair back and braiding Afro hair can also help with preventing re-infestation. Towels, bed linen, hats and scarves belonging to the affected person should also be washed.
Alternatively, the pests can be removed by wet combing. To do this, the person with the infested hair should have it washed, rinsed and liberally covered in conditioner. The hair then needs careful combing, section-by-section, with a fine-tooth comb, easily available in pharmacies. After each stroke, the comb needs to be checked for any insects. It can either be rinsed in warm water and the insects discarded into the water or wiped with a tissue. It is important to make sure all of the hair is combed in this way. This treatment needs to be repeated every few days until no more pests are found. Wet-combing can be time-consuming, especially on curly or long hair, but ideal for anyone wishing to avoid chemical lotions.
Catching nits is very common and it can be itchy, uncomfortable and embarrassing. If not dealt with promptly, they can multiply quite quickly making them more difficult to remove, so it's important to know how to deal with head lice removal in order to act quickly if the need arises.