Wet Combing Lice:
This technique is a form of the mechanical removal of lice we suggest further on in the article. This method has been singled out because of its effectiveness compared to other mechanical louse removal methods.
1. Find a metal nit comb with no more than .3 mm of space between the teeth.
2. Wash the hair clean and then apply an oil like olive oil to the hair to lubricate.
3. From scalp to hair ends, carefully comb through every square inch of the person's head, twice, rinsing lice and nits away when they are found.
4. Shampoo the oil out of the hair and carefully wash the nit comb as well.
Repeat this process every day until no lice or nits are found during treatment.
How to Get Rid of Lice
Natural Remedies for Lice
Olive oil is seeing an increase in popularity as a natural remedy for lice infestations. To perform this treatment, cover the infested person’s head in olive oil (and I mean drench it), covering it with one of those plastic hair covers and rubber band. Let the oil sit for no less than two hours—some people say three—and then wash the oil out. Follow this up with a thorough nit combing and you may never need to use insecticides to get rid of lice again.
Heat treatment, as I’ve mentioned in the article already, is a great natural, chemical-free, way to get rid of lice. Using a blow dryer or a hair straightening device, or even a hair curler can certainly be an effective way to kill lice and their eggs. The problem is, it’s hard to get these devices close enough to the scalp to get the newest eggs without getting burned. Follow this treatment up with a nit comb to ensure a chemical-free lice remedy. There is a product coming to market that is apparently called the LouseBuster which uses heat to kill lice and nits as well.
Freezing temperatures have been known to kill lice and their eggs as well. We see this tactic used to kill round worms and tapeworms in fish, but I don’t think you want to put your child in the freezer, do you? Well, if you have anything that can’t be washed or some object that you’re certain is infested with lice, throw it in your freezer for a week and then wash it.
A lot of people don't know it, but getting rid of lice is more complicated than it may seem, especially if we come to understand that there is more than one variety of lice that infests the human body. There are three types of lice, in fact, that a person can become infested with: head lice, body lice, and public lice. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Knees and toes. Head lice are perhaps the most common form of lice in humans, infecting thousands of school children each year. Whereas pubic lice come in a close second, and body lice a distant third. Although body lice are not as common as either pubic lice or head lice, in my opinion, the possibility of a body lice infestation shouldn't be ruled out. Below I will discuss the three types of lice, two non-chemical ways to prevent them or reduce their populations, and then move on to insecticidal solutions in the final segment.
How to Treat Head Lice, Body Lice, and Pubic Lice
To get rid of head lice (Pediculus capitis) mechanical removal with a nit comb is the first step recommended by public health officials. You should only use pyrethoids or insecticides if you can absolutely confirm a lice infestation, and then repeat the treatment in 10 days to get any eggs that haven’t hatched because permethrin and pyrethoids don’t kill the eggs. The effectiveness of a pyrethoid treatment can be increased by complementing the shampoo treatment with a thorough nit combing procedure. Wash bedding, hats, and clothes in hot water and dry with heat.
picture of a head louse
picture of a body louse
To get rid of pubic lice (Pthirus pubis) mechanical removal with a comb or some other utensil is recommended. Problems with pubic lice begin when a person has particularly dense pubic hair or cannot see clearly their genitalia. Then it is, perhaps, in the interest of the person suffering from crabs to seek medical help, usually in the form of a pyrethroid or permethrine shampoo or cream treatment. As is the case with head lice, pyrethroid and permethrine treatments should be applied twice: once to get rid of the initial infestation and again two weeks later to kill any newly hatched nymphs. Clothes and bedding should be washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer.
Mechanical removal of lice is always the preferred treatment initially because insecticides are bad for your health. Granted, it may take hours, even days to complete the job of grooming the infested person, but it is worth the time. Often times dandruff or another random bug caught in the hair is misdiagnosed as a lice infestation. Using a nit comb, a bright light, and a magnifying glass may in fact reveal that your child or patient is not infested with head lice but suffering from another affliction.
Killing Lice with Lousing Insecticides
A good deal of research done on lice concludes that there is a small contingent of lice that are not susceptible to pyrethroids or permethrines. This doesn’t mean that all lice or many lice are insusceptible; it simply means that the possibility exists that a lice infestation cannot be treated with the more typical brand name lousing products like Rid or Nix. In some cases where the lice seem to persist over the course of two or more treatments, a physician will attempt to kill the lice with an even stronger solution of pyrethroids or permethrines. This is inadvisable. I would suggest moving to another lousing insecticide like lindane or malathion, two pediculicides suggested by the Harvard School of Public Health—a credible source, I imagine. So, use Nix or Rid if it works. If it doesn’t work after the second try, then you should get your doctor to prescribe a non-pyrethroid or permethrine medication.
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