Lice are common among children between the ages of five and fifteen, and usually prefer girl’s hair. They itch and distress, and every mother is fearful of the day she will find a louse walking around the head of her child, or worse, tens of lice eggs adorn their soft hairs. A louse has the ability to function both as male and female, so one is enough to reproduce. To combat this phenomenon it’s desirable to practice prevention.
Mission: Finding lice
Scan the child’s hair when it’s wet. The eggs are white elongated drops. Lice often are the same color as the hair – light lice for light hair, dark hair, dark lice, although there are exceptions.
How will you know to differentiate between dandruff and lice eggs? Try the exhalation test: If you blow on the scales on a comb, they fly. Eggs stick to the comb and do not fly easily.
Other recommendations
Chemicals: Over time, lice develop resistance to various chemical substances offered in pharmacies. Therefore, there is no unequivocal recommendation for a material that manages to remove them completely. Something to think about: chemicals offered in pharmacies often contain insecticides such as Malathion or Parathion. Consider whether you should use these on the heads of small children.
Natural materials: There are different alternatives based on natural rosemary oil or other plant extracts. These materials are not always effective, but can help if used to eradicate lice from one treatment to another.
After treatment it is advisable to put hair up in a ponytail as much as possible. It is advisable to update the child’s school teacher. If there are many instances in school, they sometimes advise all parents to treat or pay attention. Only joint treatment of all parents whose children were infected with lice will eradicate the phenomenon.
How to prevent recurring infections?
Rosemary oil might help prevent infections; It can be purchased at any home nature store and in many pharmacies. Drizzle a little behind the ear every morning is expected to reject the lice, which are unable to bear the smell of rosemary. The main drawback is the strong smell. There are different types of rosemary oil, plus some other materials such as anise or tea tree oil.
Regularly using shampoo or conditioner that contains rosemary achieves a similar effect although less effective. If you use conditioner, you should leave it on the hair for several minutes before rinsing.
Every few weeks, it is advisable to go through the hair with a comb to make sure that there are no nits or lice.
Clean bedding, clothing and toys
It’s important to wash and replace all bedding at a temperature of 60 degrees at least. Wash clothes well. Toys that are in bed or any other object that cannot be washed as mentioned above, should be sealed in a plastic bag for a few weeks.
Check the entire family
It is important that everyone be checked, without exception. There is a chance of reinfection in the house and it happens very quickly. So while treating one of the children test well the other children – even infants may become infected with lice, and of course the parents.
