Lice can cause great inconvenience and trouble, not to mention the fact that these insects are carriers of some extremely serious ailments and diseases. Therefore, the prevention of lice and nits at home is an important and mandatory procedure for every person, and especially families with children of primary and secondary school age.
This article will be devoted to a variety of ways to prevent pediculosis not only in children but also in adults. We also talk about medications and cosmetics for the prevention of lice.
But first, let's briefly get acquainted with the “heroes of the triumph” themselves and their varieties.
Brief classification of parasites
Based on where the louse lives, several types of harmful insects are distinguished, differing in appearance and other features:
- Head louse. It lives in the head area (hair, eyebrows and mustache).
- Pubic. It affects the intimate areas of a person, but only if there is hairline (armpits, groin, less often eyelashes).
- Wardrobe. It lives in the folds of clothes.
The individuals listed above feed on human blood, thereby being provocateurs of dangerous diseases (typhoid, fever, etc.).
Breeding, lice females lay eggs (or nits), which are firmly glued with a viscous substance to human hair. Thus, these larvae cannot be washed off with water and difficult to pick up.
Where are most often found
In order to get acquainted with the prevention of lice and nits, you should find out where they most often live.
Simply put, the popularization of harmful insects spreads in places of great crowding, especially in unsanitary conditions. Therefore, people who are in the military field, prisons or refugee camps most often suffer from head lice. Therefore, preventive measures against lice must be taken by those who, due to their professional characteristics, are in such places. These are, first of all, workers in prisons, aid centers for the homeless, humanitarian missions and military camps.
However, this problem does not pass by ordinary inhabitants. The issue of prevention of lice is most often raised in children's groups - boarding schools, kindergartens and schools. Moreover, not only babies, but also pedagogical workers and parents can get lice.
What should be considered first of all for those who want to protect themselves from lice? Prevention of infection in this case will be the most effective way.
How pediculosis is transmitted
Before you understand specific tips regarding the prevention of lice, you should find out how they are distributed in the human team. First of all, you need to understand that parasites are transmitted from one person to another. Very rarely, cases have been identified when hats or other household items served as a method of infection. That is, you can get infected only with direct close contact with a patient with pediculosis.
Where can this happen?
Possible sites of infection
It is not necessary to visit a prison or child care facility to get lice. All those who are interested in the issue of prevention against lice should know that for instant infection, short, close contact with the carrier is sufficient. This can happen in public transport, pool, hotel room, sandbox and so on.
What specific advice is there regarding prevention against lice? Read about it later. But first, let's talk about what adults can do.
Home Precautions
Naturally, if there are children in the family, then the main prevention of lice will be a thorough examination of the baby's hair (hair, eyelashes), as well as a serious conversation regarding personal hygiene and safety measures. Also, parents should monitor the cleanliness of the premises in which the family lives, underwear, personal belongings of all family members. In other words, in order to prevent lice, you need to:
- Twice a week to clean carpets and upholstered furniture.
- Wash bedding regularly, wash soft toys, and clean hats.
- Keep your combs, gum and other hair ornaments clean.
- Closely monitor personal precautions.
What does the last paragraph include?
First of all, adults are also advised to avoid close contact with the hair of another person, their hats and personal belongings. It is equally important to monitor your sexual partners, as with random sexual intercourse there is a high probability of contracting pubic lice. It is also very important to regularly wash your hair, bathe, wash underwear and so on.
A good prevention will be the use of special drugs against the occurrence of head lice.
Precautions for the baby
Prevention of lice in children, first of all, consists in long and serious conversations of parents with their children. Such an outreach should show the babies all the danger of close contact with peers.
Children should understand why you can’t:
- Change with other hats, combs, hair bows and so on.
- Hugging, especially with those who show signs of pediculosis.
It is also very important to examine the baby’s hair every day for lice or nits in the head. This requires a thick comb, bright lighting and a magnifying glass.
If you have a daughter, help her braid her hair in braids or ponytails. This minimizes the likelihood of getting lice.
If in the educational institution where the child goes, carriers of pediculosis have been identified, then it is worthwhile to carefully examine the head and body of the child after each return home. Each time, the baby’s headgear can be put in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer. A minus temperature will help kill unwanted insects.
Tips for employees of children's groups
In schools or kindergartens, it is very important to follow the basic rules for the prevention of head lice. For example, it is very important to conduct regular examinations of children for the presence of lice or nits in their hair. The caregiver or teacher can look at the wards in order to identify carriers of parasites in time.
An equally important recommendation is the observance of the cleanliness of the room. Every day in children's institutions should be wet cleaning not only floors, but also window sills, toys and other things.
Now let's talk about means to prevent infection with head lice.
To repel parasites
The most harmless lice repellents are essential oils. Possessing a saturated persistent odor, they act on the nervous system of the insect, so that the desire to switch to the hairline of the new owner disappears. These include oils:
- lavender;
- eucalyptus;
- rosemary;
- lemon;
- aniseed
- ylang ylang;
- tea tree;
- peppermint;
- clove oil and some others.
These funds must be applied daily in the amount of one or two drops for each ear of a child or adult. You can also add them to shampoos. It is necessary to be careful, since the natural composition of the oils can cause an unpredictable allergic reaction.
Tar soap (or shampoos based on birch tar) is an effective means of repelling parasites.
Spray - Another Pest Prevention Tool
These drugs are easy to use and painless. Moreover, they are used not only as a warning, but also for the treatment of pediculosis.
Each spray for the prevention of lice comes with instructions for use, with which you can achieve good results. What are these funds? The following are drugs that can be used by both children and adults:
- “Paranit”.
- “Nit Free.”
- “To here.”
- “Avalanche”.
- “Pedicule Ultra”.
- “Plus couple.”
A few words about shampoos
Good detergents to prevent parasites will be those containing coconut oil or tea tree extract. However, there are specialized shampoos for the prevention of lice. Most often, these are those that are designed to combat pediculosis.
The following is a brief list of such important drugs:
- The Knicks.
- Medifox.
- "Pedilin."
- Itax.
- The Veda.
- “Biosim”.
- "Higia."
- “Sumitrin”.
How to use these shampoos? It is best to apply them on the head once every fourteen days. After waiting for about fifteen to twenty minutes, the product is thoroughly washed off under running water.
There are also special lotions created to prevent an unpleasant disease. Of the most effective, mention should be made: “Full Marx”, “Paranit Sensitive”, “Medifoks”, “Nittifor” and others.
Some more tips
What else should be considered for the prevention of pediculosis? It is very important to know that if lice or their eggs were found in any member of the family, then all the rest are potential carriers of insects. Therefore, it is very important for everyone - both children and adults - to adhere to the basic methods of treatment and prevention of head lice.
And another recommendation - in the issue of infection with lice in the children's team, it is very important to cooperate with teachers. That is, if you find lice or nits in your child, inform the educational institution that attends your child about this. Such information will help to timely respond to the parents of other children in order to prevent the spread of parasites in the entire children's team.
Of course, during a period of illness, a child cannot be taken to an educational institution or to sections. After recovery, the baby can visit the team after written permission from a medical institution.
A few words in conclusion
As you can see, lice are a serious danger that can threaten the health and appearance of not only children, but also adults. They can be infected everywhere - in the pool or sauna, in child care facilities or public transport, in places of deprivation of liberty or in points of assistance to the poor. The main cause of outbreaks of head lice, which most often occur in autumn or spring, is crowding of people and non-compliance with hygiene standards and rules.
Therefore, it is very important to strictly observe preventive measures to prevent the disease. First of all, it is recommended to carefully examine your hair and the hair of your child, as well as not to use other people's hygiene products and clothing, regularly wash clothes and do wet cleaning in the apartment.
Of course, there are effective drugs to prevent lice. First of all, these are specialized sprays and shampoos released to combat blood-sucking parasites. The names of the main drugs that contribute to the destruction of pests were listed above. You can also use essential oils and tar soap (or products based on it), which have insect repellent properties.
If you strictly follow all the recommendations mentioned in the article, you can protect yourself and your family from these unwanted guests.