Nits are small eggs that lice lay as close to the human scalp as possible. In order to completely get rid of head lice, it is not enough to remove only adults. It is imperative to get rid of nits. Their correct destruction will not only prevent the appearance of lice, but also will not allow them to spread among family members, close friends and pets. Today we suggest talking about how to remove lice and nits on your hair.
How to determine the presence of nits and lice?
Pediculosis is usually called a disease that is caused by these insects. Like many other diseases, it can be determined by several signs. Among them, one can distinguish severe itching of the head. This symptom is most pronounced. The fact is that a lice bite does not pass without a trace, because the parasite injects poison into the skin. In places of bites, sores and crusts appear, which are very itchy. Another sure symptom is swollen lymph nodes, both the occipital and behind the ear. A person becomes irritable, peeling of the skin begins, gray-blue spots appear on it. Of course, the most important symptom is the presence of nits and lice.
Causes of lice
Health care providers call transmission from an infected person to a healthy one the main reason. This happens through items of clothing or through personal contact. By the way, it is widely believed that the presence of nits and lice is possible only in people who do not follow the rules of personal hygiene. Doctors say this is a big mistake. The fact is that the most favorable environment for nits is clean scalp. By the way, as a result of numerous studies, scientists were able to find out that people who are often very stressed are most susceptible to infection with these parasites.
What is the danger of nits?
In general, the lifestyle and nature of nits and lice do not pose a serious danger to human health. Pediculosis detected by specialists or at home in a timely manner can be treated very quickly. But despite this, treatment should not be neglected, because these parasites can tolerate a number of different diseases, for example, typhoid. By the way, experts note that nits are a greater danger to humans than lice. The fact is that they can survive the processing of various chemicals due to the fact that they have a "protective" shell. Therefore, when identifying nits or lice, you should immediately consult a doctor, however, if this is not possible, you can try to try to remove the nits from your hair yourself. How to do it? We will tell you right now.
Necessary tools and tools
What should be prepared in order to begin the procedure for removing nits and lice? First of all, anti-pedicul shampoo should be purchased. You will also need vinegar or listerine, a large amount of hot water, hair conditioner, a towel, and a special comb designed to remove nits and lice. Depending on the chosen method for removing parasites, you may need petroleum jelly or olive oil.
Step one: get rid of lice
First of all, it is necessary to get rid of adult parasites. The fact is that the removal of nits alone cannot save the patient from pediculosis. Lice, remaining on the hair, continue to lay eggs, which later also turn into adults. This cycle will be almost endless if you do not stop it and kill the adult louse in the first place. Surveys show that when people think about how to remove nits from their hair, people often think that parasites can destroy immersion of hair for a long time under water. Medical research says: lice cling incredibly tightly to hair and scalp, so they can be under water for several hours! Even chlorinated water in the pool is not effective in combating these parasites. So how to remove nits from hair quickly and for a long time? One of the most reliable ways is to use a special shampoo, which you can buy at a pharmacy without a prescription. It can be such means as Nyuda, Lavinal, Nittifor, Paraplus, Paranit and so on. If they do not help, you can use prescription shampoos that relieve pediculosis.
Pyrethrins for Lice
The fastest way to remove lice is to use shampoo made on the basis of pyrethrins. This is what a natural extract from chrysanthemum flowers is called. This substance is very rapidly absorbed into the body of lice and affects their nervous system, thus disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses. True, this group of natural insecticides is not always effective. Shampoo should be applied exclusively to dry hair, after which you should wait 10-15 minutes, unless otherwise specified in the instructions. Then it should be thoroughly foamed, adding a large amount of water. The next step is rinsing the hair. After it, you need to start the removal of nits. The whole process should be repeated after 1-1.5 weeks. This will destroy those lice that could hatch after processing the head.
Petroleum jelly and olive oil
Another way to help defeat lice is to try to strangle lice. Of course, clinical studies on the effectiveness of this method are not enough, but many argue that lice can die from suffocation. A number of products clog all the respiratory openings of lice, for several hours after this the parasites still live, but then they die without fail. For this purpose you can use petroleum jelly. It must be applied to the hair and scalp with an even thick layer. After this, the product must be left on the hair for 8-12 hours. In order to restrict the flow of air to the head and not stain anything around, put a shower cap on the head or for the pool.
This method is not perfect. Firstly, petroleum jelly will be extremely difficult to wash off from the hair. In addition, he will not destroy the eggs of lice. Some people prefer to use olive oil. As in the case of petroleum jelly, it must be applied to the hair and skin, then cover with a hat. Perhaps the advantage of this method can be called the fact that olive oil is washed off the hair much easier than petroleum jelly. In addition, it can significantly weaken the attachment of nits to the hair.
Speaking about how to remove nits from your hair quickly, you should talk about such a method as applying a mask of mayonnaise. The fact is that mayonnaise contains oil, which has a choking effect. It must be applied to the hair and skin, while the higher the percentage of fat content, the greater the effectiveness.
Step Two: Removing Nits
How to easily remove nits from hair? Make it easy. First you need to find a place with a sufficient level of illumination. Moreover, it does not matter if it is artificial or natural. Light is needed so that you can make out nits that are glued to your hair. You will need to put a towel on your shoulders so that nits or lice do not fall on the floor.
Vinegar use
Speaking about how to remove nits from hair, experts note that the most common table vinegar is an excellent tool. Lice eggs are covered with a sticky substance that allows them to hold on to their hair quite tightly. Table vinegar is able to dissolve this substance, so that the separation of nits from the hair will become a fairly simple process. For those who are thinking about how to remove nits from their hair using vinegar, we have prepared a step-by-step instruction:
- First you need to combine water with vinegar in a ratio of one to one. Water should be warm. Kneel over the bathtub and open the faucet. Wet all the strands thoroughly with warm water.
- Continuing to kneel, pour on the head a mixture of vinegar and water. Experts note that you can take undiluted, weakly concentrated product. Each strand should be covered with vinegar.
- After five minutes, rinse your hair with warm water.
Another excellent option is the combination of water and vinegar and the immersion of hair in this solution. After you wash the vinegar from the curls, apply an indelible conditioner on them. Spread it all over your hair with a comb. Please note: each hair should be covered with a product! This is the only way you can comb out nits painlessly and easily.
Combing nits
How to remove nits from hair? In the reviews, people who encountered this problem say that they can not do without a metal scallop with thin hard teeth. An ordinary plastic or wooden comb is not suitable for you. A special comb needs to be purchased at a pharmacy. By the way, a magnifying glass will not be superfluous: it will allow you to make out nits in especially thick hair. Of course, it is highly likely that you were able to remove most of the nits when using vinegar, but the likelihood that some of the eggs remained is quite high. Take a narrow lock in your hand, carefully comb the hair lock by lock. How long does it take to remove nits from hair? Until they are left! After combing one strand, be sure to rinse the comb in soapy water. After this pretty one, wipe it on a paper towel or napkin, thus removing the nits and lice that could catch on the cloves. By the way, each processed strand must be fixed on the side, minimizing the likelihood of re-infection.
Hair wash
After you finish working with a comb, rinse your hair again. For this, you can also use anti-pediculose shampoo. It will completely get rid of lice. After washing, dry your hair and carefully examine them for nits or lice. In the event that you notice parasites, the whole process will need to be repeated again.
Tool processing
The next important step is the thorough processing of all the tools that you used in the process of removing nits. The bowl and comb must be poured with boiling water and left for 10 minutes, covered with a lid. In it you can put all the hairpins and other accessories that you used during this process. However, first it is necessary to remove all parasites from these tools. After this, the bowl should be placed on the stove and heated to about 60 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, nits and lice will certainly die.
Another great treatment option is mixing two cups of boiling water with one cup of ammonia. In this composition, it is necessary to soak all used accessories.
The use of listerine
How to quickly remove nits from long hair? Of course, with the help of Listerine! This substance contains a fairly high percentage of alcohol, so the likelihood of destroying nits and lice is quite high. You should pay attention to the fact that if there are open wounds on the scalp, a person may feel a burning sensation during application of the product. If you decide to remove parasites with the help of Listerin, it must be applied to the hair and put on a shower cap on top. Keep the product on your head for at least 30 minutes. If necessary, you can rinse your hair and apply the product again. By the way, talking about how to remove nits from long hair, many recommend applying listerine before bedtime. You should also put a shower cap on top, and put a towel on the pillow so as not to stain bedding. The next morning you can continue the process of cleaning your hair from parasites.
How to wash off listerine?
The next step is washing the hair with warm water mixed with vinegar. As we said earlier, this composition allows you to weaken the connection of nits with hair. After that, you just have to remove dead nits from long hair. How to do it? As in the previous case, it will be necessary to apply an indelible conditioner to the hair, comb them and comb the nits from each strand of hair. After that, rinse thoroughly the accessories that you used and the place where you removed the nits. It is important to wash towels and bed linen in hot water. Heat treatment will destroy the parasites.
Warning
In the event that you are thinking about how to remove nits from long hair and decide to use harsh chemicals, be extremely careful. The fact is that fumigants and many other chemicals are completely ineffective in combating this type of parasite. It should be noted that the side effects of inhalation or getting on the mucous membranes or skin of these drugs are significantly higher than the disinfection effect that they have.
If you still want to use aggressive chemistry, pay attention to the fact that the activity of most of the drugs has decreased significantly, because insects simply developed a strong immunity to them. Speaking about how to remove nits from the hair (dead or alive), it should be noted that if you have used all of the above tools more than once, but at the same time did not get the desired result, you should consult a doctor. It is he who will prescribe you prescription drugs that can defeat pediculosis. Of course, all the methods that we described above do not make any sense if you are in contact with the hair of people who are infected.
Prevention of Re-Infections
In order that you do not have to think about how to remove dry nits from your hair, you should take care of preventive measures. First, contact with other people's hair must be avoided. Secondly, do not use the personal effects and bedding of the infected person. In the absence of food, the louse will die in just one or two days. Soak all items, such as towels and combs of a person who is infected with lice, in hot water, the temperature should be more than 54 degrees. In hot water it is necessary to wash the bedding, pillows, soft toys. Thermal drying, which will destroy the remaining insects, will not be superfluous. In the event that you do not have the opportunity to dry or wash your clothes yourself, just hand them dry cleaning. Be sure to vacuum the floor and other surfaces. Of course, being on any surface, lice remain viable for a very short time, but it is best to process the furniture and floor in order to prevent re-infection.