Things in nature have little meaning. Man has walked on the Moon and plans to colonize the planet Mars, but he hasn’t yet found a way to get rid of lice once and for all.
Lice are the terror of parents of children in communities. These creatures jump from head to head to colonize small, tender skulls, with sweet blood that tastes like toast. If children constantly transmit an impressive number of insects and other mildly unpleasant bacteria to each other, lice have always been at the top of the rankings of the most feared parasites.
This sinister glory is deserved: lice are tenacious and have accompanied man since he was a man. They have had time to develop many evolutionary strategies, David versus Goliath style. But in this specific case, David has millions and is sucking the blood of our children.
So who are lice? What are their dark designs? And how to get rid of it? Let’s take stock.
Ladies and gentlemen: peduculus humanus, lice!
The head louse, whose real name is pediculus humanus, is an insect of the Pediculidae family. Bloodsucking creature, it draws blood through painless but particularly stinging bites located on the skull.
Despite this absolutely terrifying description, this animal is not dangerous and does not transmit any diseases. The only “risks” are due to itching and scratching which can cause small wounds.
However, the louse reproduces rapidly. Very quickly. The male has two pairs of testes and can fertilize 18 females in a single mating. So, each female can lay four to ten eggs per day, which in turn will become adult lice after two weeks. They will then be ready to mate. This is a lot on our children’s minds. And ours, as lice, is above all an adventure lived in the family.
How to spot lice?
If your children are at school or in the community and someone in your family suddenly suffers from itchy hair, I’m sorry to disappoint you: it’s not an allergic reaction to your usual shampoo. It’s not even sudden eczema. Lice have invaded your home.
The adult louse is visible to the naked eye and measures between 2 and 4 mm. It is quick and softens in the light, so it is advisable to comb your hair (dry or soaked in conditioner) with an anti-lice comb. If the comb comes out dirty with small black or gray dots: bad guys have invaded your home.
Lice unfairly suffer from a reputation as scum. However, they are in no way favored by dirt and will eagerly feast even on clean skulls. Unfortunately this stigma is often also responsible for the spread of lice.
When parents realize they are infested, they try to contain the infestation themselves, without notifying the community. Know that if your child has lice, he is probably not host zero. At this very moment, many of you are clutching your butt cheeks, hoping it’s not too late (yes). Notify the school or nursery as soon as possible.
To free ourselves from the scourge, everyone must act in sync to avoid recontamination.
How to kill lice?
The most difficult thing is not to eliminate the adult lice you currently have on your head, but to prevent the proliferation of their descendants. Two surviving nits on a single head and off we go again. Everyone has their own magic formula to repel lice. Lotion, shampoo or natural products, without ever forgetting the comb, here is the recommended protocol:
Kill the bug
Before combing your hair, it is recommended to kill the enemy. This prevents the enemy from hiding. It’s up to you to choose your poison:
Anti-lice shampoo: although there are different types, all anti-lice shampoos have in common the fact that they contain products that are repellent and harmful to these parasites. They are designed to be harmless to humans, but do not hesitate to ask a pharmacist for advice when choosing yours. The natural alternative method consists of applying white vinegar, then detangling, to facilitate the passage of the comb.
THE FAT : If you always imitate aggressive solutions, today we recommend suffocating these dirty beasts by drowning them in fat. In stores you can find different dimethicone-based lotions. Once spread on the scalp, this silicone oil suffocates these nasty beasts. Then simply collect their still warm corpse using a comb. Natural oils, such as coconut oil, observe the same result. It is advisable to keep them on your head all night, with the hair contained in a cap or an airtight towel, this guarantees asphyxiation.
The comb
The lice comb is the essential weapon for hunting lice. Some shampoo brands claim that their products save you from combing. It’s wrong. With their six legs, lice attach themselves to the roots of the hair like boom actors attach themselves to Depardieu. Only meticulous and repeated raking can clear a parasite-infested skull.
Comb through section after section, removing debris as you go. Choose a wooden or metal comb with narrow teeth. The plastic combs that come with some lotions are known to be flimsy and ineffective.
Wash at 60 degrees
At this point in the story, it’s 10pm and your kids are wild with exhaustion. It would be tempting to let them go to bed without changing the bedding first. Unfortunately, the louse and its offspring survive for up to 48 hours outside the human scalp. Linens, hats, scarves, brushes, everything that has come into contact with their respective heads should be washed hot.
Lice’s secret weapon: your laziness
After reading the explanations above, you’re probably wondering why all the fuss is about lice. Compared to revolutionary dental or gastronomic evenings, the program is very light.
However, you will have to repeat the above steps a number of times. The size of lice eggs and the difficulty of their hosts in coordinating their attacks require monitoring over several generations. To counteract the development of nits, you will have to comb the whole family every three days. This new routine that makes your babies scream should be followed for three weeks or more if the teeth of the comb still give away its presence human pedicle.
At the same time, treatments must be repeated after a week, and sometimes several times, until the lice completely disappear. Some brands once again claim that a single application will allow you to defeat the enemy. It’s still wrong. Even admitting that we have found the only brand in the world capable of such a miracle, it will never be the case for all the little school friends who will continue to divide the nits until the epidemic is collectively extinguished.
Hold on ! You are not alone in this fight, you have all the school families with you and their thousands of hair parasites, to support you!
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
