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 will also talk about medical and cosmetic products for the prevention of lice.
But first, let's briefly get acquainted with the "heroes of the occasion" themselves and their varieties.
Brief classification of parasites
Based on where the louse lives, there are several types of harmful insects that differ from each other in appearance and other features:
- Head louse. Lives in the head area (hair, eyebrows and mustache).
- Pubic. It affects the intimate areas of a person, but only if there is hairline there (armpits, groin, less often eyelashes).
- Dress. Lives in the folds of clothes.
The individuals listed above feed on human blood, thereby being provocateurs of dangerous diseases (typhus, fever, etc.).
As they reproduce, female lice lay eggs (or nits) that adhere tightly to human hair with a viscous substance. Thus, these larvae cannot be washed off with water and are difficult to handle.
Where are most common
In order to get acquainted with the prevention of lice and nits, you should find out where they most often live.
To put it simply, the popularization of harmful insects is spreading in crowded places, especially in unsanitary conditions. Therefore, most often pediculosis affects people who are in military field conditions, prisons or refugee camps. 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, employees of prisons, help centers for the homeless, humanitarian missions and military camps.
However, this problem does not bypass ordinary people. The issue of prevention from lice is most often raised in children's groups - boarding schools, kindergartens and schools. Moreover, not only kids, but also teachers and parents can get sick with pediculosis.
What should be considered first of all by 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 looking at specific tips for lice prevention, you should know howway they are distributed in the human collective. First of all, it is necessary 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 means of infection. That is, you can become infected only through direct close contact with a sick pediculosis.
Where can this happen?
Possible infection sites
You don't have to go to prison or childcare to get head lice. All those who are interested in the issue of prevention against lice should be aware that for instant infection, short close contact with the carrier is sufficient. This can happen in public transportation, swimming pool, hotel room, sandbox and so on.
What are the specific tips for lice prevention? Read more about this. But first, let's talk about what adults can do.
Home Precautions
Naturally, if there are children in the family, then the most basic prevention from lice will be a careful examination of the child's hairline (hair, eyelashes), as well as a serious conversation regarding personal hygiene and precautions. Also, parents should monitor the cleanliness of the premises in which the family lives, linen, personal belongings of all family members. In other words, if you want to prevent lice, you need to:
- Clean carpets and upholstered furniture twice a week.
- Regularly wash bedding, wash soft toys, cleanhats.
- Keep combs, rubber bands and other hair ornaments clean.
- Maintain personal precautions carefully.
What does the last paragraph include?
First of all, adults are also advised to avoid close contact with another person's hair, hats and personal items. It is equally important to keep an eye on your sexual partners, as there is a high chance of contracting pubic lice during casual sex. It is also very important to regularly wash your hair, bathe, wash your underwear, and so on.
The use of special means against the occurrence of pediculosis will also be a good prevention.
Precautions for baby
Prevention of lice in children, first of all, consists in long and serious conversations between parents and their children. Such explanatory work should show the kids the dangers of close contact with peers.
Children need to understand why not:
- Change with other hats, combs, hair bows and so on.
- Cuddle, especially with those showing signs of head lice.
It is also very important to inspect the child's hair every day for the presence of 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 into pigtails or ponytails. It minimizeschance of lice infestation.
If carriers of pediculosis have been identified in the educational institution where the child goes, then it is worth carefully examining the head and body of the child after each return home. The baby's headdress can be put in a plastic bag each time and placed in the freezer. Freezing temperatures will help kill unwanted insects.
Advice for workers in 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 check children regularly for lice or nits in their hair. Educators or teachers can look closely at the wards in order to identify carriers of parasites in time.
An equally important recommendation is the cleanliness of the premises. Every day in children's institutions, wet cleaning should be carried out not only on floors, but also on window sills, toys and other things.
Now let's talk about remedies to prevent head lice infestation.
To repel parasites
The most harmless lice repellents are essential oils. Possessing a rich, persistent odor, they affect the nervous system of the insect, due to which it loses the desire to move to the hairline of a new host. These products include oils:
- lavender;
- eucalyptus;
- rosemary;
- lemon;
- aniseed
- ylang-ylang;
- tea tree;
- peppermint;
- clove oil and some others.
These funds should 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. Be careful when doing this, as the natural composition of the oils can cause an unpredictable allergic reaction.
Tar soap (or shampoos based on birch tar) is also an effective way to repel parasites.
Spray is 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 head lice.
Each lice prevention spray comes with instructions for use, following which you can achieve good results. What are these funds? The following are drugs that can be used by both children and adults:
- “Paranit”.
- “Neat Free.”
- “Nude.”
- “Lavinal”.
- “Pediculene Ultra”.
- “Pair plus”.
A few words about shampoos
Good cleansers to prevent parasites are those that contain 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 head lice.
The following is a short list of these important drugs:
- “The Knicks”.
- Medifox.
- “Pedilin”.
- “Itax.”
- “Veda”.
- “Biosim”.
- “Hygia”.
- “Sumitrin”.
How to use these shampoos? It is best to apply them on the head once every fourteen days. After waiting fifteen to twenty minutes, the product is thoroughly washed off under running water.
There are also special lotions designed to prevent an unpleasant disease. Of the most effective, it should be mentioned: "Full Marx", "Paranit Sensitive", "Medifox", "Nittifor" and others.
More tips
What else should be considered for the prevention of head lice? It is very important to know that if lice or their eggs were found in any of the family members, then everyone else is a potential carrier of insects. Therefore, it is very important for everyone - both kids and adults - to adhere to the basic methods of treatment and prevention of pediculosis.
And one more recommendation - on the issue of lice infestation in the children's team, it is very important to cooperate with pedagogical workers. That is, if you find lice or nits in your child, report this to the educational institution that your child attends. Such information will help parents of other children respond in a timely manner in order to prevent the spread of parasites throughout the 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 the medical institution.
A few words in conclusion
As you can see, lice are a serious danger,which can threaten the he alth and appearance of not only children, but also adults. They can be infected everywhere - in a swimming pool or sauna, in childcare facilities or public transport, in places of detention or points of assistance to the poor. The main cause of head lice outbreaks, which most often occur in autumn or spring, is crowding 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 clothes, wash clothes regularly and do wet cleaning in the apartment.
Of course, there are effective drugs to prevent head lice. First of all, these are specialized sprays and shampoos produced to combat blood-sucking parasites. Above were listed the names of the main drugs that contribute to the destruction of pests. 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.
