Lice feed on human blood. In places where they bite through the skin, there are small wounds that constantly itch. Such redness is visible when examining the head with the naked eye. Areas of skin that are frequently bitten turn gray. Lice is dangerous because when combing, caused by unbearable itching, an infection gets into the wounds, and they begin to fester.
Insects are transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person through close contact. In the process of its development, the louse goes through the stage of nits - this is an egg in a white shell, which is tightly glued to the hair.
Lice removal methods
Pediculosis is of several varieties:
Depending on the type of pests, methods of dealing with them are selected. They can be mechanical or chemical. Each of them has both advantages and certain disadvantages.
To eliminate body lice, linen is washed and boiled. Clothes can be doused with hot steam. All things must be well ventilated for seven days or dried in direct sunlight. If this is not possible, then the clothes should be impregnated with some kind of insecticidal preparation and packed in a plastic bag. After soaking the poison, usually one week is enough, the clothes need to be ironed.
How to remove head lice should be discussed in more detail, since it is a little more difficult to do. There are many ways. Let's talk about some of them.
Destruction of insects with insecticidal preparations
The method is both radical and effective, allowing you to quickly solve the problem of how to remove lice and nits. But it is also fraught with side effects. Such agents are very toxic and chemical decontamination of the head is best done in combination with antihistamines. To avoid allergic reactions, the doctor will explain how to safely remove lice, choose the right drug for disinsection, and determine the dosage of the antihistamine.
There are several generally accepted rules for the safe removal of nits and lice with chemicals:
- One tool can not be used more than three times.
- After disinfection, the head should be carefully combed out with a comb.
- The application of the medicinal composition should be carried out with rubber gloves.
Means that are not typical poisons
In the past, the most common way to kill insects was to use kerosene. It was mixed with vegetable oil in a ratio of 1:10 and applied to the skin and hair of the head, leaving it for a while. But at the same time, undesirable moments are possible: reddening of the skin, small burns. In addition, kerosene has a pungent odor and is difficult to wash off.
After 1 week it is necessary to repeat the procedure, but not earlier. Vinegar dries hair, adversely affects the scalp.
It is also possible to remove lice with the use of vinegar. It is available in every home and women often use it when washing their hair. Acetic acid corrodes the body of insects and blocks their breathing.
The procedure for preparing the solution is as follows:
- 9% table vinegar is diluted in water at room temperature.
- A ratio of 1 to 2 is maintained.
- The solution is applied to dry hair.
- In order for the remedy to work to its fullest, put on a special cap or sealed plastic bag.
- The head is wrapped in a towel.
- After 20 minutes of exposure, the hair is washed with water and shampoo.
The head treatment procedure must be completed with combing, removing dead lice and nits. After a week, the action should be repeated again, since the eggs could not be noticed, from which adults will grow again.
A regular comb will not help in this matter. For this, special combs are used, which are distinguished by their strength and density of teeth. The most popular anti-pediculosis models are:
Dense rows of cloves do not leave even small nits. And RobiComb, in addition to mechanical combing, also destroys them with the help of pulsed discharges.
High temperature processing
Hair is also blown with a special hairdryer, it has no side effects
Lice and nits die instantly at -13°C. Temperatures above 56°C are also detrimental to them. But if cold treatment of the head is not entirely safe, then high temperature is quite acceptable. For this, special hair dryers are used.
If there is no desire to treat the head with folk methods, you can use special cosmetics sold in pharmacies.
How to choose insecticides
How else can you get lice out? Also used for this:
- Shampoos.
- Sprays.
- Creams.
- emulsions.
The most used products include Medtflx and Paranit shampoos, FullMarks and Pediculen-Ultra sprays, Nix insecticidal cream.
Combs are the safest way
This method is very time consuming, since it is necessary to comb out at least twice a day. It is difficult to use it if a small child with lush hair has become infected. It is difficult for the baby to sit in one place during a long procedure. In addition, when combing, you will have to undergo the inevitable pulling of hair.
But if the child has a high sensitivity to certain components of chemicals, then this method will be the most preferable.
It is better to spend more time on the destruction of lice than to deal with the consequences of using kerosene or vinegar later.
Shampoo application
Of all insecticides, they are the most popular. Shampoos can effectively remove lice.
And it's quite easy to do this:
- Shampoo is applied to the head, as in a normal wash.
- Lasts half an hour.
- The head is washed in hot water.
- For combing use a thick comb.
Get rid of with sprays
Such funds are contained in aerosol bottles, the volume of which is designed for 1 treatment. The liquid is applied by spraying on the affected areas. It's convenient and you can do it yourself.
At home, removing lice with a spray is performed as follows: washed hair is dried a little with a towel, after which a spray is applied to them along the entire length. After keeping the product for the time specified in the instructions for use, the head is thoroughly washed.
Many people's ideas about pediculosis are associated with the inevitable haircut, the smell of tar soap and hellebore water. Especially often, lice settle on children's heads, laying their eggs - nits - and gluing them to the hair. How to properly remove lice and nits, read below.
P The appearance of "life" on the head is a frequent and very unpleasant phenomenon. However, lice can settle not only there.
Types of pediculosis in humans:
- headache (children and adolescents are more likely to become infected);
- wardrobe (lice of the homeless living in unsanitary conditions);
- pubic (sexually transmitted).
We will talk about the most common head lice.
Symptoms of pediculosis are:
- the presence of lice and nits on the skin, hair, clothing;
- itching on the skin of varying intensity due to bites and skin reactions to insect saliva; the most severe itching from body lice, weak - from pubic bites.
- over time, sensitivity to bites decreases.
By the way, that is why for many centuries lice was considered a normal condition for a person. Later it was proved that lice are carriers of dangerous diseases (typhus and relapsing fever, Volyn fever).
The presence of lice and nits can be seen with the naked eye. Nits are like dandruff hanging from the hair, but they are difficult to remove. If you press on the nit with two nail plates, there will be a characteristic crack.
Parents whose children attend kindergartens, schools, camps need to carefully examine their children for pediculosis. It is worth paying special attention to the head of your child with frequent scratching, even if he does not indicate anxiety. Dealing with a few lice is easier than with a whole "army" of bloodsuckers. If pediculosis is detected in a child, it is necessary to examine all family members.
How to get rid of lice?
Actions, if pediculosis is confirmed, require time, vigilance and patience. Especially if the lice have a small restless child.
Both of these methods have advantages and disadvantages.
mechanical way
It is quite possible to remove lice and nits mechanically. For this, plastic combs with very frequent teeth are used, as well as a new invention - metal combs with a laser notch that kills nits.
The action plan is the following:
This method is more labor intensive than the chemical one. If a three-year-old child has become infected and has long hair (below the waist, for example), then it is quite difficult to use the mechanical disposal of lice: the child will not sit for so long, it will be difficult for him to endure the high temperature of the water, not to mention the hair dryer. Of course, you can do without a hair dryer by combing out the lice with a comb. However, the child will also have to endure this procedure for a long and painful time. However, if the child is highly sensitive to all kinds of chemical components, this method is preferable.
Chemical method
To choose a chemical agent, it is better to consult a doctor. The fact is that these drugs are very toxic. It is preferable if the chemical decontamination of the head is carried out "under the guise" of antihistamines. This is especially true for allergic children. Your doctor will prescribe a relatively safe and effective pesticide, as well as a dose of an antihistamine to help prevent an allergic reaction.
We asked pharmacy pharmacist what products are bought to combat pediculosis:
“The drugs most often chosen are Medifox and Nittifor. They contain safe (against the background of other means) permethrin. Para-plus complex aerosol is also recommended, but it also contains an organophosphorus compound in its composition (malatoin). They also use shampoos, for example, Veda. Most often, these funds are not recommended for children under 3 years old, pregnant and lactating women.
The packaging of each product contains detailed instructions that everyone will understand.
Some general rules for removing lice and nits chemically:
- Before using the product, consult your doctor. Preparations and shampoos have contraindications, such as bronchial asthma, allergies, children under 3 years of age, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Do not use the same remedy more than 3 times.
- After using the product, it is necessary to comb out the dead lice and nits with a comb.
- After using shampoo for lice, you can not wash your hair for 2 days.
- Wear gloves before applying the product to your head.
There is an opinion that lice appear in a person under severe stress (for example, during the war, many had lice) or when immunity is weakened. This is far from the truth. Lice appear in conditions where hygiene is at a very low level. During illness, it is difficult for a person to take care of himself. Washing your hair with many infectious diseases is contraindicated. The same thing happened during the hostilities, when there was no hot water in the taps, as it is now, and on the front line people got the so-called "trench lice" and suffered trench (Volyn) fever.
Prevention of pediculosis is the observance of the rules of personal hygiene, frequent change of bed and underwear. Parents of children who go to kindergartens and schools need to inspect the heads of their children daily for the presence of insects. The vigilance and responsibility of adults in this matter will prevent the spread of lice, as well as the serious diseases they carry. Keeping yourself and your home clean is the main prevention of pediculosis.
It is not so difficult to get a disease when lice occupy the human body, but getting rid of a tenacious insect that demonstrates miracles of invulnerability is a problem.
Going to any public place or sending a child there, everyone may be at risk of pediculosis, because head and body lice do not differ in legibility, populating any hair and body, even clean, though not very. Lice is extremely contagious - one carrier can “reward” several loved ones with insects at a time.
The only lice that stand apart are the pubic lice, which can only be picked up by having hairs covering the genitals, during casual sex with a stranger, or when sleeping together in the same bed.
Therefore, a description of the subtleties of how best to get rid of pediculosis at home will not be superfluous.
Signs of pediculosis
There are three subtypes of pediculosis - head, pubic and clothes, according to the type of lice that a person has. Therefore, before deciding how to get rid of pediculosis, you need to find out your subtype.
Types of lice: 1. hair louse 2. clothes louse 3. pubic louse
Sometimes you can have pediculosis of two or even three subtypes at the same time, but the way to get rid of each subtype will be different, because lice of different species do not contact each other even within the same body. Accordingly, methods for removing infectious insects at home will differ.
The following clarifications inherent in pediculosis will help determine which type of lice pesters with their bites.
Pediculosis in head covering hair
The first sign that makes you suspect lice is an intensely itchy area of \u200b\u200bthe head under the hair. But itching is noticeable not only during pediculosis - it can be seborrhea, an allergy to shampoo, irritation from a hair coloring agent.
Remember! Not always a person is able to feel the very moment of a bite, because the louse prefers to feed on blood at night. And the itching is provoked not so much by the bite of the skin itself, but by the irritating components of the enzyme, which is injected under the skin when it is punctured and sucking out regular portions of blood.
- Examine the hair in good lighting conditions, slowly parting the strands, looking for nits. In appearance, they strongly resemble ordinary dandruff, but, unlike dandruff flakes, they slightly shimmer and are firmly fixed by the enzyme on the hair shaft, so they always remain motionless, and it is difficult to get rid of them.
- Spread white paper or linen, or bow your head over the bathtub, and, armed with a comb with frequent teeth, carefully comb your hair several times - if at least one louse or nit falls out, there is pediculosis.
Pediculosis of the pubic area
The louse that settles near the genitals is the only one that can be transmitted through close intimate contact, occasionally through intimate hygiene items and bedding. Therefore, this subspecies of pediculosis cannot be called massively contagious, especially given the fashionable trend towards hair removal. And in the children's environment, such pediculosis is completely excluded.
The lice that live in the genital area are adapted exclusively to life in the hairs, which are characterized by a triangular section, and these cover just the intimate areas, groin, buttocks, armpits, in mature men - the stomach, back and chest.
It is easier to get rid of lice running along the bottom of the torso at home than from other relatives - it is enough to resort to epilation in any way, removing both the lice themselves and the glued nits along with the hairs.
Otherwise, an adult insect will produce up to 5 pieces of nits every day, and after 2 weeks the nit itself will turn into a full-fledged louse.
Pediculosis of clothes, linen, bed
The clothes subtype of pediculosis is the most insidious, getting rid of which at home is a real problem.
- Body lice are characteristic in that they have learned to survive and reproduce not on the host’s body itself, but side by side, in order to continuously suck out his blood in portions.
- Therefore, clothes insects are forced to settle where there is regular access to the body - in underwear, bed and sleeping place of the victim, hiding in the folds, between the seams and in the lapels of the fabric.
- In the same place, in secret places, lice attach their nits with an adhesive substance.
To identify and get rid of this subtype of infectious lice, which also threaten with transmissible infections, you need to know their unmistakable signs.
- Lice bites that are accompanied by the wearing of certain clothes, and when they change they stop.
- Or bites that bother you during sleep hours in the same sleeping place, and when you sleep on another bed, they stop bothering you.
- Localization of itchy wounds from lice - neck, back, chest, shoulders, abdomen, lower back, subsequent bites.
Remember! Lice in the clothes subtype of pediculosis infect not only people, but things, bedding, linen. Therefore, in order to get rid of lice living outside the body, procedures on the body are not limited to carefully treating the garment, bedding, the place where the victim of the lice sleeps, and the room where the bed is.
How and how to get rid of lice at home
If there is an availability of pharmaceutical products that cure pediculosis, always make a choice in their favor in order to effectively and safely get rid of the infection. And only if it is not possible to take the drug in a pharmacy, you can resort to folk methods.
- Any pharmacy product aimed at pediculosis is provided with a clear, detailed instruction on how they should remove lice at home.
- Each drug that works to exterminate lice has been tested, therefore, it has a description of the precautions and limitations in the treatment of them.
- Today, the range of poison is large and offers creams, ointments, sprays, shampoos, tinctures, emulsions, concentrates, so you can choose the most convenient form to eradicate head lice, based on the characteristics of the hair, safety by age and condition, duration and frequency of procedures, price.
- Folk, self-prepared, types of poison, as a rule, are dangerous, harm hair and skin, can cause burns, and therefore require caution and accuracy.
Remember! There is no remedy that would give a 100% result in pediculosis. Therefore, with a negative outcome of treatment with one remedy, subject to full compliance with the instructions, one should resort to another one that has a different composition - which means that it simply did not work against specific lice.
How to get rid of head lice
When choosing a pediculicidal drug in a pharmacy window, take into account the presence of an allergy, the children's age acceptable for this drug if you take a child, as well as the fact of pregnancy or lactation. Do not forget about the condition and obvious problems of the scalp before the pediculosis began - if any, refrain from particularly aggressive substances.
The standard scheme for successfully getting rid of hair from lice infestation looks like this.
- On pre-washed hair, apply, according to the instructions, the selected product.
- The task is to thoroughly moisten the skin itself and the hair at the roots, exactly where the bloodsuckers run.
- Intense rubbing should be avoided so that toxic components are not absorbed and enter the bloodstream.
- Eyes, nose and mouth should be protected from accidental contact with liquid containing powerful toxins with a tight bandage around the forehead.
- Similarly, avoid applying the drug to wounds caused by bites, especially if they began to fester.
- It is necessary to withstand the agent no less time than the instructions indicate, more than 10 minutes - the maximum allowable.
- Reducing the exposure time may not bring results, so you need to be patient.
- If you want to cover your head according to the annotation, be sure to cover it.
- The drug is washed off in the same way - according to the description.
- If you need a special kind of rinsing - do not neglect.
However, the application of the drug is half the battle. After removing the product from the hair, they must be rid of nits without a trace, on which most aggressive substances have little effect. Therefore, the second integral part of the treatment is the diligent combing and manual removal of nits firmly sitting on the hair.
Remember! For the same reason - the invulnerability of nits - it is advisable to repeat the steps of the procedure in a week in the same way, otherwise the pediculosis will return and bites will begin to overcome again.
If the bites were noted not so long ago, then you can generally do without poisonous drugs, with one combing and manual removal of nits. For pregnant and lactating women, as well as babies and especially sensitive allergy sufferers, this is the only safe way to eradicate head lice, getting rid of the problem of lice.
As for cutting hair as a radical method, this path is justified for a baby or boy, but girls should keep beautiful hair, because the louse fixes nits along the hair shaft no further than 10 cm. It is from these areas that you can simply remove it carefully and diligently sticking nits, leaving the girl braids.
How to get rid of pubic pediculosis
As mentioned above, the easiest way to forget about lice scurrying below the belt, along with nits, is to immediately remove the integumentary hairs in areas where there are bites and wounds.
But not every man will reveal a willingness to expose himself, so in a pharmacy you can easily pick up an effective drug designed for head lice.
- Apply it, according to the annotation, carefully so that the substance does not get on the delicate mucous membranes.
- Make applications like a compress and leave for a specified period.
- If the wounds have become serious, then the drug is not rubbed into them.
- Skin lesions where pus is visible is a signal to contact a dermatologist as soon as possible.
- At the same time, it will not be superfluous to have a venereologist checked - according to statistics, pubic pediculosis is often accompanied by other diseases through the genital tract.
How to get rid of head lice
It is useless to poison the body louse on the body - it does not live on the skin. You need to exterminate it in those places where it hides and multiplies.
- First of all, you need to study the clothes - those things that have been worn since the first lice bites. They need to be washed urgently in the hottest possible water, and even better - boiled or steamed for a long time.
- After drying in the open air, it is necessary to go through all the seams, lapels, pockets and collars with a heated iron.
- Similarly, you need to do with removable bed linen and pajamas.
- Fixed and heavy bedding - pillows, a mattress, a thick multi-layered blanket - is treated with a formalin solution or steam, or irrigated well with a household insecticide in a spray bottle or aerosol.
- The closet where the infected things were located is washed out with the same formalin solution or sprayed with an insecticide, you can walk around with a steam generator.
- The floors near the bed are processed in the same way - formalin, a steam generator, an insecticidal aerosol.
Preventive steps against head lice
Given the extraordinary ease of getting head lice, preventive steps cannot completely protect against lice, but most provoking situations will help to avoid.
Remember! At the first sensations of a suspicious itch and traces of lice bites, examine the body, hair and clothes for lice, do not become a breeding ground for infectious insects around you!
The female, laying an egg, wraps it in sticky mucus. This substance is designed to securely attach developing offspring to human hair. The fluid that came out of the genitals along with the egg quickly hardens in the air. As a result, a cocoon is formed, which is almost impossible to damage or remove.
Education is resistant not only to mechanical damage, but also to adverse conditions around. The developing larva inside the cocoon does not die with an increase or decrease in temperature, the values of which are detrimental to an adult insect. At what temperature do lice and nits die, you can find out on our website.
By itself, the nits will not disappear anywhere. The insect goes through the necessary stages of development, gnaws through the cocoon, leaves it. Even after that, the dry shell of the “storage” of the baby remains in place.
The nit is resistant to many insecticides. Various drugs are not able to affect it. Death occurs in rare cases with high toxicity of the active substance. Such drugs often have a lot of contraindications for people.
Advice. The most acceptable option for getting rid of eggs is mechanical combing. To do this, the shell of the cocoon is first liquefied. Then the hair is carefully treated with a comb. This procedure is carried out both independently and in addition to other treatment options.
- drug price;
- the duration of the procedure;
- presence of contraindications.
There is no generally accepted panacea. Everyone chooses the most suitable option for themselves, combines or sorts through many means before finding the perfect solution.
Pharmacy funds
Most pharmacy products are effective in the fight against adult insects, but are useless when there is a need to cope with nits. Many substances are not able to get inside the dense shell of the cocoon. Some components, even reaching the body of a developing larva, do not have the proper effect. Since many systems and organs in a young insect have not yet been formed.
Note! Using Paranit, LIceGuard will have to be supplemented with other ways of fighting.
It makes sense to use dichlorvos only for processing rooms, things. Buying a balloon of 150-200 ml will cost 60-160 rubles.
Another cheap and effective way is ointment. The mercury, sulfuric, boric base is designed to corrode the chitinous shell of adult representatives, the protective shell of the egg. The method is characterized by high toxicity to the human body.
Treatment will take from 2-4 days to the same number of weeks. The death of adult insects occurs quickly, getting rid of nits is more difficult. The product is smeared over the hair after washing, drying, after 20-30 minutes the hair is thoroughly washed with shampoo.
Depending on the type of ointment, a prescription may be needed. Buying a tube of 10–20 g will cost 4–30 rubles. Depending on the volume of hair, several pieces may be required for a single procedure.
The most acceptable method of dealing with nits is the Pair Plus spray. It contains several insecticides. Among them are permethrin, karbofos (malathion). The first copes well with adult insects. The rest - hit cocoons. Permethrin disrupts breathing, motor activity. Karbofos dissolves the internal organs of "kids". The preparation is convenient to use: it is enough to spray the spray along the entire length of the hair, after 10 minutes rinse with warm water and shampoo. For a cylinder of 116 g, you will have to pay about 500 rubles.
The simplest, safest, but ineffective is cranberry juice . It does not affect the viability of the lice at any stage of development. A useful property of juice is the weakening of the cocoon shell. Natural acids corrode the fastening of the egg, making it more mobile, vulnerable.
Others act similarly to berry acids. preparations of natural origin - mint with pomegranate juice, black cumin, geranium oil, burdock, onion. According to the folk recipe, a drug is prepared, rinsing, compressing or rubbing is performed. After that, the insects are thoroughly combed out.
It has a similar effect table vinegar in an aqueous solution. It completely "removes" nits from the hair. It remains only to comb them out of the hair. Salt and alcohol are sometimes added to the aqueous solution. Such products help soften the hair, refresh the scalp. The main thing is not to confuse vinegar with essence when cooking. The latter can cause significant burns to the skin and hair.
Proceed as follows:
- Produce a thorough cleansing of hair and skin. The use of an insecticidal shampoo or the addition of a suitable folk remedy to a regular detergent is recommended.
- To better separate the nits from the hair shafts, it is recommended to treat the hair with an vinegar solution (cranberry or pomegranate juice).
- They begin processing with thin strands - they separate a strip of hair, comb it repeatedly with a small comb from the very roots to the tips.
- The eggs accumulated on the tool are removed, the comb is rinsed. At the end of the procedure, the device must be thoroughly cleaned.
Attention! Processing should be done daily at the beginning of treatment. If necessary, up to several times a day. As the insect population decreases, the frequency of treatment is reduced.
For combing live and dead individuals you can use the usual metal version of the comb or choose a modern electronic counterpart. The latter is more efficient. In addition to the usual combing, killing of adults with a weak electric current is achieved. Notches on the teeth of the product allow you to better hook the nits.
Choosing an effective remedy
The fight against nits is a specific process. Most of the drugs have little effectiveness against representatives of this stage of insect development. The choice of the most effective means is simple: it is necessary to combine different types of struggle in order to destroy lice.
The mechanical method of removing eggs is always taken as the basis. Regular thorough treatment is the key to obtaining an effective result. Additionally, drugs are used that reduce the stability of fixing nits. Without them, even the mechanical method will become ineffective. As the third component, choose 1 of the suitable insecticides.
To minimize the chance of a new infection outside the home, you will need:
- limit close contact with strangers;
- be more careful in public places;
- refuse to use other people's things;
- conduct a thorough inspection, preventive sanitation in cases of suspicion.
Any situation conducive to infection should alert. Timely action will help to protect the occurrence of a problem or its aggravation. You can learn more about measures to prevent pediculosis on our website.
How to get rid of lice and nits on hair.
How to get rid of nits: head treatment, combing, products, shampoos.
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Nits are eggs laid by lice. They can be found in a person in places where hair is present: on the head, chest, arms, legs, genitals, abdomen, in the armpit. Nits can appear even in clean, caring people. It is very important to destroy and remove them in time to prevent the emergence of new individuals and the spread of pediculosis. To combat lice eggs, there are effective pharmaceutical preparations, as well as folk remedies.
Possible sources of infection
The most common way of infection with nits is household. Lice do not have the ability to fly, but can quickly crawl from an infected person to a healthy person with close contact. Insects multiply rapidly and lay eggs in a new place. There is a high probability of catching pediculosis in kindergarten and school, as children actively communicate with each other.
You can get infected in a bath, sauna, swimming pool, if these establishments do not carry out appropriate sanitization. When using a towel or clothes of an infected person, the risk of getting sick is also very high. In trains and hotels, poorly washed and insufficiently dried bed linen can become a source of infection with pediculosis. 
You can find nits on your hair even after visiting a hairdresser. A poorly disinfected tool becomes a source of infection with head lice. The disease often occurs when trying on or wearing other people's hats, scarves and hairpins.
It is not always possible to immediately recognize lice eggs, sometimes they are mistaken for dandruff. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the signs indicating the presence of pediculosis. The main symptom of the disease is itching in the place of accumulation of insects and nits.. At night, it intensifies and prevents a person from sleeping. Over time, in places where the skin is scratched, redness and local irritation occur.
Lice eggs, unlike dandruff, cannot be shaken out of the hair. They are securely attached by the female and can only be combed out with a comb or comb. If the nit is not dead, then when it is crushed with your fingers, a characteristic click will be heard and liquid will be released. 
Another sign of pediculosis is bluish-red spots on the skin. They occur after an insect bite due to hemorrhages and the concentration of hemoglobin decay components. The size of the spots can reach 1 cm in diameter. A rash, purulent vesicles and small papules often appear on the affected skin.
Due to illness, a person is disturbed not only by sleep, but also by appetite.. There is general irritability, anxiety, the temperature may rise. Often there are problems with the digestive, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
REFERENCE! You can detect nits and not confuse them with dandruff using a magnifying glass or Wood's lamp.
What do lice eggs (nits) look like?
The female lays many viable eggs during her lifetime. In appearance, they look like oblong capsules with a lid. The protective shell is covered with a sticky substance, thanks to which the nits are firmly attached to the hair and clothes. The length of the egg does not exceed 1 mm. 
Live nits, unlike dead ones, have a white, slightly transparent color. Glitter when lit. Dead shells darken and acquire a yellow-gray tint, but also firmly adhere to the hair.
When do eggs become larvae?
Nits are the first step in the formation of lice. The period of development from an egg to an adult insect can be from two to four weeks. After 5-10 days, a larva is obtained from the nits. The period of its ripening directly depends on favorable conditions. The most comfortable for the development of the larva is the temperature of the human body 36.6. When a favorable environment changes, the life cycle of insects does not stop, but only slows down. 
Is it possible to get rid of nits in 1 day?
How to remove dry (dead nits) from hair?
Dead lice eggs stick well to the hair, but they can and should be removed. For this, it is recommended to use 5-6% vinegar. Add two tablespoons of acid to one liter of water and rinse your hair with this solution. If vinegar is 10-15%, then only 1 tbsp. a spoonful of acid for the same volume of water. 
After rinsing, the hair must be combed with a comb with frequent teeth.. The remaining eggs should be removed by hand. The method is quite long, but effective.
The main ways to deal with nits
To quickly remove lice eggs, you can use pharmacy or folk remedies, as well as combing.
Pharmacy preparations
Pharmacies have effective remedies for getting rid of nits:
You can cope with nit eggs with folk remedies. They are available, inexpensive and effective in treatment.
- Tar soap. Hair should be wetted and lathered with soap. Then put a plastic cap on your head, wrap it with a towel and wait for two hours. Finally, wash your hair well and remove dead insects and their eggs.
- Apple vinegar. Bring vinegar to 3% concentration by diluting with water. Apply with a cotton swab to problem areas. Wash off with water after half an hour. Repeat the treatment for at least three consecutive days.
- Birch tar. You need to take three tablespoons of butter and tar. Mix the ingredients and treat the affected areas with the resulting remedy. Treat for at least 10 days.
- Tansy. To obtain a decoction, you need to take a tablespoon of grass and pour it with boiling water (0.5 l). Insist for one hour, wrapped in a warm towel. Rub the solution daily into the scalp for a week. Rinse with decoction to produce every other day. After the procedure, comb out lice and nits every day.
- Cranberry juice. Mash the berries and squeeze the juice out of them. Add a little water, then moisten the gauze, apply to the hair for 15 minutes. Treat the head for 10 days. Always wash hair with warm water after use. The acid contained in the berries will destroy the insects as well as their eggs.
Combing
Nits can be removed by combing with a special comb or comb. Before the procedure, it is necessary to provide good lighting, lay a sheet or oilcloth on the floor. Wet hair slightly and divide into thin strands.
Can you comb out lice?
YesNot
ATTENTION! If a louse or nits remain in the hair after combing out, then it will not be possible to cope with pediculosis. Insects will multiply again, and they will have to be fought again.
Popular myths about nits
Expert opinion
Alexandra Valerievna
Doctor-Trichologist
Myth 1. If there is one infected with lice in the family, then all members of this family must be treated with anti-pediculosis agents.
For prevention, there is no need to be treated, it is enough to limit the contact of a sick person with healthy people.
Myth 2. Nits jump from head to head.
This is not true. They can't jump. You can get infected only if the louse crawls from the infected head to healthy hair.
Myth 3. Insects cannot stand the smell of tea tree and lavender oils.
There is no scientific confirmation of this fact, since studies have not been conducted.
Myth 4. Pediculosis can be transmitted through clothing and bedding.
This is possible if underwear and clothing after a sick person is used immediately. Without feeding on human blood and skin flakes, the louse will not survive. That is why bedding and clothes are not processed, it is enough just to wash them well.
Myth 5. Anti-lice agents only work on insects and are useless against nits.
Most products really only kill insects. However, there are several lotions, shampoos and creams against nits.
Paint has a detrimental effect on insects - this is a fact. Only there is no evidence that lice die completely. People with clean hair are also infected with head lice.
Myth 7. Kerosene is effective against nits.
If the baby has nit eggs on his head, then it is better to shave him. This will help prevent pediculosis, and the child's hair will quickly grow new. In the case of treatment of the disease with pharmaceutical preparations, you should carefully read the instructions and take into account all contraindications. Some medicines cannot be used for children under one year old, there are medicines that are allowed only from the age of five. Using folk remedies, you need to monitor the reaction of the body. In case of allergy, nausea, dizziness, skin rash, treatment should be discontinued and consult a doctor. 
IMPORTANT! The clothes and bedding of a sick child must be washed at a water temperature of at least 90 degrees above zero. In this case, use baby laundry detergent or laundry soap. After washing, the laundry must be dried and ironed with a hot iron or steamed.
Are there any remedies for nits without combing?
If it is not possible to comb out all the eggs, then you can rinse your hair with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate. It will give a beautiful shade and paint over dead nits. However it is recommended to use this method only on dark hair.
Prevention of reinfection
You can get rid of nits only if they are completely removed from the hair. Moreover, lice should not remain either, otherwise they will lay eggs again. To avoid re-infection with pediculosis, certain preventive measures must be observed:
- Change bedding frequently (at least once a week).
- Observe body hygiene, wash your hair regularly.
- Use only personal towels.
- Avoid questionable sex.
- Keep underwear clean.
- Periodically inspect the head and places on the body covered with hair.
- Do not use other people's hats and clothing.
- Remove excess body hair.
- Refuse to visit swimming pools, saunas, baths in which sanitary standards are not observed.
- At home and away, use only an individual hair comb.
- Wash clothes and bedding with special means, dry well and iron with a hot iron.
The presence of nits indicates infection with pediculosis. This is a dangerous disease that must be treated quickly so that there are no serious consequences.. The disease is transmitted by domestic as well as sexual contact. You can get rid of lice eggs with the help of folk remedies or pharmaceutical preparations, combing with a comb gives a good effect. To prevent re-infection, some preventive measures must be taken.
