Nettle is good for many ailments and conditions, including head lice. The animal can be a serious irritant, causing itchy complaints to worsen continuously. This is because the number of lice can increase explosively, causing other people in the area to get head lice. What are the symptoms of head lice, how can you treat it and how can you use the leaves and stem of the nettle for this purpose?
Treating head lice
- What is head lice?
- Symptoms
- Is it bad?
- Fast multiplication
- Identifying head lice
- The traditional treatment
- Home remedy against head lice
What is head lice?
This concerns a small insect, which mainly lives on human blood. The animal is on average three millimeters in size and can turn reddish brown due to ingested blood. The parasite has hooks, with which it moves easily through the hair and has a good hold. Blood is sucked through a sampling tube, in addition to which saliva serves to facilitate this process. The animals occur all year round, but the peak is usually in the autumn. What are the symptoms and how can you treat head lice?
Symptoms
Once head lice has settled in a carrier’s hair, the parasite multiplies and spreads quickly among a group of people who often interact with each other. Having head lice is associated with a lot of irritation. This results in itching because louse saliva triggers an allergic reaction in the scalp. The louse saliva ensures that the blood does not clot, but can be easily absorbed. It irritates the surrounding head tissue. Once the scalp becomes irritated and people scratch it, the condition often goes from bad to worse.
Is it bad?
The head louse is a parasite and feeds on blood. This is absorbed through a stinging snout. In principle, anyone can get head lice, both people who are unhygienic and also those who are extremely clean. However, it can spread more quickly among unhygienic people. In itself it is a fairly normal phenomenon, but many are ashamed of it. The condition is not bad for your health and it does not spread any diseases or conditions. Apart from the irritating itching, head lice are not a problem.
Fast multiplication
The lice lay approximately six nits, or lice eggs, in the hair every twenty-four hours, which hatch within eight days. If they are also mature within eight days, nits can be laid again. As a result, the colony expands rapidly and the itching of the skin also increases explosively. This means there is a chance that others will also get lice. It is mainly contracted in places where people gather. Consider a school or office buildings where coats are hung together. In this way, many people can quickly get head lice.
Identifying head lice
Take a shampoo and wash the hair of the suspected carrier of the parasite. Shampoo ensures that the head lice do not see an upcoming movement, so you can use a nit or lice comb to comb a small part of the head lice with nits out of the hair while combing from front to back. Wipe this on a white cloth and you will see that there are small seeds (nits) and moving head lice. In that case, it must be treated to prevent further spread.
The traditional treatment
Normally, head lice can be treated by three methods, each with its own effectiveness.
Shave
Complete shaving of the scalp. The parasite then has virtually no protection left and cannot hold on to her. Nits are thus drastically removed, preventing new growth. This way, the condition can be quickly dealt with.
Nits comb and special shampoo
Use a nit comb. All eggs, as well as common lice, are combed out of the hair every day in the evening. This should be carried out for two weeks, but it should be done together with a shampoo.
Malathion
An anti-lice agent such as a lotion based on malathion can also be used. Because this is an insecticide, it must be handled appropriately.
Home remedy against head lice
If you do not want to have your head shaved or want to walk around with smelly hair for a few weeks, there is a home remedy. Collect a quantity of nettle plants and chop them slightly. Place the leaves and stem parts in water and let them soak and steep for a few hours. To speed up that process, you can heat the water in a bain marie so that the good elements of the nettle enter the water. This water solution has ingredients and an odor that lice absolutely do not like. Put the water in a bowl and pour it over your head. Make a washing motion and rinse it additionally with nettle water. After washing a few times, the lice will disappear in a few days. In the meantime, do not wash the hair for a few days so that the good effect of the nettle remains in the hair.
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