Common Questions About Head Lice

Head lice can make for a huge annoyance and even more that a bit embarrassing in your life.

You may have some questions regarding the little pests. 

Ridding yourself or a family member isn't a complex process but there are a few common questions that many people have, so let's take a look and we’ll answer a few of the more commonly asked questions regarding head lice to clear things up for you.

Can I get infested with head lice from my pet?

Since head lice are unable to feed off of animals, needing exclusively human blood to survive, the odds are that these critters evolved with us over thousands of years.

There are other types of lice that feed off of animals; however they are unable to feed off of humans. One thing that we do know is that they’ve been around for a long, long time.

Should I spray my house when there is a head lice outbreak?

Actually, contrary to popular belief, it can actually be a bad idea to have your house sprayed when someone in it has lice. Not only is there a possibility that the sprays that are used be harmful to you and your family, chances are these same spray will do little to prevent a re-infestation.

Since head lice can only live on human hosts, if they are separated from their host for more than 24 hours, they will die. For this reason alone, you just need to be concerned of person to person contact. For example, ensure that you are not sharing pillows or bed linens during infestation. Along with lice treatments such as ‘Nix’, you can easily rid your household of the problem without paying for harmful and unnecessary pesticides.

Are there any harmless ways of removing lice?

Most of the solutions that are used to rid a head of lice involve harmful pesticides which can be damaging to you and your family. If you want to clear up the infestation with as little toxicity as possible, your best bet is to remove all the lice and nits by hand and mechanical means.

Have two people comb over the infected person’s hair, wearing gloves. When you find nits, the eggs of the head louse, use distilled white vinegar to loosen their natural adhesive and remove them from the hair follicle. If you go through this procedure every day until you find no lice or nits for two weeks, you’ve likely successfully removed the lice problem.

Another method of destroying lice that some people have found to be effective is the use of a common household hair dryer. By heating the lice to a sufficient degree, you’ll be able to kill them off. Howerver, great care should be taken as to not burn or otherwise irritate the scalp.

Will water and shampoo kill head lice?

Water won’t kill lice and neither will ordinary shampoo. They will withstand both without a problem.

Armed with just a bit of common knowledge about head lice; you’ll be better suited to deal with a head lice infestation should one arise.