Head lice are tiny parasites that live in human hair, relocating from one person to another either directly or through a shared surface such as a pillow or chair, and most commonly are found in children. Though they can't cause sickness, they live off of human blood, and their bites cause the itching sensation they've come to be associated with. The good news: they don't live forever, and there are several removal methods and remedies.
Combing
Examine the head of every household member for lice, which are gray-colored and usually around a tenth of an inch in length. And keep an eye out for nits, which are their eggs and have a smaller, white appearance.
With a fine-toothed comb, carefully comb the hair of anyone infested, removing lice and nits. Each time your remove some, rinse the comb in soapy water and then use a towel or tissue to wipe off the comb. Wash hair thoroughly when you're done, blow dry it and then look for any remaining eggs. Leave the comb to sit in alcohol or a mix of bleach and water for an hour so all remaining lice and nits are killed.
Chemical Treatments
If combing alone doesn't get the job done, there are many commercial shampoos and rinses on the market for lice removal. But there has been much debate not only over their effectiveness, but also the potential toxicity of putting relatively powerful chemicals on the scalp -- especially one belonging to a child.
There have been countless reports of lice growing resistant to long-used chemical treatments. According to a 2010 report by the College of Pharmacy at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, more than 80 percent of pharmacists polled said they had dealt with patients who'd encountered such failure.
Conversely, a study by France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research, cited on PhysOrg.com, concluded that the anti-scabies pill Ivermectin cured 95.2 percent of all cases tried, compared to 85 percent by traditional lice treatment Malathion.
Cleansing
Wash everything made of fabric, and soak any hair-related items like brushes and hair clips in alcohol. Wash all sheets, blankets, clothes and cloth toys in hot water, and put them in the dryer for at least 30 minutes to kill the lice and eggs.
As any parent who's dealt with a lice infestation knows, the cleaning can be the hardest part. It can takes days on end to get everything cleaned. But it's a necessary step, and should be saved for when you're confident everyone's head is lice-free, so that the items aren't simply re-infested.
You'll need to be thorough; the average female louse lives around 3 weeks and can lay as many as 10 eggs per day.
