Head lice are tiny, wingless, blood-sucking insects that feed on blood from the human scalp.

A head louse is a common problem that often affects children and usually spreads from one person to another, and is sometimes difficult to get rid of.

Here are some standard lice treatments including over-the-counter liquids, shampoos, and lotions and some effective home remedies for treating head lice.

Head Lice: Symptoms and Causes -Home Remedies for Treating Head Lice

What are Head Lice?

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the human body and consume blood from the human scalp, and this feeling is what makes a person itch.

Head lice are highly contagious. An infestation of head lice called pediculosis capitis. While Head lice don’t carry bacterial or viral infectious diseases.



A head louse infestation isn't a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment, having them can be itchy and uncomfortable.

Lice have existed for as long as humans. While some types of lice can remain elsewhere on the body, the most common species live in the hair on the head.





While anyone can contract lice, most often they affect children who attend preschools or elementary schools and usually result from the direct transfer of lice from the hair of one person to the hair of another.



It is important to note that having lice does not indicate poor hygiene. They can only survive for a few hours outside of a human scalp. lice cannot survive long without feeding. They should go to a new head within about 24 hours, or they will die.



Over-the-counter and prescription medicines are available for treatment of head lice.

A number of home or natural remedies are used to treat head lice infestations, but there is little to no clinical evidence of their effectiveness.







Symptoms of Head Lice The primary symptom of lunar nuisance is the presence of live lice on a person's head. The best place to look for live lice is on the skull behind the ear.

If a lick does not seem to exist then one person can not be an active nuisance.

You may not be aware of the nuisance of the lice. However, common signs and symptoms can include skin irritation, sleeping problems, itchiness, scratching the head, swollen lymph nodes, a crawling sensation .



Itching on the scalp, neck, and ear is the most common symptom. This is an allergic reaction to saliva to survive.

When a person is a nuisance for the first time, it can not be itchy for two to six weeks after the nuisance.



Lice eggs (nits) on hair shafts. Nits stick to hair shafts. It can be difficult to observe nits because they are very small They are the easiest to spot around the hairline of the ears and neck.

Spotting blank nights can be easy because they are light in color and are ahead of the skull.

Lice on the skull Lice may appear but it is difficult to spot because they are small, avoid light and move faster.



The most common symptoms of head lice include:

Sores that develop from scratching itches.

A tickling feeling of something moving on your hair, head, or body.

Red bumps on your neck, shoulders, head, or pubic area.

Sores that develop from scratching itches.

Difficulty sleeping and irritability.

The appearance of lice eggs, or small white objects in your hair. These symptoms can indicate many issues, so it is important to confirm the presence of lice before starting treatment. Head lice symptoms and risk factors. Image source: Wikipedia Commons

What Causes Head Lice?

Researchers are unsure where lice originate, but they know that the lice have affected primates for at least 25 million years, eventually spreading to human bodies or other.



We must know Head lice crawl and only affect humans, and they will not jump onto pets or other animals.

Most often transmission of head lice from one person to another is by direct contact. Therefore, the transmission is most often within a family or among children who have a close contact at school or play.





Head lice are tan or grayish insects about the size of a strawberry seed. They feed on human blood that it extracts from the scalp.

The female lice produce a sticky material that agglutinates each egg to a hair shaft.

An egg is attached approximately 4 millimeters from the base of the shaft.

A louse egg hatches after eight or nine days, that emerges is an immature form of the louse called a nymph.

The nymph becomes a mature adult louse after nine to 12 days, and an adult lives for three to four weeks.





Risk Factors for Head Lice

Some people believe that girls are more sensitive to lice than boys because they have long hair and more head-to-head contact. But lice are also common in boys.



Researchers found in their study, lice can spread through physical contact. They cannot fly or jump, but they can crawl from head to head. This can happen when people get hair color during close contact. It can also travel on objects that have touched the head.



Sharing goods coming in contact with the head can increase the risk of being a person's life. Poor communication can also be a risk factor.

If a person has lice, then it is necessary to inform everyone in close contact. If a child has lice, a parent or caregiver should notify the school or day-care. Primary school- or girls of preschool age group are more likely to be lice.





Indirect transmission is not likely, but lice may spread from one person to another by items such as:

Hats and scarves

Brushes and Combs

Hair accessories

Headphones

Pillows

Upholstery

Towels