Head lice and nits can be a very disturbing condition to suffer from even more so because of the kind of social rejection a sufferer will face. A head louse is a small, wingless insect that has three pairs of legs that are located directly behind its head. The legs are structured to have sharp claws that aid in feeding and maintaining the louse’s grip on hair or clothing. These small insects feed about five times a day by piercing the skin with their sharp claws and injecting irritating saliva after which they suck the blood that flows through the small wound. While they do not become engorged like ticks, they turn rust colored from the ingestion of blood. Very close inspection of a victim’s hair will also reveal rust colored flecks which are the lice feces. The female louse will lay about six eggs everyday which reach maturity in less than 18 days – making the problem accelerate at unimaginable speeds. These eggs, also known as nits, remain firmly cemented in the base of the hair shaft and close to the skin in order to stay warm. The main problem with the condition is that it is very easily contracted. The simplest of head to head contact with someone that already has lice makes you very likely to suffer from it. At times, head lice may even be acquired from contact with clothing such as scarves, coats or even hats. Other factors that could cause the condition include sharing items such as hairbrushes, pillows or hair decorations. A person will suffer intense bouts of itching, swelling of the lymph nodes, small red bumps on the scalp neck and shoulders as well as the occasional fever when affected by head lice.
There are a number of treatment options that are known to be effective when dealing with head lice. You should try washing your hair with vinegar for a couple of days. This will kill all the nits on your head within that timeframe. Rub a generous amount of mayonnaise on your head and add some Vaseline as well. For an added effect you could also rub some corn flour, into the hair before you wash the paste off. It may take about 6 washes before your hair is completely free of the Vaseline content, but this is a very effective remedy in dealing with serious conditions of head lice. Eucalyptus essential oils are also well known for their effectiveness in dealing with head lice. Use about 20 drops of eucalyptus oil and add another 20 drops of tea tree oil , 10 drops of aniseed oil and lemon oil and add about 75 ml of olive oil to create a mixture that should be thoroughly applied to your hair and left on for an hour before being washed off.