Shampoo for prevention of pediculosis

Preventing lice and nits at home

Lice spread mainly in unsanitary conditions among large crowds of people. Today, cases of lice are rare, but only in certain countries, which cannot be said about underdeveloped countries, where lice and nits are a normal occurrence. In developed countries, including Russia, lice also occurs among people. Parasites are mainly common in children's educational institutions (schools and kindergartens), as well as among disadvantaged families and homeless people.

Prevention against lice is the best option to prevent the spread of lice and serious forms of its complications. What is the prevention of lice and nits at home, what basic measures exist, as well as folk methods of protection against lice.

Means for the prevention of lice in children

Lice infestation is quite common. In medicine it is called pediculosis. And if in the Middle Ages they treated it quite loyally, now they are ashamed of this problem. Lice most often appear in children and adolescents. This is due to a number of reasons, one of which is basic ignorance of the method of transmission of lice. Prevention of head lice in children is carried out in preschool and educational institutions. However, if a child becomes infected, you should not place all responsibility on the staff of the establishments. Parents should also take preventive measures at home.

Causes and symptoms of pediculosis

The head louse is a blood-sucking parasite that lives primarily on the scalp. Lice are divided into three types: head, body and pubic. The head louse is predominantly inhabited by head louse. When a louse bites a person, the bite produces saliva, which provokes symptoms of itching and skin irritation. If you constantly scratch your skin, wounds and inflammation will appear on it. Pediculosis most often occurs in children aged three years and older. This is due to the fact that children come into contact with each other, thereby infecting each other with lice. One of the fundamental causes of lice is non-compliance with personal hygiene rules. It is enough for one child to attend a class in a kindergarten or school, and the next day all his peers will be infected.

Pediculosis: treatment and prevention

Pediculosis: treatment and prevention
Lice not only bring a lot of trouble to an infected person, but are also capable of transmitting pathogens of dangerous diseases.

pediculosis, disease prevention

Pediculosis, or lice, is a disease caused by small blood-sucking insects - lice. There are several types of lice. Head louse affects the scalp, as well as the beard, mustache, eyebrows and eyelashes. Body louse lives in the folds and seams of clothing. Head louse and body louse are classified as "human louse". They are dangerous because they can be carriers of typhus and relapsing fever. There is also the pubic louse, which also belongs to the suborder of lice. It lives on the skin of the pubis, genitals, and, less commonly, the abdomen and chest. The pubic louse never settles on the head, since due to the structure of the limbs it cannot move through round hair.

Prevention measures against lice

Prevention of lice in children and adults is divided into two types: passive measures and active ones. The fundamental preventive measures are the following:

As much as possible, avoid communication and close contact with people who live in unsanitary conditions. In addition, these may not necessarily be people living in unsanitary conditions, so at the first sign of head lice in a person, it is important to avoid contact with him.
Avoid casual sex with a person who has signs of the disease. You can get infected from such a person not only with head lice, but also with pubic lice.

Use exclusively personal hygiene products. This is not only a toothbrush and a towel, but also a comb, hairpin, and hat.
Wash clothes and bedding regularly, as clothes can be infested with body lice. Another type of blood-sucking insects that feed on human blood, biting him anywhere on the body.
Periodically check for nits on your hair. It is especially important to do this procedure in children. The sooner you detect the presence of lice in a child, the more effectively you can get rid of them.
To reduce the likelihood of infection by parasites, children can use special repellents that have virtually no odor.
Regularly use special shampoos to prevent lice.

Prevention of lice and nits at home is especially difficult for children, which is due to the inability to explain to the child why they should not wear other people’s things. Under the age of 15, it is necessary to take special care to ensure that the child does not get lice. This is quite difficult to do, because in most cases, almost every third mother is faced with the problem of lice in her child.

It is important to know! Children do not become infected with pubic lice, but adults can pick up parasites in places such as baths, saunas, swimming pools, etc. This is due to the fact that parasites have the ability to survive for a long time in water.

A pubic louse can grow on the pubic area, on the eyelashes, in the armpits, while the head louse only settles on the head

You can even pick up parasites in hotels and hostels, where you can become infected not only with body and pubic lice, but also with head lice if you have to spend the night with careless neighbors. If, despite everything, you still have to deal with people who have signs of lice, then you can protect yourself by observing the following preventive measures:

Initially, it is important to use medicated shampoo for prevention, which can be used no more than 1-2 times a week. Regular use of shampoos can increase the effectiveness of prevention up to 100%.
Use hellebore water or lavender tincture. Hellebore water is famous for its healing effect against lice and nits. If you drip it periodically on your head and behind your ears, then the likelihood that parasites will settle in your hair is reduced to a minimum.
Periodically use a comb with fine partings, which serves as the main means for combing out nits and lice. In this mechanical way, you can remove parasites that have not had time to reproduce.

A good preventative way to prevent the appearance of lice and nits is to periodically shave your hair. On the head, where there is no hair, parasites do not live, so they die out. This preventive measure is the best way to prevent the proliferation of lice and nits on the head.

Tips for proper prevention of head lice:

Preventive medications

There are a number of medications that are intended directly for the prevention of head lice. Such medications are available in the form of shampoos, lotions and sprays. Basically, such products contain insecticides that have a detrimental effect on insects. Insecticides are quite toxic, so their use on children is dangerous.

Interesting to know! Preparations that have non-toxic properties are less effective than products containing insecticides.

For children, it is recommended to use drugs without dangerous insecticides, which have no contraindications and do not affect the child’s health. Insecticidal agents intended for the treatment and prevention of pediculosis are:

Shampoo “Parasidosis”. Suitable for adults and children over 5 years old. The drug is not very convenient to use, but it is popular among both adults and children.

Shampoo “Pedilin”. Allowed for use by children over 2 years of age. The product has side effects and can cause allergies. Should be used with caution, especially for children.

Shampoos for prevention are used 1-2 times a week. If shampoos are toxic, then sprays are absolutely safe, despite their low efficiency rates.

Review of the best shampoos for children against lice and nits

Spray “RoshTov”. The drug is used both for the prevention and treatment of pediculosis. The sprays are based on essential oils and plant extracts. They can be used by children from one year of age, as they are safe. The development of side symptoms in the form of allergies cannot be ruled out.
Spray "LiceGuard". The main purpose of the product is the prevention of lice and nits. Safe for use by children, and is used to treat the head, clothing and hats.

Sprays are applied directly to the hair. Their effect lasts up to 24 hours, so they must be used before leaving home.

Traditional methods of prevention

In addition to modern effective means of preventing lice, there are also old folk methods. They are simple, affordable and no less effective than the above. Let’s find out in more detail what a folk remedy for lice prevention is.

Braiding hair and wearing hats. You can protect your hair from lice by braiding hair or wearing headwear in the form of scarves, scarves or special hats. This is what kindergarten teachers do today, which allows them to protect themselves from lice infection.

Repellent folk remedies. These include the following products: tea tree oil, hellebore water, tansy, and lavender. You can also use onion and garlic juice, but do not forget about the persistent smell of these vegetables on your hair.

The use of special shampoos. These are exclusively folk-made shampoos based on tar soap or birch tar. Tar soap is not able to destroy parasites, but preventing them from appearing on the head is always helpful.

Using an iron. To protect yourself from lice, you need to iron your bed linen with a hot iron after washing.

By choosing any of the above methods, you can avoid the appearance of head lice and the development of other serious complications.

Everything you didn’t know about head lice (video):

Home prevention measures and actions

If a child attends public institutions, it is necessary to carry out home therapy to reduce the risk of infection.

Every day, inspect the head for nits;
braid tight braids or buns for girls;
comb your hair thoroughly every day;
cut your hair on a regular basis;
teach your child the rules of hair hygiene;
ensure timely change of linen and clothes;
add folk preventive remedies to shampoo.

Features of pediculosis prevention

To reduce the number of outbreaks of head lice among children in kindergartens, it is necessary to privately carry out appropriate preventive measures. These measures include:

conduct an examination of all children before they enter the institution;
check children every week for lice;
If the presence of parasites is detected, the child and all peers should undergo treatment.

If the incidence increases, the following measures must be taken:

isolate sick children;
find the child who became the source of infection;
Carry out periodic examination of all children for signs of head lice;
carry out wet cleaning and disinfection of the kindergarten;
consult with parents about preventing lice at home;
You can admit a child to kindergarten only after you have a certificate of recovery.

Interesting to know! It is in kindergartens that outbreaks of pediculosis most often occur, both in private and in mass manifestations.

Most often, it is children who “bring” lice and nits home from kindergartens, schools, as well as from summer camps and various clubs.