Folk signs of what causes lice to appear on the head

Lice are nasty creatures that feed on humans. Since ancient times, many folk signs have been associated with the appearance of lice on a person’s head - good and bad, foreshadowing troubles or good luck. Despite the fact that in the modern world it is difficult to pick up these small insects, sometimes people become infected with lice in public places: bathhouses, kindergartens and educational institutions. To prevent events that are foreshadowed by the appearance of these unpleasant creatures, you should be aware of popular superstitions.

Folk signs about lice

In ancient times, catching lice was not difficult - many people suffered from these insects, so it is not surprising that many superstitions and customs are associated with them. Some of the beliefs foreshadowed good events, but for the most part lice were considered harbingers of troubles, misfortunes and financial difficulties.

Having noticed that a person had lice, relatives and friends tried to ward off trouble using conspiracies, or simply mentally prepared for the events that the signs predicted.

Considering that in the old days misfortunes were associated with lice, people tried to prevent the appearance of nits and avoided actions that contribute to the occurrence of parasites:

Disrespect for the dinner table. In former times, it was forbidden to leave hats on the table at which the family dined. If this does happen, then whoever puts on a hat lying on the table will, according to a sign, become infected with lice.
Stress. According to popular beliefs, most often parasites arose due to severe stress, which could be caused by the death of a loved one or illness.
Washing clothes on Thursday. Despite the funny nature of this sign, in ancient times people sincerely believed that by washing clothes on the fourth day of the week, you could become infected with lice.

Kind

Signs that interpret the appearance of lice as a harbinger of positive changes are not typical for Russian people. In Rus', there were negative beliefs about nits, designed to warn against bad events in life. However, some peoples believed that the discovery of lice bodes well:

There are mice, crickets in the house, or lice in the hair - the family begins to have a white streak.
Guests brought nits - a sign that promises strong and faithful friendship for life.
Seeing lice on the body of a deceased person meant that the deceased was honest and had no sins.
If you notice parasites on a relative’s head , great luck awaits him soon.
Lice on the head - happiness is in your hands. The meaning of this conclusion lies in the fact that previously, due to lack of hygiene, many people had lice, and a person without parasites stood out and inspired mistrust.

With a negative meaning

There are many more signs linking the appearance of lice with troubles and misfortunes than there are good superstitions. In the old days they believed that the location of parasites would tell us what awaits a person in the future:

If nits have chosen a girl’s whiskey , the lady is surrounded by envious people and evil people.
Lice have accumulated on the forehead - according to the sign, grief and loss await a person.
Nits on the crown of the head threaten a person’s honest name and reputation.
For a man, lice on the crown of his head portend serious health problems.

However, the signs most associated with the appearance of lice are those affecting the financial situation of the family:

An accumulation of nits on the forehead is a sign of difficulties that threaten complete ruin.
On the back of your head - financial failure will soon end.
If lice appeared on all household members at the same time , then this could foreshadow fires, robberies and even death.
Finding nits on open areas of the body meant poverty.
If a person touched a lice with his hand and did not wash his hands after that , then a painful death awaited him.

Appeared in a child

According to popular wisdom, pediculosis in children is a herald of the following events:

If children have lice, then parents will soon face financial difficulties.
Nits appeared on the child and suddenly disappeared - according to signs, the family will face ruin and poverty.
A lot of parasites on the baby’s head indicate that quarrels and scandals will begin in the family. There is a theory that the appearance of lice signals a child’s weakened immune system.

Good omens about the appearance of lice

Are there any good signs if there are lice? As it turns out, beliefs do not always promise a dark streak in life when they appear.

Finding a louse on a friend or guest was a good sign and promised long-term friendships without quarrels, disagreements and divisions. In everyday life, there was even a custom of searching for these insects on one’s guests, which was considered a great honor and a sign of the special favor of the owners of the house. While the search for parasites continued, it was strictly forbidden to eat.

And if a louse ran over the body of a deceased person, and this was seen by relatives, it means that a righteous person has died and his soul is heading straight to heaven. There are also quite frequent references to lice as symbols of successful work. It was assumed that a hospitable owner must have lice in his house, as a symbol of prosperity.

They were in no hurry to get rid of lice and often coexisted with them for many years, finding nothing wrong with it. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did hygiene and medicine develop so much that they were able to stop the total infestation of lice.

Most folk superstitions about lice date back to ancient times, which is why they reflect the opinion of people of those years. Here, for example, are a few more interesting signs:

If you kill lice and do not wash your hands afterwards, you will die in agony.
You can't shake crumbs onto the floor - lice will appear.
There is no need to count lice found on someone else - they will spread to you.

The information indicated in folk signs is quite contradictory. You can use it and make predictions for your own future, or you can be skeptical about it.

In any case, lice are found even in the modern developed world, and you can become infected with them in any public place. The only thing that can be said with certainty: the appearance of head lice definitely promises financial expenses for visiting a doctor or purchasing a quality shampoo or comb.

Mystical and scientific theories of appearance

Folk signs and superstitions associated with pediculosis (lice) appeared thanks to the opinion of our ancestors that lice are an integral part of the human body. In the old days, people believed that small insects lived under the skin and crawled out to warn the owner about upcoming events. Of course, this theory is absurd: it has been proven that lice cannot live without air. However, there is still a connection between the appearance of lice and bad changes, and there is a scientific explanation for this.

According to scientific research, when a person is very tense or under stress, his range of nerve impulses changes. Lice can sense such changes. Moreover, they encourage parasites to settle on a person with a damaged emotional background.

In this proven fact lies the connection between lice and folk signs. If nits appear, then soon a person will face serious health problems, since people with weakened immune systems and nervous systems cannot fully resist viruses, infections and parasites.

Mystical theory of the origin of lice

Pediculosis is one of the most mysterious diseases. In ancient times, people were sure that eggs - nits - lived inside every person. Under the influence of certain factors, the larvae become active. At a certain point in time they come out and begin to parasitize. Nervous stress, shock, nervous breakdown, and emotional overstrain can trigger the development mechanism.

Modern scientists have refuted this fact, but the theory continues to exist. People believe that lice appear on nerves, in the mystical appearance of parasites, folk signs, and try in every possible way to avoid lice.

Many claim that they got lice after severe stress - the funeral of loved ones. The entire environment is decent, we have not been to dubious places.

Lice and the weather

With the appearance of lice, folk signs associated not only health and financial well-being, but also the weather. Our ancestors predicted weather conditions based on the behavior and location of parasites:

Noticing lice on your head means rainy and stormy weather.
Nits crawl on clothes and exposed parts of the body - a strong thunderstorm will begin soon.
Lice are active on the head - heavy rain and wind.
Two nits near the ear foreshadowed large hail and cold weather.

How do lice appear on the head?

Lice on a person's head appear as a result of direct contact with a carrier of parasites.

The interaction can be direct - “hair to hair” or “head to head”, when the insect quickly crawls to a new place. It's crawling. Lice cannot jump, much less fly. This option is the main channel of infection with head lice. A special flight of fancy is that louses allegedly use the owner’s hair as a bungee. This is truly a rich fantasy! Just imagine this oil painting. No, lice don't jump. From the word absolutely.

Indirect contact - through hats and personal items (combs, hairpins, pillows, etc.) gives a much lower percentage of infection with head lice.

How quickly do lice appear?

The exact timing of a lice infestation may be overlooked because small numbers of these parasites may cause little concern. But when they multiply, it’s hard not to notice. When might this happen? The time frames here are as follows.

The first option: in the “landing party” there are several sexually mature females, who almost immediately begin to lay eggs. “Productivity” - up to 5-10 nits per day. The incubation time of lice eggs is shorter than insect eggs - 7-10 days. The temperature regime is optimal for these insects: not cold and not hot. For a head louse, for example, it is 28 degrees. So after a week a person begins to actively itch from itching.
Second option. Among the “invaders” there is only one immature female. The time until lice reach “adulthood” is 6-10 days. The temperature is unfavorable for the development of parasites, which slows down their development. This means that more than 20 days are needed for a new generation of insects to appear. Plus you need to add a few days for population growth. So in this case, 3 weeks pass before the reaction appears: “Do I have lice? Does that mean psychosomatics have manifested themselves? After all, there was no potential insect carrier on the horizon for at least half a month!”

The result is that from one to three weeks is needed for the manifestation of “cohabitants”.

How to understand that lice have appeared

As already mentioned, the symptoms of pediculosis are the presence of itching, scratching, nits and adult insects. To accurately diagnose lice, you need to comb your hair over a light-colored surface and check for parasites.

How do pubic lice appear?

Infection with flatworms occurs mainly through sexual contact. Infection through bedding and underwear is also possible. In addition, you can catch it in the pool, sauna or bathhouse. There have also been cases of infection with pubic lice through swimming in stagnant, contaminated water, where the insects can remain viable for some time, but this option is the rarest of all possible.

How do eyelash lice appear?

Eyelash lice do not exist.

Pubic lice on eyelashes. Wikimedia Commons. BY-SA 3.0. KostaMumcuoglu

And those that are found on the eyelashes are pubic lice. Eyelashes are the uppermost limit of their distribution. As the name suggests, the main habitat of flatheads is pubic hair. In addition, they live on the rest of the hair of the perineum. Less common on other vegetation on the body.

Pubic lice in the abdominal area. Wikimedia Commons BY-SA 3.0. KostaMumcuoglu

They even reach the eyelashes. But they don’t happen on the head! This is due to the fact that the hair on the body has a triangular cross-section, and on the head it is round. And the legs of pubic lice are optimized for capturing hair with a triangular profile. This is, you know, species specialization. But there is another parasite on the eyelashes - the eyelash mite.

Eyelash mites

Schematic drawing of eyelash mites.
Wikimedia Commons. BY-SA 4.0. Two types of eyelash mites (also known as acne glands) parasitize humans: Demodex brevis and Demodex folliculorum. They live on eyelashes: in the mouths of hair follicles and the ducts of the sebaceous glands. One follicle contains 3-4 parasites. That's where they reproduce. Their sizes are on average 0.2-0.4 mm. They feed on skin flakes and sebum. Sometimes they come out, but at night, because they don’t like light. “Run” at a speed of 8-16 cm/hour (centimeters).

You can become infected with eyelash mites through contact between eyebrows, hair and sebaceous glands in the nose area. Most often, Demodex is infected in unscrupulous beauty salons, where instruments are poorly treated.

Unfortunately, these parasites are very common, especially as you age. As a rule, they are relatively harmless. But if mites begin to multiply excessively, they become the cause of such a parasitic disease as human demodicosis. They often provoke inflammation on the skin.

Before their eyes, “hooliganism” manifests itself in the form of itching, swelling, eyelids turn red, eyes quickly get tired.

Perhaps the itching from eyelash mites is attributed to lice. But there is an ironclad rule for diagnosing head lice: no lice – no head lice.

How does a linen lice appear?

Body (or linen) louse mainly lives on clothing. And it descends onto the human body to dine. So linen lice appear as a result of contact with the clothing of an infected individual. But it can also be transmitted through the body.

How quickly do lice emerge from nits?

The gestation time for lice eggs (nits) is 7-10 days. After which a new replenishment of bloodsuckers emerges.

What to do to prevent folk signs from coming true

The main purpose of signs and superstitions is to warn a person about possible misfortunes, therefore in ancient times, when lice were discovered, they read conspiracies and performed ancient rituals designed to protect them from misfortunes.

If a person or his family has skin parasites, you should know how to protect your family:

Lice, cockroaches, bedbugs and other unpleasant creatures were associated in ancient times with black magic, so every home should have a protective amulet against dark forces. This could be an icon, a family heirloom, a personal talisman in the form of jewelry, a stone or a figurine.
According to signs, lice appear in unhappy people who are under stress, so you need to enjoy life and not get nervous over trifles, devote more time to your family and your loved one.

Psychosomatics of childhood lice

Lice are unpleasant for everyone, but children are more likely to become infected with these parasites because physical contact is more common among them. Moreover, due to the delicate skin, the external manifestations of lice can be more pronounced and cause more concern. Itching and scratching lead to:

The appearance of wounds and suppuration in them
Anxiety, irritability, tearfulness
Sleep disturbance
Decreased attention
Deterioration in academic performance.

Children under three years of age may have a fever and enlarged lymph nodes. Sometimes nausea occurs and allergies are possible.

How lice appear on children's heads

Head lice appear on children's heads in the same way as on adults. Through direct contact with a lice carrier, and not at all because: “if you don’t wash your hair.” Just like in adults, in children a nervous atmosphere (i.e. due to emotional stress) increases the risk of lice.

It is easier for children to become infected with lice because during communication and play they are constantly in physical contact with each other in a head-to-head format. Accordingly, they are more likely to suffer from head lice.

How to get rid of lice from a child

If a child becomes infected with lice, they must be dealt with immediately using pediculocidal (antiparasitic) drugs. The product should be chosen that is appropriate for use according to age. Moreover, adults should behave delicately with the child during the treatment of head lice and not further psychologically traumatize him. There is a risk that an impressionable child may develop parasitophobia or entomophobia.

Mistakes that create additional stress for the child should be avoided:

For example, the urge to shave a child's head. The right is not worth it. Of course, parents want to get rid of insects faster. How psychologically comfortable is the child? Modern children develop gender identification early and already at the age of seven they want to look attractive to their peers. Such a step on the part of parents can lead to real psychological trauma and bullying at school.
Excessively focus attention in the family circle on the problem with lice. Exaggerated emphasis on this can make the child nervous. You just need to calmly discuss with him that this not too big of a nuisance has arisen. That head lice can happen to anyone. And that in order to get rid of insects, a number of measures must be taken in the form of treatment and restrictions on the duration of the presence of parasites.

Dreams about lice

In ancient times, they attached great importance to dreams. It was believed that in a dream the soul tries to warn a person about possible problems and troubles. According to the interpretations of dream books, a dreamed louse has the following interpretations:

Destroying parasites on a child’s head means that the child needs the help and support of his parents.
If you see lice on your children, a parent expects gossip and evil rumors from envious people.
Finding lice on your head means sudden luck in financial matters, the likelihood of receiving an inheritance.
Combing nits out of your hair means failure at work and in love.
Noticing a large number of parasites in a dream that you cannot get rid of is a disappointment.
Seeing skin parasites on another person means a promotion at work.
If head lice are on the body in a dream, this portends financial success.
Noticing white nits means financial losses, dark ones means achieving your goals.

Folk signs and superstitions that explain the appearance of lice warn people about possible troubles and give them time to prepare for future events. To protect yourself from unpleasant parasites, you need to take care of yourself and strengthen your body and spirit, because no negativity, not even lice, sticks to a happy and healthy person. And, of course, when these insects appear, one cannot limit oneself to only spells and prayers. Only pharmaceutical products will help you completely get rid of parasites.

How to Avoid Negative Predictions

Predictions do not always come true. To avoid any troubles, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

make sure there is a talisman in the house, for example, an icon;
read a prayer;
to strengthen the protective shell, laugh more and have fun;
avoid quarrels and conflicts;
think about every action and do not make hasty decisions.