Pediculosis in children: what to treat at home

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There is a misconception that pediculosis( lice) is picked up only by children from disadvantaged layers of society, but this is far from the case. The average child has only one contact close to the lice carrier, so that the parasites move to the scalp.

Infection may well occurin the kindergarten, school, children's camp and while walking along the street. Getting on the baby's scalp, lice bite and drink blood, causing scabies, which is the first symptom. Often lice can be seen moving through the hair with the naked eye, and in some cases, to find whitish-gray lumps, which are larvae of nits.

Causes of pediculosis in children

There are several reasons for the appearance of lice in children:

1. Close contact with other children.
2. Wrong hair care.
3. Long hair.
4. Transmission of lice from an infected mother.
5. Distressed living conditions.

Lice spread only by an external route from another person. This can happen with close contact with the infected, when the lice jump from one head to another. Also, lice can be transmitted through personal items: comb, hat, hair clip or hair band.

What to do first

If a child has lice, it is better to consult a doctor. However, if there is no such possibility, you can independently choose the necessary remedy for pediculosis in the pharmacy. It is very important to take into account the age of the child. In the early stages of the disease, folk remedies can help.

Which doctor treats

If you notice any symptoms of pediculosis, you should contact the pediatrician. He either will appoint the necessary treatment, or he will send to a specialized specialist.

Pediculosis in children - how to treat

There are several ways to treat pediculosis in children. The first - treatment with chemist's drugs. Their variety includes shampoos, creams, gels, sprays, solutions from lice. The remedy is chosen according to the age of the child. The second method of treatment is folk methods. Used kerosene with sunflower oil, dust soap, dichlorvos, kerosene with laundry soap. And the last method is suitable for young children - just shave them.

If you do not immediately take measures for treatment, the child can comb his head to the wound, after which he will become infected. On the skin, ulcers are formed, accompanied by a high body temperature, the general condition of the hair will deteriorate greatly. Treatment at an early stage will give immediate effect after two to three procedures, without causing any harm to the hair.

Treatment of folk remedies

First of all, look at the child yourself, dividing all the hair into separations and if the parasites are present, you will notice them quite easily - an adult often reaches a length of about four millimeters. At an early stage of pediculosis, treatment with folk remedies is quite acceptable, in particular, it concerns sensitive, child's scalp.

Wash your head with dust and tar soap

The tar soap has a high alkali content, which acts as a good bactericide, including when fighting lice. Use tar soap every day, until the nits disappear completely.

Similar in its properties, dust soap, effectively fights against nits in the shortest possible time. Wash the child's head every day with a very small amount of soap until you get rid of the lice.

Important! Dust soap is a very toxic product, which in no case can be used in large quantities, both for children and adults. If soap gets into the eyes or the respiratory tract, immediately rinse with plenty of water and go to the doctor for an examination. Do not use this soap for children under five years of age.

Essential oils against lice

Essential oils are used not only to combat existing lice, but to prevent infection:

• effective essential oils of mint, tea tree, bergamot and lavender, geranium, lemon balm, thyme, wormwood and rosemary;
• to eliminate or prevent infection with lice, stir a couple drops of any chosen oil with any vegetable.

Important! Essential oils are capable of causing allergies, so it is highly not recommended to apply them on the dermal head cover to children under five years of age.

Cranberry Juice

This product, thanks to its acidity, is able to destroy the sticky substance, due to which lice are kept on the skin:

• from several handfuls of berries prepare juice, strain;
• massage movements rub into the scalp, wait 10-15 minutes, rinse.

Important! It is not recommended to use cranberry juice, if the wound has already formed on the head due to its high acidity.

Pomegranate juice with mint

The composition is able to kill even an adult parasite:

• in a glass of pomegranate juice, add a little mint broth, or a few drops of peppermint essential oil;
• rub into the roots of the child's hair, rinse after a few minutes.

For the following recipe, cumin seeds will be needed:

• seeds to powder, or buy already prepared;
• mix with a small amount of apple cider vinegar, until a mellow consistency;
• gently rub into the scalp, rinse after no more than 20 minutes.

Vinegar and alcohol

Compress with alcohol is recommended only for older children:

• a piece of clean gauze or bandage is well soaked in alcohol;
• apply to the head for a few minutes, a couple of spirits quite quickly kill the parasites.

Important! As in the case of cranberry juice, do not use the medication if there are wounds on the head. Also, alcohol can dry hair.

Vinegar, if used correctly, helps irretrievably get rid of pediculosis:

• half a glass of 9% vinegar dilute with a glass of water;
• apply on hair and rinse after 20 minutes.

Important! Do not keep the formula on the child's head for longer, otherwise vinegar may give a burn.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is able to drive lice in almost one night, because of its fat composition it envelops nits and blocks their access to oxygen:

• greasy mayonnaise on all hair, wrap with cellophane package and leave overnight;
• after a morning shampoo, comb the hair well with a child, removing all dead parasites;
• repeat the procedure several times within a week.

Important! Mayonnaise can also be replaced with petroleum jelly, the effect of the procedure will not decrease.

Herbs

Leaves of plants such as wild rosemary, angelica and chamois, besides getting rid of lice, strengthen the hair perfectly:

• the dried leaves mix with an equal amount of melted fat;
• smear the mixture with the roots of the child's hair, leave for half an hour, then rinse with plenty of shampoo.

The following recipe is similar in effect to the above-mentioned mayonnaise remedy:

• two tablespoons of pork fat mix with an equal amount of Ledum and chamois;
• mixture must be infused for 24 hours, after which it should be applied for at least three days as a mask.

Kerosene

The oldest and most proven way to get rid of lice at home is the use of kerosene:

• smear all the baby's hair with kerosene and leave it for a few hours or at night, depending on the child's age;
• , rinse with plenty of water and shampoo and carefully comb the hair.

Important! Remember that kerosene is flammable. Also, it dries hair, so its frequent use is not recommended.

Fresh burdock

Also, the nits are well removed with a decoction prepared from fresh burdock:

• collect a bag of fresh burdock, rinse thoroughly and pour twice with more boiling water;
• let it brew for an hour, strain;
• rinse the baby's head with a decoction, it is permissible to use it instead of water when washing your head.

Lemon

Lemon juice acts in the same way as cranberry juice, but its effectiveness is somewhat reduced, due to the high water content of the composition. Cock one lemon massage movements rub into the scalp, leave for 15-20 minutes.

Vegetable oils

Vegetable oils act like the aforementioned fats, but in addition to fighting lice, they favorably affect the hair itself. It is recommended to use them in combination with kerosene:

• will suit any vegetable oils - sunflower, olive, corn, mustard;
• apply oil to all hair and cover with cellophane bag or shower cap;
• for at least two hours, wash with plenty of shampoo.

Thanks to its caustic concentration, juice of garlic or onions perfectly fights with lice:

• squeeze juice from garlic or onions( permissibly combining), apply to hair roots and tie up with a packet;
• keep from half an hour to two hours, depending on the child's age;
• rinse your head well, to remove an unpleasant odor, rinse your hair with diluted vinegar.

Medical treatment

If you intend to cure pediculosis in a child with the help of pharmacy products, it is better to choose the right spray or shampoo. To date, there is more than a wide selection of a variety of medications, including aerosols, sprays, ointments, shampoos, solutions, and so on.

There are several shampoos that help to deal with pediculosis simply and effectively:

1. Pedilin - is used for children from two years old.
2. MediFox - for children from year to year.
3. Paranita - for children from three years old.
4. Hygiene - to children from five years old.
5. Veda 2.

Spray from pediculosis

When choosing a spray from lice, several factors are taken into account: age, degree of infection, features of the patient. For children of all ages, LiceGuard is suitable, from 2.5 years - Para Plus, from 3 years - Nyuda, from five - Paranit. With a strong degree of infection, Pedikulen Ultra is used. For those who have a particularly sensitive skin for pregnant women - LiceGuard.

Preparations for adults

Preparations for pediculosis are divided according to the active substance:

1. Permethine - MediFox, Nittifor, Nok.
2. Fenotrin - Parasidosis, Veda, Itax.
3. Malathion - Pedilin, Para Plus.
4. Piretin - Spray Pax.

Efficient means for the treatment of pediculosis can be bought at the pharmacy or cooked at home. Among the first you can include shampoo Pedilin, Boric ointment, solution or cream Permethrin, Reed shampoos and Sumitrin, Aerosols Para Plus and Fenotrin, spray Paks. Of the folk remedies, the most effective is kerosene. It is used in solution with laundry soap or sunflower oil.

After completing any procedure, carefully perform a mechanical cleaning of the child's hair - comb with frequent teeth comb all the hair, taking out all the dead nits and their larvae. This is extremely necessary for the prevention of repeated occurrence of lice.

If a pediculosis is found in the child, do not close your eyes to it, report the incident to the class teacher, the caretaker in the kindergarten, the parents of his friends, and so on, so that adults have an urgent examination of the children to identify the carrier of lice.