How to Get Rid of Lice

1. Louse identification

This article will concern itself with three different types of biting lice differentiated by their preferred home on a person's body: head lice, pubic lice and body lice. None of these species are able to jump or fly, so infestation only occurs through direct contact with infested individuals or infested materials (brushes, headgear, pillows). An adult louse is about as large as the tip of a ball point pen and appears tan to light gray in color. Tear-drop shaped eggs are attached to the base of hairs near the scalp and appear yellow, gray or brown.

Head lice

Head lice live in head and very rarely in eyebrow hair. They attach their eggs to the base of individual hairs with a strong glue-like substance that resists washing and brushing. Their bites can trigger an

allergic reaction that causes itching. Scratching can cause damage to the scalp along with a subsequent infection of the area. An infested individual will often have brownish-red or black specs on their back and shoulders.

Pubic lice

Pubic lice take up residence in the crotch, anal area, thighs, abdomen, armpits and eyelashes where they live and lay eggs in the hair. This variety is usually spread through direct sexual contact but can also be spread through sharing of clothing or bedding with an infested individual. Pubic lice can be associated with sexually-transmitted diseases so any infested individuals should get tested for STD's. As with head lice, an allergic reaction to the bites can cause itching and will occasionally turn them blue. An infested person will often find reddish or whitish dandruff-like flakes in areas of infestation. Excessive scratching can cause red, scaly skin with hardened or oozing lesions.

Body lice

Body lice live only in one's clothing, they move to the skin in order to feed and then return to the clothing. This type of louse is often found where large groups of people are crowded closely together such as prisons, orphanages, and refugee communities but is also common in vagrants that sleep in their clothing and rarely wash. It is responsible for the transmission of typhus and other human diseases. They lay their eggs only in the clothing and are easily dealt with by washing.

2. Tools for getting rid of lice

This section will go into detail about the different tools that are readily available to help you fight a lice infestation. Insecticidal shampoos are discussed here, but please consider them only as a last resort. It is very possible to defeat a lice infestation without resorting to poison.

Soaps and shampoos

Coconut oil and olive oil are claimed to exhibit a mild pesticidal quality that can help kill adult lice, but these claims have yet to be substansiated so don't overspend on soaps and shampoos that contain these products. Regular shampoo is sufficient. Shampoos leave eggs intact and so should always be combined with wet combing.

Lice combs

There are special lice combs that are designed with teeth spaced out just far enough to allow hair to pass, but not nits (louse eggs). Purchase only the metal-toothed type as the plastic variety are often not as reliable for removing all of the eggs. Combing is much easier to do when the hair is moist and soft, so an ideal time is right after shampooing.

Insecticidal shampoos

Please consider insecticidal shampoo as a last resort. They kill both eggs and adults, but the pesticides can be absorbed through a person's skin. Never shampoo with one of these products during a normal bath or shower as the residue can easily travel over most of the body, and never use an insecticidal shampoo on an infant or a person with open cuts, sores, or irritation of the scalp. Be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle exactly and never use them on someone who is not infested.

If you decide to use an insecticidal shampoo anyway, consult your doctor first and stay away from any that contain lindane - Lindane is a known carcinogen and nerve poison that has been banned in many countries around the world. Instead, choose a pyrethrin based shampoo. Pyrethrin is a synthetic insecticide that is not only more effective than lindane, but much safer as well.

Environmental insecticides

Using insecticides in the environment is not necessary or recommended for lice infestations since lice tend to stick close to their hosts. There are some things in the environment that may need attention such as bed linens and headgear, but these are easily cleaned in soap and hot water.

3. How to get rid of head lice

Eliminate the source of the head lice infestation

If you or your child has been infested with head lice you should immediately figure out where it came from. Failure to do this will likely result in re-infestation immediately after de-infestation. If it's a child, then inform the school immediately so the other children can be inspected for infestation. If you or another adult has been infested then retrace your steps for the past week or so and call everyone you have been in close contact with. Lice cannot jump or fly so transmission is usually caused by sustained contact with someone else who is infested or with infested objects (a hair brush, hat, seat back, shirt, pillow, etc).

Eliminate resident head lice

In order to get rid of head lice, you will need to perform the following actions in immediate succession. The required tools are: shampoo, a lice comb, a bowl of soapy water, some tissue, towels and some hair pins. These materials were discussed detail in the previous section.

Wash all used clothing, bedding and head gear on the hottest setting with detergent to kill any lice or eggs that may have reached them. Any items that cannot be washed in the washer can be placed in the dryer on the hottest setting for 1/2 hour to kill all stages of lice. This much cleaning may be overkill - the point is to clean anything that could have come into contact with the head or nape of the neck. Pillow covers, shirts, and headwear are likely sufficient .
Shampoo the infested person with hot water. Start with warm water and gradually increase the temperature until it is in your upper range of comfort. If you are shampooing a child's hair, please be very careful not to burn them. Vigorously wash with your shampoo of choice and then rinse. After rinsing, lather the hair back up and wrap a towel around the infested person's head for about 15 minutes to let the hair soften.
Comb out the eggs with a lice comb. Unwrap the towel and straighten the hair by combing with a regular comb - do not rinse. If you're combing a child's hair then it may help to sit them down in front of the TV to keep them still. Start on one side of the head and comb the hair towards you making sure to drag the comb as close to the scalp as possible. Work over the entire head of hair in one inch sections, pinning cleaned hair out of the way as you progress. When the comb begins to clog, wipe it clean with a tissue and place the tissue in a bowl of soapy water to kill any lice or eggs. When the bowl becomes full flush it's contents down the toilet and then refill it. After the entire head has been combed, thoroughly rinse the hair with more hot water and then clean the comb by submerging it in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Before putting the comb away, scrub the teeth clean with a stiff brush.

If it's possible, keep the recently infested individual out of the house for a day or so (head lice generally won't survive longer than 48 hours without a blood meal) and lower the humidity to kill off any left in the environment.

The combing process is called "wet combing" and should be repeated weekly for 4 weeks or as long as there is a lice problem in the surrounding environment. The infested person should also carry the comb around with him or her and use it whenever they feel an itch - afterwards it should be rinsed off in the hottest tap water available. During the extermination process keep all things that touch hair separated from one another and don't share hats, hairbrushes or anything else that touches the head.

4. How to get rid of pubic lice a.k.a. crabs

Eliminate the source of the pubic lice infestation

If you've found yourself with a case of pubic lice, it is important that you contact everyone that you've recently had sexual relations with or shared bedding and clothing with so they can take appropriate measures to identify and destroy any personal infestations as well.

Eliminate resident pubic lice

To eliminate a pubic lice infestation perform the following two steps in rapid succession:

Wash all of your used clothing and bedding on the hottest setting with detergent to kill any lice or eggs. 30 minutes in the dryer on the hottest setting will also kill them.
You can then successfully squelch the infestation by shaving the effected areas and vigorously washing the skin daily with soap and hot water. Use coconut oil or olive oil based soaps if possible. Smaller infestations can also be combed out over the course of a week or so.

5. How to get rid of body lice

Eliminate the source of the body lice infestation

Cases of body lice are rare, and most often occur in vagrants that sleep in their clothes and don't routinely bathe. If you are struck by a case of body lice you most likely got it from someone who fits this description.

Eliminate resident body lice

A body lice infestation can be defeated by washing your clothes on the hottest setting with detergent to kill the lice and then routinely bathing with soap and hot water. You should also visit your doctor to be tested for any pathogens that may have been transmitted to you by the lice.

6. Off-site resources

For more information about lice, visit The National Pediculosis Association.
Are you sure you're really infested? You could be suffering from "delusionary parasitosis" - "an unshakable false belief that live organisms are present on the skin"

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