Many of us have witnessed the irritant itch caused by headlice. These tiny parasites which resemble miniature ants infest human hair. Please note the term headlice refers to the lice that infect the scalp and neck hairs only. There are other varieties of lice that live on human hosts which include pubic lice (infest pubic hair) and body lice (infest human skin).

Even though these creatures are smaller in size, if observed carefully they can be seen with naked human eye. They appear generally in bronze to gray-white in color. The common misconception and belief of these lice are that they jump from a person to another person's hair, but in reality these lice can't do this because they lack hind legs to hop or either wings to fly. From, this we can assume that it is not viable for these lice to jump from person to person.

Headlice survive on human blood. They use their legs to grab hair follicles, and then make an incision into the scalp with their teeth to suck blood, thereby causing the common irritant itch that they are known for. Other than that itch caused by the the irritation to the scalp, headlice do not directly cause humans much harm. However the bleeding that is caused by scratching the itching scalp does greatly increase the probability of acquiring microbial infection.

A lot of studies have delved into the methods of humanlice transfusion. It is public knowledge that these parasites spread through direct contact between two humans, of which one is a carrier. Another way through which headlice can spread is sharing of personal articles which are used on one's hair (comb etc) or touch one's hair (pillow etc).

Different types of lice removal treatments are available in the market today. These treatments soothe the irritant itch and eliminate the headlice. Some of these are lice shampoo, lice removal brushes, lice removal hair oils, prescription drugs containing malathion, lindane, permethrin, pyethrins etc.

Lice removal treatments include two distinct kinds of ingredients: active ingredients and passive ingredients. Thos ingredients which actually kill the headlice are called active ingredients. These contain chemical like malathion, lindane, permethrin, pyethrins etc. On the other hand, ingredients which help active ingredients perform their desired function, and increase the kill power of active ingredients are called inert ingredients. It goes without saying that natural remedies are definitely better than chemical formulations from health perspective. For permanent lice removal, good hair care is a must.

 

Headlice are parasites that infest scalp and neck hair. Usually small, but visible if one is careful. The symptoms of an infestation are itches caused by their feeding on blood. Other than microbial infection, they are harmless to humans. Propagation is caused by direct contact or indirect through personal articles. Lice removal treatments are availables that soothe the itch, examples are lice shampoo or removal brushes. Good personal hygiene provides protection but removal requires "active" or "inert" treatments. Active consists of killing lice directly whilst inert involves solvents. Natural remedies are more advisable.

 

Source: jason ciment