Treating lice - or better yet - preventing lice, what methods are there and how do they work? I wrote about this subject before and the fact that a resistant head lice was detected last year. IEEEW. It keeps me quite busy, that whole lice intent. After every holiday, the kids have to be checked again at school and then you also have 'National Lice Day'. Time to tackle my favorite subject by head and tail, and take a closer look at how we treat lice. Prefer to prevent lice? We have listed the methods for that too, because it is better to prevent lice than to treat lice, isn't it? .
In my article last year about the head lice that apparently seemed to be untouchable as a kind of SUPER louse, I could still say aloud that we have escaped the dance here in the house many times. Never before had I been called by school with the announcement:'Madam... your daughter has head lice'.
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But unfortunately, our household was also hit by a whole lice scam last summer. Lice during our vacation! With my daughter, with my son and I hardly dare to say it out loud (writing is better)… with myself. ARRRRGGGGHHHH. The only one who escaped the dance was hubby, but hey what do you want, he doesn't have a hair on his head anymore! Nice then, on holiday in France to the supermarket in the hope that you will find a product there that is indeed suitable for treating lice † brrr. It was of course a huge hassle to get 3 people in our family lice free, you understand that. And once I thought we were free of lice all I could think about was 'how can I prevent lice in the future?'
A pity, but unfortunately… the week after the summer holidays, my first meeting with the new teacher came over the phone:“Madam… your daughter has lice”. G%$#^&^&#@!
Time for a thorough investigation into treating lice.
You can treat lice using different methods:
Wash hair with regular shampoo , then rinse it out and apply a generous amount of conditioner. Comb with a regular comb remove the tangles and then bend your head forward. Comb with a special lice comb (teeth 0.3 to 0.4 mm apart) from back to front stroke by stroke the entire head of hair. After each stroke, wipe the lice comb on a piece of toilet paper or kitchen roll, or run it through a bowl of water. Take a white container for this, so that you can see what ends up in the water. Preventing lice is not really something you do with this, but it is a start.
Then rinse out the remaining conditioner and comb the hair again with the normal comb again. Then you take the lice comb again to comb the hair again stroke by stroke, but this time from front to back. Again, you wipe the comb after every combing movement (or run it through the water).
Since lice reproduce quickly, it is important that you repeat the lice treatment after 3-4 days for 2 weeks to make sure that all lice are gone.
Tip:The best lice comb for the wet-comb method is a lice comb that everyone is positive about, and that is the Assy lice comb for treating lice, but also for removing nits from the hair.
This lice comb may be slightly more expensive than the regular variants, but it has a number of advantages over other lice combs for treating lice.
Assy is made using the Laser Technology of very precise welded teeth with spiral grooves. The tips of the comb are well rounded. In this way the scalp is not irritated. The teeth of the comb are so close together that even the smallest nits are 'caught'. The MicroSpirals have microscopic edges that break the lice and nits. This gives new lice no chance. The comb is made of stainless steel and therefore has unparalleled strength and durability. Assy usually lasts at least 5-10 years and can be used by the whole family.
Other means for treating lice are various shampoos or lotions and the like. A regular shampoo will not work as a 'pesticide' to get rid of the lice. Prioderm is one of the best known remedies for treating head lice. Prioderm is available in various forms. The active substances ensure that the louse suffocates and a sort of 'let go', after which you can easily comb it out with the comb. An effective remedy if preventing lice has not been successful.
Shampoo variant
For example, you have the shampoo variant for treating lice that works on the basis of dimethicone and Oligodecene oil. You wash your hair with this and then let it soak in wet hair for fifteen minutes. Then you rinse the hair and you can start combing.
Lotion variant
The lotion variant contains the active ingredient malathion. Apply this lotion to dry hair, massage in and let it absorb well. For a good effect, the lotion must be absorbed for at least 12 hours (!).
Dimethicone-based products are also recommended by the RIVM and head lice cannot become resistant to this drug.
Kruidvat introduces the Anti-lice Hair Lotion with Dimeticon. This hair lotion treats
nits and head lice in adults and children older than six months. The hair lotion
contains dimethicone and is enriched with almond oil and vitamin E.
Treating lice via these methods has not been sufficiently proven with research, so these products cannot be recommended as an effective method.
The lice hood is relatively new on the market. You put the lice hood on your head like a kind of bathing cap. Pour olive oil or sunflower oil into the opening on top and let it soak for 10 minutes. Then - when you are ready - pour the oil into a tub and then wash your hair with shampoo.
These products sound like they are. Not great. Therefore, they should not be used on younger children, pregnant women, nursing mothers or persons with an asthmatic condition. Reason enough if you ask me not to start with this and treat the lice with another product, but if you want some more reasons:
We have already written an article about natural hair products against head lice (and Ecokid), so click on the link above if you want to read more about it.
A gel that can be inserted immediately after washing the hair. After 20 minutes, the lice and eggs are killed and the hair can be combed through. 100% natural with safe ingredients. Preventing lice is still better, but this is also a good option.
A very effective spray/shampoo against lice. It does not kill the lice with poison but by suffocating them as it is a silicone shampoo. So it has a physical effect , none chemical .
We are very satisfied with it at home:the anti-lice treatment from Licener. Also on a natural basis. Moreover, it is relatively cheap, and they also have a money back guarantee. And another plus:you only have to perform the treatment once, so no repetition is necessary. Unless those annoying lice come back of course!
Quite rigorous and as far as I'm concerned only in extreme emergencies when treating lice, haha. As for my daughter, I never think. Extremely effective, that is 😉 .
Better than treating lice is preventing lice, you get that! But preventing lice is easier thought than done, as those nasty creepers can travel 30 cm in 1 minute. Which means as much as 'from head child number 1 to head child number 2 in no time '.
How can you prevent an outbreak of lice? By working preventively at least with some regularity, you can be there reasonably in time. Preventing lice is of course not, but the sooner you catch it, the better it is for everyone. Except for the head lice. You have different methods for this, just like for combating and treating lice, which will be discussed later.
With combs you do not keep the lice away preventively, so this is not the method for preventing lice. But for the prevention of a lice infestation! And of course this is an extremely effective method for treating lice.
New on the market! LEELOOP are elastic hair bands which are processed with a unique blend of carefully selected, natural oils. Natural oils that emit an odor that is experienced as pleasant by people, but which is a true nightmare for the head lice. Treating the lice is not really an option, once you have lice, the rubber bands cannot make the lice disappear completely, but preventing lice is an option with these stings.
Simply by using the elastic bands in the hair, whether that is in a ponytail, a bun or a nice braid, already has an effect on the prevention of lice. Suitable for boys and girls, although the boys probably don't prefer them in their hair 😉 . Since lice really occur more often in girls than in boys (70% girls and 30% boys), I personally think the rubber bands are a great invention!
The 100% natural formula protects girls from head lice, without causing any irritation or hair damage to the scalp. LEELOOP is certified and approved as a medical device, they are affordable and they also look super nice in the colors Neon Pink and Neon Green! The duration of the effect of a rubber band is approximately 2 weeks.
Treating lice with Tea Tree oil has never really been proven through research, but Tea Tree oil is popularly referred to as an excellent means of preventing lice. Since I can no longer get a bottle here in the village after a head lice outbreak, I am certainly not the only one who uses this as a preventative to prevent head lice. Disadvantage :It doesn't smell very good, but you only need a few drops of it a day. Just on your fingertip and then behind the ears and at the hairline is enough to prevent lice.
Preventing lice in a way that is also good for the environment and not bad for your child. Reading that makes me curious. This is also the case with the product Alphanova Kids Bio Zeropou. They have a shampoo and a spray that are completely natural and target the prevention of lice in children's hair. The products are enriched with tea tree, geranium and lavender oil and are without insecticides. You can use them regularly without risk and the shampoo and spray are without parabens and phenoxyethanol and also SLS and ALS-free. In addition, all Alphanova products are recyclable packed and not tested on animals. The product is really aimed at preventing lice, not treating lice.
A product that fits perfectly in the assortment of Happy Skin Food, the webshop where this product is available. They focus on organic cosmetics for the whole family.
Wash hair with O'right Tea Tree Shampoo when it comes to treating lice. But also use this shampoo preventively! Lice (see above) do not like the smell of the Tea Tree oil. In addition, the shampoo has a cleansing and antimicrobial effect. This prevents lice from spreading quickly.
