Over-the-counter treatments use a multitude of different chemicals and poisons to try and kill your head lice. But these harmful substances do more than just hurt the lice. They can also hurt you. They can cause burns, irritation, allergic reactions, and sometimes hair loss.
Scalp irritation, including itching, swelling, or redness may occur with head lice and temporarily worsen after treatment with permethrin. Mild burning, stinging, tingling, or numbness may also occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Lice eggs, nits, feed on keratin. This draws nourishment from your hair and can eventually cause severe damage. This and continued scratching can make hair brittle and prone to falling out. The consistent use of most over the counter head lice products can also cause hair damage and block hair follicles.
Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs. Permethrin may continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after treatment. A second treatment often is necessary on day 9 to kill any newly hatched lice before they can produce new eggs.
You should be able to wash with Licefreee Everyday Shampoo as a regular shampoo daily. Washing with it twice is to treat an infestation as that will kill any lice in the hair, but if you are using it as a preventative measure or as a follow-up to treatment, once a day may work fine.
Leave the shampoo on for a full 10 minutes. If you don't, it won't kill all the lice. Then rinse the hair well with water and dry it with a towel. Repeat the anti-lice shampoo in 9 days.
Lice and nits can't survive the high heat. It's true that lice and nits can't survive temperatures above 113°F (45°C). This makes them susceptible to any heat source, such as a hairdryer or the plates of a hair straightener.
It is also possible for a person's hair to break off at the scalp line if it is handled roughly when removing lice or nits. While this may seem alarming, it isn't anything to worry about: your hair will grow back normally and can be trimmed or dyed to cover up the break.
Dry Scalp from Lice Treatment
One of the most common sources of your head still itching after lice treatment is from a dry or irritated scalp from treatment. All over-the-counter lice treatments contain a variety of irritants – from chemicals to salt-based compounds – that cause irritation and drying on the scalp.
Lindane Can Be Toxic to Humans
Lindane, also known as g-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), is commonly used in shampoos and other topical treatments for head lice and scabies. 1 Lindane has a number of side effects, most commonly skin irritation, numbness, dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Spinosad (Natroba).
Spinosad is approved for adults and children age 6 months and older. It can be applied to dry hair and rinsed with warm water after 10 minutes. It kills lice and nits and usually doesn't need repeated treatment.
Many lice medicines recommend a second treatment in 9 to 10 days. This will kill any new nymphs that have hatched since the first treatment. Do not treat a person more than 2 times with the same medicine without talking to your doctor. Do not use conditioner for 10 days after any treatment.
What to do? Use a deep conditioner after lice treatment to help restore moisture to your scalp to reduce itching and dryness. If you're still itchy, remember, it does not mean you still have lice!
Myth #5: You cannot get lice if you have colored hair.
Lice don't care if hair has been colored. As long as a louse can grab on to a hair strand, it can make its way to the head where its food supply (blood) is.
New eggs are attached to the hair shaft very close to the scalp. Eggs that still contain a louse embryo are brownish in color, while the empty egg shells are white to grey.
Can someone have nits but no lice? It may be possible to have nits but no lice. If a person cannot find any nymphs or adult lice in the scalp and the nits are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp, these may be dead and from an old infestation. However, the lice could be in hiding.
Do a comb-out for everyone who has an active infestation every day or two until you've seen no live lice in the hair for about two weeks. The first combing should get rid of most of the lice. With each subsequent combing, you'll remove more of the remaining lice and some that have hatched in the meantime.
Not everyone feels lice moving around on their scalp, but some people do. Dr. Garcia says that most of her patients say they “don't feel anything,” but others may get a creepy, tickling sensation as lice move around their head.
A preventative shampoo and spray can break the life cycle. A shampoo that kills lice before they can lay eggs is critical for closing the “bridge” from one head to another. Ladibugs experts recommend parents seek effective, pesticide-free options.
Left untreated, head lice can lead to secondary infections, which can be serious. Bacterial infections, such as impetigo, can occur when scratched bites become infected; this can have serious consequences if not treated properly.
Do not use “just in case” Do not use more often than recommended It may take up to 24 hours for lice to die. If live lice are still present two days after treating, switch to a suffocating agent to kill the lice. Do not use household lice sprays or any other insecticidal sprays.
It's essential to wash all bedding after a head lice treatment. The heat from a hot water cycle will ensure that no surviving lice can find a host again.
What makes someone contagious with head lice is having a mature, egg-laying adult female louse on your head that could travel to another head. After the first treatment, when the egg-laying lice are eliminated, you are no longer contagious.