Ancient Head Lice Treatments If you became infested with head lice, the Egyptians treated themselves with an aromatic head lice formula made of water, vinegar, oil of cinnamon, oil of rosemary, oil of terebinth. They would treat ancient head lice with the formula and use a fine tooth comb.
Since World War II, many insecticides have been used against lice. Among those for treatment of head and body lice were organochlorines (DDT, lindane), organophosphates (malathion), carbamates (carbaryl), pyrethrins (pyrethrum), and pyrethroids (permethrin, phenothrin, and bioallethrin) [82].
It is unclear whether or not any of these concoctions actually worked or not, but they certainly sound interesting. In the 1700s, humans' dealings with lice inspired a trend of wearing perukes, also called powdered wigs. For the perukes to fit the right way, the head had to be shaved.
The ancients managed their lice by suffering through them, combing them out, affectionately picking them off each other's heads, dousing them in oil, or simply shaving. (Thus the wigs.)
Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs.
The most likely explanation is that by the time H. sapiens evolved in Africa about 200,000 years ago we had our own lineage of head lice, and then picked up more from H. erectus on our travels, says Reed. The study is reported in the current issue of PLoS Biology1.
It is unlikely, as ocean water does not have a high enough concentration of salt nor does it provide a proper delivery method to effectively kill head lice and nits.
6. Wash clothes. When soldiers left the front line trenches they could use special laundries to wash and change their clothes. Washing their clothes removed any lice but this was often only a temporary relief as the lice would reappear after they returned to the confined spaces of the front line.
The British also developed a combination of naphthalene, creosote, and iodoform made into a paste which could be applied to the seams of uniforms with a good result of eliminating lice in just a few hours.
Because the active ingredients have remained the same all these years, new generations of head lice have become immune to them. Once lice become immune, the product no longer works. Scientists call this resistance.
Middle Ages Onwards
In the middle ages, humans couldn't get away from lice. They were an unavoidable part of their life and lice didn't discriminate; they infected all parts of society from serfs to royals. People in the Middle Ages took lice to their grave as well.
A person gets head lice because the insects crawl from person to person by direct contact or by sharing items — including combs, brushes and hats — with another person who has head lice. Poor hygiene doesn't cause head lice.
Rats and lice tormented the troops by day and night. Oversized rats, bloated by the food and waste of stationary armies, helped spread disease and were a constant irritant. In 1918, doctors also identified lice as the cause of trench fever, which plagued the troops with headaches, fevers, and muscle pain.
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
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.
The oldest physical evidence of head lice on a human was a nit found on the hair of a 10,000-year-old body at an archeological site in Brazil. Lice combs have been found in the tombs of Egyptian royalty, and even Cleopatra was said to have solid gold lice combs buried with her.
Early American Lice
Bones from animals were commonly used to create nitpicking combs. A soldier's fort in Wisconsin from the early 1830's was the source for a recent archaeological find of bone carved lice combs used by the soldiers. Sometimes in extreme cases, kerosene was used to kill lice and eggs.
Note: The Olive Oil kills by covering the holes through which the lice breathe. If lice are not completely covered by oil, they may not die but the oil will slow them down allowing them to be caught in the nit comb.
The head lice may have become resistant to the treatment. If the treatment used does not kill the head lice, your health care provider and pharmacist can help you be sure the treatment was used correctly and may recommend a completely different product if they think the head lice are resistant to the first treatment.
No one is immune, but frequent head checks help
Anyone can get lice, and personal hygiene has nothing to do with the likelihood of being infested, Rukke said.
Parasites such as lice have a role in the conditioning of a 'natural' immune system and reducing the likelihood of immune dysfunctions, a study of mice from a Nottinghamshire forest indicates.
Condoms made sure the rifle was ready instantly. Condoms were also used as waterproof containers for small items—such as matches or charges for underwater explosives. Condoms could also be filled with water and used in emergencies as a surgical glove to prevent infection.
So, the realistic answer is “No, you can't drown lice.” The best treatment for lice is to get them picked out by a professional – Lice Geeks, for example – using the right comb. Even over-the-counter shampoos and products aren't as effective as a well-trained professional wielding the proper comb.
Parents need to realize that the bright sunlight that is abundant at the beach does not kill lice. In fact, they thrive in an environment that includes heat and humidity. Also, they can hold their breath for up to four hours, so don't count on that ocean swim killing them.
The vapours of methylated spirits (and any insecticide containing methyl- ated spirits) and tar oil were effective as insecticides. Some drugs were found to stupefy the lice, which on their removal to fresh air recovered at varying intervals up to 4 hours, even though they looked quite dead when first removed.