You may never know where your case of lice came from, but it started when either a pregnant louse or two live bugs made their way to your human head through head-to-head contact with another human head hosting an active case. If you just have eggs, then there was at one time one pregnant louse on your head.
Genetic evidence suggests that human ancestors acquired pubic lice from gorillas approximately 3-4 million years ago. Unlike the genus Pediculus, the divergence in Pthirus does not match the age of host divergence that likely occurred 7 million years ago.
Head-to-head contact with an already infested person is the most common way to get head lice. Head-to-head contact is common during play at school, at home, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Although uncommon, head lice can be spread by sharing clothing or belongings.
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.
While head lice live in your hair and feed on your scalp, body lice usually live in your clothes and bedding. They travel to your skin several times a day to feed on blood. Your clothing seams are the most common places for body lice to lay their eggs (nits).
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.
Their full life cycle, from egg until death, lasts a maximum of 35 days. The eggs are called nits and hatch into small insect forms — called nymphs — which then grow into adult lice. The adult lice can begin to create more eggs as soon as they hatch and the cycle begins again.
Roughly 100,000 BC scientists believe that human lice developed into two different types- head lice and body lice. Egyptians mummies and archaeological findings within tombs have been preserved since 3000 BC. Early mummified heads have been studied and found that they were literally crawling with lice.
In existence for basically as long as humans have been around, lice aren't likely to become extinct any time soon. In particular, head lice are very common, and getting them is not an indication of improper hygiene.
Medieval folklore suggests that lard was used to try and suffocate lice and nits off of a scalp. Others propose simply keeping the hair combed through and clean was of so little a priority that no one even bothered with lice.
Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head. To live, adult lice need to feed on blood several times daily. Without blood meals, the louse will die within 1 to 2 days off the host.
Permethrin lotion, 1%;
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. Permethrin may continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after treatment.
You can find head lice on the scalp, neck, and ears.
Lice are attracted to the blood they get through your scalp – short, long, clean or dirty. Doesn't matter! You have to clean every crevice of your house after a lice infestation.
Over the years, the newer strain of lice has become more resistant to the different toxic chemicals that are used in these OTC treatments. So no matter how strong those treatments are, the lice have the power now to stay stubbornly alive.
Head lice can't fly, hop, or swim. However, lice that are in water like in a bathtub or swimming pool are still tightly attached to the hair, and can survive underwater for up to eight hours. If the insects fall off their host into the water, they'll die because they become separated from their food source.
Introduce natural predators (Ladybugs)
Ladybugs can eat 100 lice a day!
They need human blood to live. Head lice usually stay close to the scalp and behind the ears. You might also spot them on the eyebrows and eyelashes.
They bite anywhere they are feeding on the head, but they are particularly fond of the back of the head and the area behind the ears because this is a warmer area of the scalp. The bites often appear as small reddish or pink bumps, sometimes with crusted blood.
African American people can still get head lice. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that African American people get head lice much less frequently than other people. The reason for this may be that most head lice in the United States have claws that more easily grip onto uncoiled hair.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Typically, 10–15 head lice are found. The number of lice often depends on personal hygiene, for example, how often the person bathes, shampoos, or changes and washes his/her clothing.
Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits. Only items that have been in contact with the head of the infested person in the 48 hours before treatment should be considered for cleaning.
As head lice can live on pillows, you'll need to clean them. Adult lice can only survive for two days without a host. However, they can still lay eggs. If the infected person has had a lice treatment and then picks up stray lice from their pillow, the lice infestation cycle can start all over again.