Are Head Lice Shampoos Dangerous?

Head lice are an unpleasant affliction common in children and young teens. This is hugely owed to three factors that highly contribute to head lice infestations. First is the frequent sharing of personal items like hair brushes, hats, pillows, and blankets. Second is going head-to-head with infected individuals. Environments that necessitate close proximity among children or older people is the third factor for the possible transmission of head lice.

No precise methods exist for treating or preventing head lice. For children, it’s simply a condition that needs proper diagnosis and medication. Some parents can take comfort, nevertheless, in knowing that lice aren’t dangerous; lice themselves don’t carry infection, but it causes extreme annoyance.

The Dangers of Chemical-based Lice Shampoos

Every school year, millions of children contract head lice. Many parents are finding head lice shampoos to be quite ineffective. The costs as well as the frustrations mount and often the lice don’t get removed. It’s possible to eliminate head lice without the use of toxic substances and without spending huge amounts of money. The strength is in the detection comb. Recent studies established that wet detection combing with a

The strength is in the detection comb. Recent studies established that wet detection combing using a specialized comb designed to remove head lice was several times more effective than permethrin and malathion-based lice shampoos. Comb your child’s hair over and over again, but make sure that you’re using the right comb.

The best detection comb will be made of metal, have long fine-spaced teeth, and well-sealed so as to prevent head lice from hiding inside. Most combs sold together with pesticide-based shampoos aren’t fine or effective enough to remove head lice or nits attached to the person’s hair shafts. That’s why such products don’t work as desired. Again, lice have become resistant to chemical based shampoos.

Head lice shampoos are very dangerous. They pose immediate and long-term side effects. Most parents are drifting from chemical-based shampoos nowadays. When applied on the child’s scalp, these chemicals get absorbed into the blood and circulated throughout the whole body. Perhaps, most people have realized that lice have developed a strong resistance to such pesticides, just like most bacteria have become immune to antibiotics.

Several non-pesticide shampoos are available on the market, most of which utilize tea tree oil as the primary ingredient. These substances are less hazardous as compared to chemical-based shampoos, and head lice haven’t developed any resistance to them. Nonetheless, tea tree oil treatments can trigger allergic sensitization, so you should be cautious while using them. It’s advisable to test tee tree oil shampoos on a small portion of the skin to confirm that the sufferer doesn’t have allergic reactions to the substance before applying to the entire scalp.

Alternatives to Dangerous Shampoos

Natural alternatives are viable options for head lice. Several non-medicated therapies are available including olive oil, petroleum jelly, and mayonnaise. Although messy, such treatments might eradicate head lice. They work by suffocating nits, nymphs, and adult lice. People having head lice are encouraged to thoroughly massage these elements into their hair, cover with a plastic shower cap, and allow it to sit overnight. The following morning, the hair should be washed using a regular shampoo. Pesticide-free shampoos are another perfect alternatives to chemical-based shampoos.

In addition, there are numerous home remedies that have proven to remove head lice; however, more research needs to be done to confirm their safety and effectiveness. These include covering your head with Vaseline, mayonnaise, or olive oil, and allowing it 24 hours before washing out the residue. In all cases, detection combing should be done to completely remove nits.