Pharmacies offer a huge arsenal of various remedies to combat head lice. These include shampoos, aerosols, emulsions, and various sprays. However, such a folk remedy as kerosene for lice does not lose its popularity. Doctors consider this method outdated and hazardous to health. But it was he who helped get rid of lice and nits in those days when nothing was known about most modern insecticides.
Kerosene remains a popular treatment for head lice
Composition and properties
Kerosene is a mixture of carbohydrates that boils at temperatures up to 250 degrees. The liquid has a transparent color, oily consistency. To create it, oil is distilled. Kerosene is also obtained in the secondary processing of oil and, if necessary, is hydrotreated.
Usually it is used as a fuel product in aviation transport, used for heat treatment of glass and for other purposes.
Sometimes they resort to kerosene to cleanse the scalp from parasites. This folk method is quite effective, as it allows you to paralyze the respiratory system of insects. But not all of its types can be applied to the skin, as concentrated products can be harmful.
To eliminate the problem of head lice, it is allowed to use only technical kerosene, which is used in lighting fixtures. All other types are highly toxic and contain harmful components, so they are not recommended for lubricating hair.
Product selection
Kerosene is an aggressive substance. They can't just wash their hair. In order not to harm yourself, the liquid must be used correctly.
To combat head lice, a technical or clarified product is suitable. All other types, for example, aviation or auto-tractor, are prohibited to use, since impurities hazardous to human health may be added to them. They easily penetrate the skin into the bloodstream, causing burns and poisoning.
It is not recommended to use even the highest quality substance in its pure form. It is safer to use the diluted mixture several times than to get burned and hair loss after the first procedure. Lice are unable to develop resistance to kerosene, so there is no need to worry about reusing it.
For tips on getting rid of nits, see the video:
Contraindications and adverse reactions
Despite its high efficiency, kerosene can not always be used, as it can cause some complications. Therefore, contraindications must be taken into account.
If the skin is damaged, then it is impossible to apply funds with kerosene to it. Also, this method is contraindicated in case of an allergic reaction to an oil refined product.
Under the influence of vapors of a combustible liquid, complications arise in asthmatics and children. With lice in a child, it can be used only as a last resort, when head lice proceeds in a neglected form.
Failure to comply with the proportion in the dilution of kerosene, the wrong disinsection time leads to skin injuries, chemical burns. It is impossible for the liquid to penetrate into the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, eyes, mouth.
Contraindications to the use of kerosene include the period of childbearing.Otherwise, the substance will negatively affect not only the body of the expectant mother, but also the development of the fetus.
It is important to remember that if you use kerosene against lice, you can change the color and structure of the hairline. This is an unusual way to treat head lice, which must be used correctly in order to avoid deteriorating health.
Security measures
Having decided to get rid of lice with kerosene, it is important to take precautions, since this agent is flammable and toxic. Therefore it is important:
- Do not keep the substance on the head for more than 2 hours, while for people with sensitive skin it is not recommended to treat the head with kerosene at all. You can make sure of such a reaction of the skin in advance by applying a toxic agent to the elbow bend. There should be no redness or rashes on the treated area. Otherwise, it is better to refuse the use of kerosene.
- Do not carry out such procedures near sources of flame, as even a small spark can cause a fire.
- It is necessary to poison lice with kerosene especially carefully to prevent the ingress of a toxic substance on the skin and mucous membranes. If this does happen, you need to quickly wash off the product with plenty of water.
- Use thick gloves during handling.
- The consequence of kerosene treatments can be weakening and discoloration of hair. It is possible to restore the condition of the hairline after kerosene disinfestation with the help of special fortified masks.
Kerosene is by no means the only method to get rid of lice at home. The choice of pharmaceutical preparations that can also qualitatively destroy parasites is very diverse and affordable.
Precautions
In the process of treatment, you need to follow the safety rules:
- Regardless of the method of treatment, the liquid must be pre-diluted.
- It is better to use clarified or technical kerosene. It has the most gentle effect on the skin.
- After processing for the complete destruction of insects, you need to put on a scarf or a polyethylene cap on your head and hold it for an hour or two.
- Before disinfection, wear protective gloves and avoid contact with eyes and keep away from sources of ignition.
The treatment process must be carried out wisely. To carry out one procedure for removing lice, you need to use no more than two hundred grams of liquid. But the final amount of the product is determined taking into account the length of the hair.
You also need to individually determine how long to keep kerosene on the strands. This takes into account the level of sensitivity of the skin, the place of application.
It is important to remember that treating colored hair will make it even more brittle and brittle, and the ends will begin to split.
You can use kerosene if there are parasites on the pubic hair, in the groin area, and on the head. But under its influence, not only the destruction of the chitinous membrane of the ectoparasite occurs, but also the human skin. If you hold it longer than the rules require, then a burn will occur.
To successfully remove lice with kerosene and avoid the irritating effect of the liquid on the scalp, the product is diluted in the amount of a tablespoon with the same portion of olive oil and shampoo.
After receiving the required amount of the mixture, it is applied to the affected scalp with a cotton swab. You need to process dry hair and skin near the hair follicles.
Keep the compress under plastic wrap and a warm towel for two hours. If pediculosis is being treated in a child, then the duration of the procedure should not exceed an hour.
At the end of the term, you need to thoroughly rinse your hair with plenty of warm water and shampoo.After that, they are combed with a special comb with frequent teeth to remove dead insects and their eggs. The combing procedure must be carried out without fail.
For softening hair and additional impact on not completely weakened nits, rinsing is recommended to be carried out with an aqueous solution of vinegar.
The second procedure is performed after five days. During this time, new larvae will hatch from the nits, which were missed during the initial processing.
The second stage of treatment consists in the use of a quarter glass of vegetable oil with a spoonful of kerosene dissolved in it.
Lice
Lice are tiny parasites that easily emigrate from person to person.
There are many types of lice in nature, but each of them affects only a specific group of creatures.
Description and varieties
Modern medicine identifies head, pubic and body lice, which provoke the development
a disease called head lice.
Head lice are pale yellow blood-sucking insects. The adult reaches 2-4 mm. These insects parasitize in the scalp of a person (mainly on the temples and occipital lobe), in advanced stages they settle on the eyebrows and even eyelashes.
Body lice are similar in appearance to head lice, but the individuals of the clothing parasite are slightly larger (2-5 mm). They settle on the body, in clothes and bedding.
Pubic louse is a small yellow-gray bloodsucker resembling a crab (size 1-1.5 mm). It affects the hairy areas of the skin in the genital area, in rare cases it settles under the armpits, on the mustache, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes.
Life cycle and reproduction
The louse is a rather nimble insect, but its characteristics are seriously inferior to the usual earthen flea. The louse reproduces by laying eggs, among the common people - nits, yellowish-white in color. The egg is firmly glued to the hair by a special enzyme produced by the female louse.
Insects feed mainly on human blood, sucking about 0.003 ml at a time.
The life cycle of a human louse is 30-45 days, but the female adult lays 6-14 eggs every day.
Reason for appearance
The human louse cannot jump or fly, but it moves quickly, so the parasite migrates easily with direct contact of people, freely moving along the hairline.
But children run the risk of contracting head lice when there is a large and long-term gathering of people: kindergartens, schools, health camps, etc. More often, this happens when a child is combing someone else's comb, exchanging a hat or sleeping on the wrong pillow.
Even an adult can catch a parasitic disease in a hairdresser, hospital, train, plane, etc.
Infection with pubic lice, often occurs during sexual intercourse, when parasites from one partner move to another. But there are cases when pubic lice, unhooking from the carrier, fall on the carrier object (whether it be clothing, a towel, bedding or your pet) and, once in a new habitat, continue to develop their species. It should be noted that the life cycle of the eggs of this parasite without a nutrient medium is about a week.
Signs of appearance
Lice manifests itself almost immediately. After a few bites of the same pubic lice, from which
itchy, cyanotic spots remain on the body, the infection becomes obvious.
Application rules
Kerosene from lice and nits belongs to home methods of treating head lice. People are trying to cope with the disease, using the means, formulations and products at hand, combining them with each other in optimal quantities.
The problem is fought like this:
- The medicinal mixture with kerosene, shampoo, honey and hot water is popular.
- If a person has head lice, then kerosene, diluted with water in a ten to one ratio, is fought with him. The solution is used to treat clothes and bed linen. After that, it is washed and left to dry in the sun, at the end of the clothes are ironed with a hot iron.
- Hair is treated with a mixture of 10 parts of oil and one part of kerosene. After that, they are covered with polyethylene, wrapped in a towel and left overnight. In the morning, wash your hair with shampoo. When the strands are a little dry, a comb is moistened in vinegar and comb the hair with it to remove weakened nits. After the procedure, the instrument must be disinfected.
- Useful properties are possessed by a mixture of a glass of milk with badger fat and three tablespoons of kerosene. Milk-kerosene mixture is used for abundant impregnation of dry hair. Keep the composition on the head for fifteen minutes. After that, wash off with warm water. Hair treatment should be done every four hours throughout the day.
If kerosene from lice and nits is used in children and adults, then good results can be obtained.
Treatment methods using kerosene alternate with each other, resorting to various recipes. When choosing kerosene as a means for destroying lice, you need to remember that there is a certain risk of adverse reactions in the form of reddening of the skin, the appearance of small wounds. You will also have to wash off the oily composition several times and endure a persistent specific smell.
How kerosene works
Kerosene is a clear or light yellow oily flammable liquid. It consists of liquid hydrocarbons obtained from oil rectification. It is used as rocket, jet and automotive fuel, as well as a solvent. In everyday life, kerosene is used for degreasing, for washing and cleaning various car parts. It is widely used to control lice and bed bugs.
Kerosene poisons already living individuals and prevents the attachment of new ones
Kerosene does work against lice and nits. It has a complex effect on bloodsuckers:
- Poisons adults and their larvae.
- Weakens the attachment of nits.
- Protects against re-infection for several days after use. The pungent smell scares off parasites.
All modern insecticides have a nerve effect on the bloodsucker. Kerosene acts differently - it dissolves the chitinous cover of the insect, penetrating into its spiracles and clogging them. Oxygen is blocked and the louse suffocates.
The treatment is effective against head and body lice, as well as against head lice.
Kerosene kills not only adults and their larvae. It is also used to fight nits. Unfortunately, its effectiveness against eggs is lower. Eggs need much less oxygen, they breathe rarely and superficially, so it is not always possible to destroy them.
Only pure kerosene is guaranteed to destroy nits. It must be kept on the skin for several hours. Such treatment can end not only with the death of nits, but also with a chemical burn to the head and hair loss.
It is recommended to use a stepwise treatment for the safe control of parasites.
Testimonials
Most patients leave positive reviews about this method of treatment. Kerosene has an affordable price and quickly removes lice, but due to a number of side effects, children and people prone to allergic reactions should turn to safer insecticidal preparations that will not injure the skin.
Among all the folk remedies for the treatment of head lice, kerosene is very popular. This method was used to eliminate the disease by our grandmothers. But in recent years, more sparing drugs for lice have appeared, which have fewer contraindications and side reactions.
Prophylaxis
Prevention is shaving body hair. But if this can work with the pubis and armpits, then it is more difficult with the head, so it is best to buy shampoos with the effect of repelling lice. Then, even if you try on a hat after an infected person, insects will not be able to cling to your hair, because the smell will scare them away.
Better not to wear your own things at all, never take someone else's combs, bedding, personal hygiene items. After treating the body from lice, be sure to process the room and all your belongings, as well as the belongings of the household. Check your hair after you visit the bath or pool, or even the spa.
In hotels, changing rooms and trains, it is best to keep your belongings in tightly sealed plastic bags. Buy lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus or mint oil at the pharmacy, regularly add a couple of drops to the powder when washing clothes and to your cosmetics - these smells repel insects. Do a wet cleaning of the room more often, it is better to completely abandon carpets or to vacuum them constantly, sofas should also be thoroughly cleaned.
If you have children, make sure that they regularly go to the health center at school or kindergarten for check-ups. When a family member has lice, temporarily isolate him, and then carefully handle all things. It is best to consult a dermatologist or therapist at the first symptoms of the disease.
How to get rid of lice at home
All children in school or kindergarten should receive head lice prophylaxis. We rarely think that even the cleanest and most well-groomed child can be prone to head lice.
If it is too late and the child has caught the parasites, do not panic - there is an opportunity to remove the lice in natural ways.
Certain natural remedies can get rid of lice and remove them completely.
Medicines for head lice, which can be purchased at the pharmacy, are still made using toxic ingredients. Almost all of them pose a danger to a child with frequent use or at a fairly young age.
Before use, be sure to read the instructions and follow the directions exactly. Or resort to an alternative - therapy with natural and safe methods of getting rid of lice. Read about them in our article.
Natural remedies
Lice can be removed easily, quickly and for sure with the help of mayonnaise. All you need to do is buy a can of fresh produce at the supermarket. It is necessary to apply mayonnaise to the scalp and hair of the child, not forgetting the area behind the ears and the back of the head.
Instead of mayonnaise, you can repeat the entire procedure using petroleum jelly. It should be borne in mind that the only way to remove petroleum jelly from a child's hair is to apply a large amount of baby oil on top and wipe the hair well with a towel or napkin and then squeeze out the remaining oil thoroughly.
Then rinse your hair and scalp with shampoo and hot water three times (the water should be as hot as the child can withstand, however, avoid burns).
Vaseline can be left on your hair overnight under a shower cap. However, you should not do this using mayonnaise, as it becomes toxic outside the refrigerator, and the child may scratch his head while sleeping and then put his fingers in his mouth.
Mix five teaspoons of olive or coconut oil with five drops of tea tree essential oil, five drops of rosemary oil and the same amount of lavender oil, menthol oil, and eucalyptus essential oil. Add some regular shampoo to the mixture and apply to your hair and scalp.
Leave the mask for an hour under a hat and towel. Rinse your hair thoroughly without conditioner or balm at this stage, as the mixture of oils will leave your hair soft and manageable.
Please note the following:
- A child under 5 years of age may have difficulty breathing when using eucalyptus oil.
- Menthol oil increases blood pressure and can be dangerous for hypertension.
- Menthol and rosemary oils are prohibited for use during pregnancy. Do not use them in shampoo in this situation.
So, the remaining nits can be combed out with a special comb, which is sold in the pharmacy and is designed specifically for such procedures.
What are parasites that infect human skin
Louse is a small insect smaller than a bead, not exceeding 4 mm. With tenacious paws, easily mobile, it clings without problems to the human skin in the hairy part of it, for its favorite pastime to enjoy blood, which gives a lot of problems to a person. Continuous itching of the head, due to constant scratching, contributes to the appearance of wounds on the skin. But one of the most terrible consequences of the activity of lice is the carrying of various infectious diseases such as typhus and relapsing fever, trench fever.
Nits are lice eggs. Each nit contains one egg, wrapped in a transparent, sticky, fast-setting substance. Their sizes are small from 0.4 to 0.8 mm in length, and therefore, they can be easily confused with dandruff. However, it is still possible to distinguish nits, whether it is enough to disheve the hair or blow on them. Nits stick tightly to the hair, and it is not so easy to get them out.
