You may be wondering if head lice live on pillows. Since head lice must feed on the scalp of a host to thrive, they cannot dwell on pillows or linens. Lice can only live for 48 hours after dropping off a host scalp.
While lice can spread from one person to another’s head if they share bedding, the odds of them doing so is unlikely.
You should thoroughly clean your house after removing lice from your hair to get rid of lingering lice or eggs.
In this article, we will run you through how you can get rid of head lice.
Who Is Susceptible to Head Lice?
Regardless of how clean or short your hair is, head lice infection is common and can impact anyone. However, school-aged children are more frequently affected, and females may be more at risk than boys.
Lice are tiny, grey-brown insects with no wings or legs that burrow into the scalp. Usually, they spread via head-to-head contact. Nits, another name for lice eggs, are tiny oval-shaped white or transparent spots.
Head Lice Treatment
Using a metal or wooden comb is the best and safest method to comb out head lice. By dislodging the claws that lice and nits employ to adhere to hair strands, specially made combs with thin, tightly spaced teeth can get rid of them.
Combining several head lice treatment methods can be helpful because they are microscopic and hard to eradicate. Some of your options include the following:
- Using Head Lice Shampoos: Head lice shampoos can be applied to wet or dry hair and kept on for several minutes, much like conventional shampoos. Shampoos can have more natural components and are kinder than chemical treatments.
These products must be used regularly over several days to achieve their full potential. But many washes leave nits behind, necessitating the usage of a lice comb.
- Using Pesticides or Chemicals: Applied to dry hair and kept on for 5–10 minutes, pesticides or chemicals like permethrin can efficiently kill lice.
Permethrin can be used on kids as young as two months old without any problems, but you should still talk to your doctor before doing so, especially if the child has an irritated scalp.
Many treatments don’t destroy eggs, so they may need to be administered more than once over two to three weeks. After each application, dead lice and nits must be removed.
Cleaning Your Bedding after a Lice Infestation
All bedding should be taken off, washed in hot water, and dried for 20 to 30 minutes on high. To ensure that all lice and nits have perished, place your pillows and sheets in a big plastic bag if they cannot be machine washed. Leave them there for seven to ten days.
As an additional prophylactic strategy, you can spray your mattress with pesticides similar to those in lice shampoos.
Another choice is just to throw out your old bedding and get new ones if you are unsure how completely you could clean it.
Conclusion
Lice are annoying and painful, but there are many options to get rid of them. If you are experiencing head lice, talk with a doctor before attempting to treat it yourself.
Are you in need of head lice treatment in the UK? NitNOT offers eco-friendly head lice and nit treatments that are hypoallergenic and free from toxic chemicals. Check out our shop today!
