So how to stop lice eggs from hatching? Here is a guide to follow.
It doesn’t take long for lice eggs to hatch after being laid. This happens within the space of 1 to 2 weeks. Without a doubt, this poses serious problems and means that their parasitic feeding activities and problems caused will linger on. However, this doesn’t have to be.
Steps to Prevent Lice Eggs from Hatching
The best way to intervene is by stopping or preventing them from hatching. This is why we’ve written this article; to show you how to prevent lice from hatching.
Killing adult lice alone won’t be sufficient. Relief may be found for a few days or a week until these eggs hatch.
Lice Eggs Are So Tiny
There’s no way to know if lice eggs are hatched or not. However, one thing is sure; if there’s a louse presence, their eggs are definitely there.
Because you can’t see lice with the naked eye, your treatment should be such that covers both the extermination of adult lice and the prevention of their eggs from hatching.
About Lice Eggs or Nits
When faced with a lice problem, their eggs are never far away.
Sometimes, kids may have lice eggs with no lice. So, how is that even possible? There are explanations for this; an adult female louse lays the eggs on a host but may leave due to unfavorable conditions.
Such unfavorable conditions may be brought about by prior treatment such as combing etc. While the adult female louse leaves, the egg remains and hatches as long as there’s warmth enough supplied from the scalp.
Now, the eggs left behind springs forth the next generation of lice.
All of this doesn’t take long to unfold. A wet combing session at any time may reveal nits that may fall off the head. Both hatched and unhatched or unviable eggs drop off.
Preventing Lice Eggs from Hatching
This should be part of your main objective before treatment commences. Here, you want to kill adult lice while also interrupting their eggs from hatching. Get a metal nit comb for the job. There are many good types available.
We must also warn that this process requires a lot of patience. You’ll have to dedicate time to pick these eggs from the hair. This isn’t a one-day activity. It should be done frequently until lice eggs are significantly reduced.
We’ve specified the use of metal nit combs due to their efficiency at removing nits. Not only are these nits removed, but hatched white egg cases stuck in the hair shaft are also pulled out.
Multiple sessions of combing the hair with metal nit comes should suffice.
-
Using a Nit Comb the Right Way
You’ll need good lighting to proceed with treatment. Artificial lighting can be used as well as natural lighting. The aim is to clearly see what you’re doing.
That way, all treatment procedures are carefully done. This helps cover all parts of the treated area or scalp.
It’s not enough to purchase and nit comb for lice eggs and begin using them right away without knowing how to proceed.
Before using this fine-toothed metal comb, begin by washing your kid’s hair. A specially formulated shampoo such as those containing coconut and olive oils can be used.
Now, get some conditioner and apply it to the hair. This product offers two benefits. First, it helps to suffocate lice, and secondly, it softens and conditions the hair to make it easier to run or pull your nit comb through the hair.
Placing a towel around your kid’s shoulders before starting will be in order. This helps prevent lice and eggs from getting onto their clothes. However, the main aim is to prevent eggs from hatching while killing lice.
Once lice eggs are off the scalp, they won’t be able to hatch as there’s no heat to support this process.
There will be tangles. As such, you might want to begin by first removing the tangles. A regular comb should serve the purpose. Now, it’s time to begin using the metal nit comb to get rid of lice eggs.
The entire hair shouldn’t be combed at once. Rather, this should be done systematically by combing the hair in sections. When lice eggs are removed from the hair one section at a time, it makes the process much more efficient and less stressful.
A tip that could make this much easier involves using clips or hair bands. These can hold the different hair sections in place until you’re ready to comb out lice eggs from them.
A top to bottom approach should be adopted during combing.
Remember, the scalp is another surface likely to harbor lice eggs. So, ensure your nit comb gets as close to the scalp as possible. After completing the combing session, wash and rinse the hair.
A lot of lice and eggs will be removed through this process.
As mentioned earlier, one-time treatment using the metal nit comb won’t get the job done. It has to be repeated every single day until both lice and eggs are completely removed.
A Safety Precaution You Shouldn’t Ignore
Having completed the washing and rinsing of the hair and scalp, avoid the use of dryers. Several products used for lice treatments contain flammable ingredients.
You don’t want to expose your kid to any danger.
Other things to avoid include certain types of essential oils. Tea tree oil and Ylang-ylang are unsafe for direct body applications. You may want to consult a physician for further advice on this.
Prevention
It’s all about prevention! Lice eggs are laid when there are adult female lice.
Your best strategy out of this problem is by preventing the problem altogether. There are several ways to do this. They include washing all recently used bedding and clothing with hot water.
Others include placing some items (especially those that can’t be washed) in the dryer, and also frequent vacuuming.
The vacuum cleaner bag should be disposed of after every session. Hot water should be used to soak items like brushes and combs.
These are ways to prevent lice from hatching. We’ve focused on some basic ways to go about this prevention. The use of metal nit combs is highly effective but must be done in a certain way.
What more? A lot of patience is needed to fully control lice problems.