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15 Home Remedies for Head Lice in Kids
Lice can quickly become a nuisance when left unnoticed. With all the constant itching and irritation, your child will have a tough time relaxing and doing daily activities at home or at school in peace. Spending a lot of time outdoors and with other kids affected with head lice can have your child contract this itchy problem. If you see nits on your child’s scalp, that’s the ultimate sign. Here’s everything you need to know about natural remedies to get rid of head lice.
What Are Head Lice?
Head lice are insects that live in human hair. They cannot fly or jump but can run at a rate of 9 inches per minute. They are usually passed on by direct head-to-head contact with another person. They can be found mainly at the back of the head or behind the ears, while sometimes appearing on the eyelashes or eyebrows.
Symptoms of Head Lice Infestation
Your child’s head and hair may have been infested by lice if he exhibits the following symptoms:
Constant itching
Irritability or having trouble sleeping
Swollen lymph nodes or glands
Sores due to scratching
A tickling sensation on the head
Why Parents Prefer Home Remedies to Treat Their Child’s Head Lice Problem
Although you could go to the doctor and get prescriptions for OTC medications, treating head lice with these is usually avoided by many parents because of the list of side effects they come with. Home remedies for head lice usually consist of more natural ways and products to treat head lice and maintain the health of the scalp. Plus, if your child has a case of ragweed or chrysanthemum allergy, then you should definitely avoid OTC drugs and prescription medications for eliminating head lice.
15 Effective Home Remedies to Get Rid of Head Lice
Here are 15 effective home remedies for lice in babies and kids. Try these out, and we’re sure your child will be free of this itchy problem.
1. Vinegar
Use distilled vinegar and gently apply it on your child’s hair. Leave it on for a while and rinse his hair thoroughly with plain water. You can even use apple cider vinegar for this treatment. We also recommend using coconut oil while combing his hair, once you’re done rinsing to extract the dead lice and nits.
2. Olive Oil
Apply olive oil to your child’s scalp till it looks saturated. The olive oil leaves no room to breathe for the lice and their eggs, and suffocates them to death. After 15-20 minutes, comb out the dead lice and apply shampoo to remove the excess oil and rinse. Repeat this process a few times till you see no more lice or red bumps on your child’s hair and scalp. Make sure you wash his clothes carefully after every session.
3. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is one of the best home remedies for head lice and eggs in children. Simply pour tea tree oil into a spray bottle and mix it with water. Spray it on your child’s scalp and cover his head with a towel for a while. Remove the towel and rinse thoroughly. Repeat twice a week for best results. You may add some tea tree oil in your kid’s shampoo or add it to olive oil for combing out the nits naturally.
4. Garlic
Lice hate garlic, so it’s something you can kill them with! Simply add 8-10 cloves of garlic to lime juice by grinding them into a paste. Mix them together and apply the mixture on your child’s scalp. Let it stay on for 30 minutes, after which you can rinse his scalp with warm water.
5. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly stops roaming lice in their tracks and acts as a deterrent. Apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly onto your child’s scalp and hold it in place with a towel or shower cap before he goes to bed at night. When he wakes up in the morning, use baby oil and a nit comb to comb away the nits and remove dead lice.
6. Hair Dryers
A quick and surefire way to pick lice out of your child’s scalp is to use a hairdryer. Be certain to do this outside the house as it prevents the lice from transferring to things and people indoors. Avoid trying this on young toddlers since hot air is not a good idea for their scalp.
7. Onion Juice
Make some onion juice at home and leave it on your baby’s scalp for about 3 to 4 hours. Wipe off the dead lice and nits with a nit comb and rinse the hair thoroughly with shampoo. Repeat this every 3-4 days for best results.
8. Mashed Apples
This method may be very messy but it is highly effective. You can apply mashed apples on your kid’s scalp and leave it on for a few hours to eliminate lice and nits. The trick is to cover the hair completely with it and wash it off thoroughly after an hour.
9. Mayonnaise
Save a dash of mayonnaise for your child’s lice treatment next time! It comes in handy and smothers the lice to death. Apply mayonnaise thoroughly onto your child’s scalp and leave it on for the night. Your child can wear a shower cap to keep the mayonnaise in place. Shampoo and rinse the next morning and comb out the dead lice and nits.
10. Coconut Oil
Take some coconut oil and apply it generously to your child’s scalp. Leave it intact with a shower cap for two hours and use a nit comb afterwards to remove dead lice and eggs. Shampoo and rinse the hair with a conditioner and apply it again once the hair is dry. Leave it on with a shower cap when your child goes to bed and let it stay on overnight. Use the nit comb again, rinse and dry, and repeat this treatment twice a week for effective results.
11. Neem Oil
Add a few drops of neem oil to your child’s regular shampoo and rinse his hair thoroughly during bath times. Use a nit comb and comb carefully through different sections of the hair to remove dead lice. The neem oil-infused shampoo must be used regularly to remove lice infestation from occurring on the scalp.
12. Benzyl Alcohol
If your child is over six months of age, you can apply benzyl alcohol solution on his scalp and rinse it off with plain water to kill and remove dead lice. Repeat this after a week to kill the remaining lice that hatch out from eggs laid on the scalp. Make sure to comb with a nit comb as well after rinsing.
13. Eucalyptus Oil
If the lice are resistant to chemical treatment, try adding 15 to 20 drops of eucalyptus oil with olive oil and apply it on the scalp of your child. Leave it on overnight with a shower cap and comb in the morning to remove the dead lice. Make sure to rinse the scalp after combing and dry hair.
14. Salt and Vinegar Mixture
You can render your child’s scalp lice-free with a mixture of salt and vinegar. Salt is an antiseptic while vinegar prevents nits from latching on to hair strands. Insert the concoction into a spray bottle and spray on the hair and scalp to make your child’s head lice-free. Follow up with a rinse to make the process complete.
15. Baking Soda
Kill lice by stopping their respiratory systems with a mixture of 1-part baking soda and 3-parts hair conditioner. Apply the mixture on your child’s hair and comb through it after dividing it into sections. Use a soft tissue to wipe off the comb and remove the nits, baby lice, and adult lice. Rinse with an anti-lice shampoo once you’re done and make sure to repeat this a few times in the upcoming days for completely removing the lice.
Try out these simple but effective home remedies, and you’ll see your child’s hair and scalp completely free of pesky lice infestations. Make sure to follow through with the remedies two to three times a week for best results. However, some of these can be done every day as well.
Also Read:
Hair Loss in Children: Causes and Treatment
Scalp Problems in Kids - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
How to Deal with Dandruff in Children
Premature Grey & White Hair in Kids
Safe Essential Oils for Babies & Kids Read more
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When My Baby Got Chicken Pox - Symptoms, Treatment and After Care
We all know about chicken pox or varicella. This is an infection which is not serious for healthy babies. Red rashes or blisters appear on the body; sometimes it itches which is a common symptom of chicken pox. Some suffer from high fever and back pain. When we communicate with a chicken pox affected person, the virus will spread to us. This disease is infected through the air so stay away from the affected person. This disease affects babies also but now vaccine helps to prevent it.
My family member got affected by chicken pox a month back but we didn't recognise it. We all travelled together in an air-conditioned, car so virus of chicken pox spread to us.This is the reason what doctor told to us when we asked about how it spreads. Basically, there is nothing to fear in this infection. It is better that we get it at least once in our life for better immunisation. We all believe that chicken pox never comes twice for the same person but in fact, there is a chance that people may get it again after 20 years or so. Chicken pox normally lasts from 7- 14 days.
After my husband got chicken pox, I also got it. I was feeding breast milk so I was very sure that my baby would also get affected by chicken pox. I had severe fever and back pain. Full blisters and itchiness. Myy chicken pox got cured. But, one week later my nine-month-old baby had some pimples just like water drops on rose petals. I was sceptical whether it was chicken pox or not. Then I consulted the doctor. He examined and said that it is chicken pox.
Elders advised me not to give salt or oily food to my baby. But doctor told me to give my baby food which she was normally taking. No special diet plan for babies during chicken pox. Chicken pox vaccine is actually given when a baby turns a year old. But, my baby got chicken pox at 9 months .of age. But there were no other symptoms like in adults. Babies do not even get blisters.
I preferred to consult a homeopathy doctor rather allopathy for my baby. It is comparatively less dose which baby can bear. I stopped giving bath to baby as per doctor's advice. After 5 days, I used to just wipe her body with a cloth dipped in clean, warm water. Neem leaves are very good and effective for avoiding itchiness when these pimples start drying. Neem leaves just rub on her skin so they feel slight relief. After 7 or 8 days, all the pimples dried; I gave her a complete bath with neem leaves. After that, we can apply nalpamaradhi oil to baby's skin to diminish marks of chicken pox on the skin. It helps brighten baby's skin. This can be applied and massaged before bathing. For head, I prefer applying coconut oil. And now she is fine. Wash all the clothes of babies thoroughly after this. I advice all moms not to fear if their baby gets chicken pox.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions (including content in any form) expressed within this post are those of the author alone. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The responsibility for intellectual property rights of this content rests with the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with him/her. Read more
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Let These 5 Household Items Organise your Life
Being organised is an essential part of being a mom and you try to do it brilliantly. However, keeping your kids and hubby's belongings in order can sometimes get so taxing that lost ties or misplaced T-shirts become commonplace. Well, all you need is some of the best home organisation products!
Moms have a lot on their shoulders - and minds! It's natural to get worked up when the house gets messy and you proceed to spend frantic minutes searching for the lost item. Why not let these household items help you keep your home organised? No more fretting!
5 Household Items that Help you Stay Organised
1. Storage inside drawers
A storage unit inside another storage unit? Now that is genius! If your lipstick and eyeliner have a habit of getting misplaced (some of them do!), just add a makeup organiser in an empty drawer in your bedroom. This idea can be replicated for your jewellery and in the bathroom too. Why not place a storage unit inside a drawer for your hair dryers? It'll also save your electronic gadgets from getting wet.
2. Bedroom pegboard
You probably use pegboards in the kitchen to hang pots and pans. But the great part is that they can easily be modified for use in other rooms too! If you keep losing your bedside book or night-cream, just place a pegboard on the wall above your head. Use it to stack items you need every night and also put up some picture frames. This is a creative storage idea that makes your bedroom look so much cooler!
3. Kitchen organiser
If you have naughty kids at home, organising your knife collection is of prime importance. You need to keep knives safely in the kitchen so you can find them easily. While your first thought might be to get a knife block, try a magnetic knife strip instead. This is better suited to help you choose the knife you need to cut meat or vegetables. Plus, since knives are linearly displayed, no more fear of a stray knife where the kids can find it!
4. Steel shelf
A steel shelving unit is a great idea for the kitchen or bathroom. If you have less space, don't let that stop you from getting the appliances you need. Just put up a steel shelf to keep your space organised and stylish. You can designate each shelf to store something specific. This unit can also be customised to a height that works best for your home.
5. Key box
Keys are probably the most easily lost household item! Get a key box to save you the trouble of having to worry about misplacing them. Assign a designated place where you can keep the catchall. Make it a point to tell hubby and the kids that is where they must keep all their keys as you don't want to waste time hunting! This is really the best home organisation product for busy households.
Let these organisation tools for a home make life easier and get the household disciplined. When you know where to look for certain items, they become infinitely easier to find. Anyhow, with these home organising products, chances are you will not have to go about on a wild goose chase at all! Read more
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A Happy Women's Day: When Every Woman Respects Another Woman!
As a woman I sometimes think - is it always men who r responsible for our happiness and miseries? What about our own kind - Women!? Apart from men, shouldn't they also try to make life happier for other women? Believe me. It won't be that tough (or will it be?)
Mothers - Teach your sons how to do their laundry and fix a basic meal. There is no point raising an adult stuck in the body of a helpless five-year-old! Teach your daughters to travel, to disagree, to have an opinion of their own and express it. Why they should learn that "stale chapatis are not for the men of the family."!?
Mother-in-laws - Stop bragging about what YOU did in YOUR time. You didn't do what your MIL did in HER times! Stop comparing your daughter-in-law to your daughter ten times a day. They are two different people. Why compare an orange to an apple (By the way, were there any similarities between you and your sis-in-law?) Stop taunting your daughter-in-law about the lack of comforts you had after marriage and how you sailed through. It's not actually her fault u know!
* Daughter-in-law - A Mother-in-law can never be your mother. You already have one! Period. So cut that drama of over expectations and keep it practical!
*Homemakers -Stop criticizing working women and their ways. Working women -Its ok if the homemakers don't score that high on the industry knowledge bar.
* Stay- at -home moms - Stop commenting on working moms and vice versa.
* Stop giving verdict about a woman's sense of completion basis her decision to have, or not to have kids.
* Normal birth moms, stop belittling c-section moms.
*Have a beautiful, smart colleague? Stop attributing her achievements to her 'looks' only. Try to register her good work instead of her fashion sense.
* A swim-suit clad woman and a salwar-kameez lover enjoying on the same beach? Stop sniggering behind each other's back discussing each other's outfits. The sea waves make u happy without knowing what you are wearing!
.... And the list is a long one! But just try.. Try! Our social system wants us to be perfect in everything. But don't let this system compel you to pull each other down. Stop comparisons. Stop judging each other. Stop trying to prove you are better than the other. Start appreciating each other's looks, qualities, opinions and choices. Start accepting each other's imperfections. Start respecting each other irrespective of the difference in opinion, lifestyle and dressing sense and gradually this respect will percolate down to the men in your lives. Yes, we have to stand "against" those perverts but for that we will have to stand "with" each other. Women, let's contribute towards each other's happiness. Let's not just wish Happy Women's Day but create "Happy Women"!! :-)
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions (including content in any form) expressed within this post are those of the author alone. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The responsibility for intellectual property rights of this content rests with the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with him/her.
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Dr Sameer awadhiya has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 1 month
4 hours ago
Q. Hi doctor, I had scan on 33 weeks 2 day, it stated that AC and HC Is <2.3% which is corresponding to 31 weeks. So overall growth of baby avg is 31 week and 2 days.
will there be any issue with the baby.I have attached my report
Dr Sameer awadhiya
Paediatrician
3 hours ago
A. For the query asked needdhs consultation with doctor for proper guidance so it is better that the doctor will guide you the correct way .
Online consultation can also be taken and the expert will give you the proper answer .
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
4 hours ago
Q. I am having pain on my right breast while breastfeeding. Latching position is correct. it is a mix of burning sensation and pain. Pain lasts for few minutes after breastfeeding also
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
4 hours ago
A. nipcare ointments ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 4 months
4 hours ago
Q. When baby movement starts??
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
3 hours ago
A. 5-6 months ok. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
3 hours ago
Q. hello dr..I am 39 weeks 3 days pregnant, AFI level 8 is this normal?and normal delivery possible for me? Is the fluid enough for up to 1 week?Do I need a drip? please suggest me.
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
3 hours ago
A. the levels are on the lower side. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Sarika gupta has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
2 hours ago
Q. Hi.. Priyanka kalra doctor..I am 39 weeks 3 days pregnant, AFI level 8 is this normal?and normal delivery possible for me? Is the fluid enough for up to 1 week?Do I need a drip? please suggest me.
Sarika gupta
Mom of 2 children
2 hours ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much and it is quite difficult to say anything about it without personally examination and proper reports evaluation. So better to consult with your treating gynaecologist in person as she knew the exact health condition of your pregnancy and can guide you better.
Take care
Rashmi has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
18 mins ago
Q. Hi, for May 1st they will check AFI fluid... should I need to be on empty bladder for that scan... which is around 37 weeks
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
13 mins ago
A. It’s completely normal this kind of an ultrasound is different it is not necessary that your stomach should be full or you should go empty stomach you can have your basic breakfast and all whatever you would want to eat before you go ahead with getting a scan and there is no need to go empty stomach for the scan
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