Lice biology

• The life cycle of the louse is about 4 weeks. Approximately 8 days are spent in the egg stage, which is the hardest stage to kill. The eggs then hatch into tiny lice (first instars nymphs), then into second and third instars and finally into adults. Female lice are larger than males.
• Lice eggs are opaque. If they are clear, it means the lice have already hatched out.
• Healthy lice and eggs are found only within 1 cm of the scalp. They are transmitted by head-to-head contact, not by combs, brushes or furniture, and neither do they live in school buildings or home carpets.
• Head lice are not a sign of bad hygiene. They prefer clean hair to dirty hair.

Control

• It may take several months for a person to become sensitised to the presence of lice, so when treating the affected person it is also important to check all people who have been in close contact with the person during that time. Look at the roots of the hair for lice, eggs, lice faeces (black specks) and cast skins. Faeces and skins may also be found on pillows of the affected person.
• Treat only those people who show signs of lice.
• Make sure that enough of the treatment product is used, and follow the instructions as to how long to keep it on the hair. Do not leave it on for less than the suggested time.
• Shampoos in general will not kill lice as the solution is too weak by the time the extra water needed for hair-washing has been added. This applies to both conventional lice shampoos and those containing essential oils. It is much better to use an aqueous or alcoholic lotion or a conditioner base.
• If the protocol states that the procedure should be repeated every 2 days, or even more often, this implies that the treatment is not effective on lice eggs.

Practical aspects

In many countries Head Lice is really a big problem especially for children in kindergarten and elementary schools. Until now, the parents hat to choose between two kinds of products

1. Chemical aggressive shampoos or other salves
2. Natural products with very frequent and complicated application, mostly based on oily or creamy solutions or even in shampoo form containing essential oils.

None had shown the expected results and in both kinds of product, children get Lice again as soon as they go back to school. They usually need a complicated and unpractical application and their smell is rarely accepted, specially from slam children.

For the children, is not only the Head Lice a suffering factor but also the Anti-Lice treatment with the existing products.

Respect to the consumer

Although the consumer in this case is usually a small child and nobody ask him how he feels during the repeated treatment with the anti-lice products, we believe that children are to be highly respected and they should have the right to choose the best for their Health, their Feelings and their Comfort and not just accept to be treated with the “cheapest solution available”.

What do they really demand:

1. Effectiveness
2. Nice sweet smell
3. Easy, quick and painless application
4. Protection against future Lice attacks
5. Respect to their daily, individual Rhythmus