Shampoos for head lice?

You must have seen many ads in the media about lice shampoos-small girl crying as she stopped her performance due to itchy scalp then the headlice shampoo coming as the saviour and the mother an daughter living happily thereafter!!! We are tempted of buying these medicated shampoos over the counter and using them.

Have you ever thought whether these are safe for your kids?

Head Lice infestation is very common condition.  Infestation with lice and knits is seen in epidemic proportions usually in school going children especially in girls who have thick long hair.  Lice are not able to fly or jump from one person to another but spreads by close contact with the infested person.  They suck blood from the scalp and cause irritation resulting on itching.  Main methods used to treat this condition is by mechanical removal or by using medication.  It is always better to use mechanical methods like combs and electrical devices since they don’t have any side effects.  The medicated shampoos should be used only on prescription of a qualified medical practitioner

Drugs like permethrin, ivermectin and benzyl alcohol are commonly prescribed by doctors.  But certain shampoos contain toxic chemicals like lindane,malathion,pyrethroid,malathion,parabon etc., in small quantities.  Many of these can cause side effects like headache,giddiness,vomiting, etc.,  Regular use of some of these medication  can even result in dreadful diseases like blood cancer.  Even though manufacturers claim that the dose of thse toxic chemical are within the permissible limits, they still may be toxic when used in small children and underweight individuals.  Afterall lice and human tissue have similar composition and something which is harmful to the lice can produce toxicity for humans as well

Hence it is better to avoid use of over the counter head lice shampoos at least in kids and pregnant ladies.  Natural remedies like tulsi oil,henna,olive oil,coconut oil can be used without much harm