If you are having continuous itching on your body especially around the waist, the armpits or groin area then you may be having body lice. Body lice are small insects bigger than head lice or any other type of lice. These tiny creatures make your body their habitat and generally live in areas which are in very close proximity to your clothing such as under arms, bra strap lines, groin etc. They feed on your blood and lay eggs on your body. These are also found on folds and seams of shirts and trousers. However, if they fall off your body they will die within five to seven days.
You must have got these insects from some other infected person; either by wearing his/her clothing or by being in very close proximity to him or her. Whatever be the source of body lice, these need to be killed. Unabated growth of lice can lead to complications. However, you do not need expensive medicines to get rid of body lice. Body lice removal can be done at home. Let us look at some of the home remedies for body lice.
Home Remedies For Body Lice
Nit Comb
Body lice lay their eggs on your body, and these are known as nit. If these can be removed soon the threat from body lice can be minimized to a great extent. This can be effectively done with a nit comb. A nit comb has a set of very fine teeth. When you comb the hairy portions of your body with this comb the nit get stuck in the teeth and removed.
Regular combing with a nit comb makes sure that nits do not get the time to hatch on your body. After combing you should regularly wash the comb in alcohol for at least one hour. This will ensure that live nits do not get stuck to the comb and make way to your body again when you comb with it the next day.
Vinegar And Vegetable Oil
Body lice infestation can lead to red scaly areas on the body. The itch sometimes gets so intense that you are compelled to scratch these areas. Scratching may lead to skin lesions and further infections.
To do away with the itch and to kill the body lice so that there is no new scale formation you can use vinegar and vegetable oil in 1:2 ratio. Apply this solution on the whole of your body and leave it there for at least half an hour. This will douse the itch to some extent. Do this at least twice a day. You will be able to drive body lice away.
Wash Clothes
Body lice can stay stuck to your garments for upto one moth. When you wear these garments the lice again gets back to your body. In order to avoid this it is essential to remove lice from your clothing.
For this the first step is washing clothes in hot water. Body lice can not tolerate high temperature. After washing if you dry the clothing in high temperature then removal of a lot of lice and nits can be guaranteed. So wash and dry all your cloth in high temperature.
Tea Tree Oil
This essential oil is available at most kitchen cabinets these days. It has got excellent antibacterial properties. Moreover, this oil has been found to be irritating to most of the bugs including body lice. So dab generous amounts of tea tree oil on your body especially in the nooks and crevices. Leave it there for at least half an hour and bathe in hot water. This will remove most of the lice.
Lavender Oil
This is another essential oil that is popular with housewives these days. It is antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory in nature. These properties of lavender have been found to be quite effective in getting rid of bugs such as body lice.
Mix some lavender oil in your regular body cream or use it singly. Smear the cream or only the oil all over the body and go to sleep. Get up in the morning and wash thoroughly with an astringent soap. You will be free of lice within a few days.
Vacuum Cleaner
The household vacuum cleaner comes handy in destroying body lice. If lice infestation starts and goes on unabated it does not spare even your car seat, bed, bedding and such other areas where you and your family frequent. So to be completely and permanently free from body lice you need to free every area in the house of body lice. This can be done effectively with the vacuum cleaner. Switch on the power and direct the nozzle to every piece of bedding, bed, car seat and other possible places in the house. Body lice will not get an escape route.
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.