Head Lice Removal: A Brief History

“Lice,” this one word is enough to cause of itchiness all over our head. These microscopic insects roam around in our hair follicles like a stowaway on a ship, lay their eggs, suck our blood, and give us the most creepy and itchy feeling. Lice are so old that they’ve been found on Egyptian mummies in their tombs.

Several lice removal options exist, but none of these could stop lice from spreading and multiplying. If these “lousy” insects have already attacked you, you will surely understand our concern.

Lice across the ages

The history of head lice and lice treatment dates back to 1550 BC when Egyptians, in their medical guide called “Ebers Papyrus” documented the first lice removal method. This guide recommended sloshing warm date-meal and water in the mouth and then spitting it on your face to drive away lice and fleas. Since then, people of all eras struggled to rid themselves of with these blood-suckers.

Around 1200 B.C, some Chinese documents indicated the use of mercury and arsenic compounds, and by 450 B.C., Egyptians started endorsing shaving all the hair from the body to eradicate lice. These efforts didn’t reap any positive results until about 100 A.D. when the Chinese discovered an effective and natural insecticide. Extracted from chrysanthemums called as Pyrethrum powder, this powder was considered a near-magical compound by Marco Polo, and he brought it to Europe in 1300 A.D.

Cut to centuries later. In the 1940s, a more refined extract of this powder was developed known as Pytheris, which showed positive results at killing head lice. But, this powder was not adequate for killing the eggs of insects, known as nits. Later in 1977, Permethrin, a synthetic version of earlier Pyrethrin was introduced as a consumer product to treat head lice.

How far has head lice removal come?

All the evidence concludes that almost all lice have become super-lice due to their resistance to different chemical pesticides. Thus, making them even harder to eradicate.

However, specific effective methods can be adapted to control them. The National Institute of Health recommends buying a fine-toothed metal comb and combing thoroughly until all lice and nits are removed. Your doctor may also suggest a medicated shampoo, a lotion, or an OTC drug to kill the lice. For highly super-lice,  your doctor may prescribe oral medication. Children under four years old can not use it. Neither can pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system. However, there is no instant cure, and even prescription treatments may not solve the problem.

A device called the AirAllé, developed in 2006. It uses controlled heated air to dehydrate head lice and eggs, but even a lice clinic that uses the invention rely on manual combing to solve the problem for good.

Lice are evolutionary survivors and are here to stay with us until science finds something to destroy them for good.

This place is so amazing. I was stressed when my daughter had lice and they were so calm and answered all my questions. We called on a Saturday afternoon and she squeezed us in that same day around 5. My daughter went home lice free and with oil to... take home. Would defiantly recommend.read more
My daughter is boarding in Oregon and discovered she had gotten lice from somewhere. She went to Lice Charmers and Lex took AMAZING care of her. Despite...
Lex is so helpful and knowledgeable! She was quick and made the process smooth! Scheduling with her was easy. I highly recommend her!
Lice charmers was fantastic. Both Alexis and Connor were so helpful, kind, and professional. The visit was quick, easy, inexpensive, and most importantly -...
Helpful, professional, and reliable. So grateful for this service!
Love the attention to detail and how well she worked. My kiddo enjoyed the attention she received. Just an awesome group. Can’t say enough good stuff.
If you ever have lice go to Lice Charmers! Emily was awesome. We had already done a treatment at home but weren't sure we got everything out of our daughter's head. She found 3 bugs that we either missed or that had hatched since the home... treatment. She was extremely thorough. Highly recommend!!read more
Emily was so helpful. Made me feel right at ease and made me smile throughout the process. This is a service you hope not to have to use often but if in fact I get another case of head lice, they’d be the first to call. Great communication.... Responded quickly to my request etc. Thank you again! Will be sure to tell others about them.read more
Everything was super easy and everyone was so helpful. Would highly recommend this place!
Lice Charmers did a great job removing all lice and left us with an action plan. Best money spent to give our family a peace of mind. Quick, efficient and personable.
Emily was fantastic! She was very personable and made us feel comfortable. Service was thorough and really gave me peace of mind. Definitely recommend this place if you ever have to deal with those nasty little bugs!
Fluid experience from start to finish. Lots of tips and good experience while getting treatment. My 14 year old actually had an enjoyable experience and thought the person was “really sweet.” . Highly recommend Lice Charmers!
Emily was awesome and was able to rid my daughter of all the lice. She was extremely knowledgeable and helped me know what to do to clean out the house!Thanks Emily and Lice Charmers!
Great, friendly service and exactly what we needed to get peace of mind we were rid of all the lice. Tried home treatment first, but she still caught a few of the nits we missed and did a a thorough check of everyone in the family. Totally worth it!
Alexis was fantastic. She was super patient with our daughter, who had a pretty nasty infestation. She also was very good at explaining to and educating us about these nasty little insects.
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