Even though bed bugs are related to lice, they’re not as nearly as tenacious as their cousins. However, they’re known to wander to different areas of the body, including the hair. It probably makes everyone’s hair rise when they even think of bugs in their hair, but everyone should know how to get rid of them if they actually do get there. For that reason, many people pose the question: does lice shampoo kill bed bugs?
Bed bugs can be killed by using lice shampoo. Buy lice shampoo by the pharmacist’s recommendation to terminate the bed bugs in your hair. Many things will kill bed bugs, but the problem is that they’re good at hiding and it may be difficult to get to all of them.
Bed bugs are tricky animals that can be very difficult to get rid of. Luckily, there are many solutions to this problem. Today, we’ll be taking a deeper look into bed bugs, especially their possible infestation of your body and how to get rid of them. In this article, we’ll be answering questions like: can head lice treatment kill bed bugs, what shampoo kills bed bugs, and can head lice turn into body lice.
Let’s get started!
Can Head Lice Treatment Kill Bed Bugs?
Yes, treatment for head lice can indeed kill bed bugs – although we need to stress that it’s unlikely that these creatures will make your head their home, as they’re more interested in your bed. (Everything about Bed Bugs and Water here)
If you notice that your scalp is getting irritated and itchy, and you notice tiny bites on top of that, you might be suffering a case of lice (or bed bugs).
It doesn’t matter which one it is – you can kill it with lice shampoo.
To pull this off, you need to apply a quarter size of head lice shampoo to wet hair and scalp. You can buy this shampoo at most grocery stores, but it may be smart to visit a pharmacist for this.
You need to rub this shampoo into your hair and on your scalp, and then leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Following this, you need to rinse your hair with warm water and work the water into your hair and scalp to completely wash everything off.
Use a nit comb to remove the bed bugs and/or lice from your hair. You really need to use a nit comb, not any other comb, because it has fine teeth and it will collect the bugs much easier.
Rinse the comb into the sink. Keep combing your hair until you’ve covered your whole head thoroughly – it’s important to do this carefully.
You’re going to need to repeat this process every two days until you’ve noticed that you don’t have lice or bed bugs anymore.
It’s very important to find the source of the bed bugs, as this will likely happen again if you don’t exterminate them. Consider calling in an expert to exterminate them from your home.
What Shampoo Kills Bed Bugs?
Any lice shampoo will definitely work on bed bugs, as well. There are alternatives to this if you’re interested: you can purchase neem oil or you can use 91% rubbing alcohol with your regular shampoo.
These are the alternatives to washing out bed bugs and/or lice, but you should stick to the shampoo. Even if you choose these options, you should still repeat them every two days.
Everything about remedies that can help: “All” Potential Bed Bug Killers and their Effectiveness (with table)
How Does Lice Shampoo Kill Bed Bugs?
There are many different shampoos with different active ingredients and they’re not all using the same technique to kill lice.
You can purchase many medications over the counter, meaning that you don’t need a prescription for them.
One of these active ingredients is piperonyl butoxide combined with pyrethrins. Pyrethrins are extracted from the chrysanthemum flower, as they naturally occur there. They kill live lice, but they can’t kill eggs.
It’s recommended to use them again 9 to 10 days after the first treatment because the eggs that weren’t killed have now most likely hatched and they need to be killed.
You shouldn’t use shampoos that use pyrethrins if you’re allergic to chrysanthemums or ragweed, and they are only allowed to be used on children 2 years of age and older.
Another active ingredient that’s often found in over-the-counter shampoos is permethrin lotion 1%. Permethrin is actually a synthetic pyrethroid similar to naturally occurring pyrethrins. This also kills all living lice, but can’t kill unhatched eggs.
It may keep killing lice days after it was first used. You still need to repeat the process after 9 to 10 days just to kill any remaining lice from unhatched eggs. This ingredient is safe for children 2 months of age and older.
Pyrethrum and pyrethroids are contact poisons that irreversibly block the voltage-dependent sodium channels in the nerve membranes so that they cannot be closed again from the open state. Blocking the sodium channels leads to spastic paralysis of the insects and a rapid immobilizing effect, which occurs before death and is known as “knockdown”.
You can also use 5% benzyl alcohol lotion. It can kill lice, but it can’t kill eggs, so you’ll need to reapply it after a week. It’s not ovicidal, but it can irritate the skin.
All of these different ingredients can and will kill lice, but they’re not all equally effective and they’re not all the perfect fit for your needs.
It’s important to read the instructions for proper application.
It’d be unwise to use something without properly learning how to.
