Pediculosis gives a person a lot of unpleasant sensations: itching, irritation and restrictions on communication. Pharmaceutical companies offer many medications to combat nits and lice, but not every product brings the desired result. Therefore, many people are forced to turn to folk remedies, one of which is dust soap.
Dust soap can be used to combat lice
About the composition of soap
The very name of the soap - dust - is explained by the fact that its main toxic component, which has a detrimental effect on lice, is dust, otherwise known as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloromethylmethane). This is a powerful insecticide that can both quickly get rid of parasites and accumulate in the body of people and animals. It is for this reason that the production of dust soap has been banned in many countries, and in our country it has almost ceased.
Three pieces of dust soap
DDT in dust soap is the main difference from tar and laundry soap. The latter were also previously considered means of combating lice, but their effectiveness compared to dust is much lower due to the absence of strong toxic substances in the composition.
Pieces of tar soap
For example, the composition of tar soap is alkalis and phenol derivatives, as well as, of course, birch tar. The latter was often used in Rus' (and even now many people use it) as an antiseptic and a means to improve the condition of hair and skin. Tar is effective against lice only at high concentrations of tar. This is one of its main differences from dust soap, which does not play any cosmetic role, and its action is aimed only at destroying parasites.
As for laundry soap, it has no effect in terms of fighting lice. It contains mainly alkalis, which have no effect on parasites.
Real reviews
I consider dust soap one of the best products. We used it to treat lice at one time, and now we use it on children. Its price is cheap, but its efficiency is high. The main thing is not to hold it on your head for a long time, then there will be no bad consequences.
Tamara Ivanovna, 32 years old, Moscow
As a child, I washed my hair with this product after I brought lice from kindergarten. It seems to have helped. I remember well that the smell took a long time to dissipate, but nothing was wrong, it was a good remedy.
Anatoly Ivanovich, 52 years old, Samara
I have two children the same age, they go to school. Somehow they brought lice. First, I rushed to the pharmacy and bought a special shampoo against head lice, but it didn’t help. Then I remembered how my mother treated me the old fashioned way. In general, I bought this soap, soaped the children once, and everything was fine. Then they just combed out the dead lice. True, the smell leaves much to be desired, but what can we do now? But it works.
Antonina, 36 years old, Tambov
In my opinion, this soap is used by extreme people.
It is clear that before there were few opportunities, but now pharmacies are overwhelmed with anti-pediculosis drugs. And the prices are different, for every budget. Why torture yourself, and especially your children? Ivan, 27 years old, Novorossiysk
About toxicity
If an excess amount of dust enters the human or animal body (through the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, in contact with the mucous membrane of the eye, etc.), the toxic effect of the toxic substance will inevitably begin.
Toxic
As a result, various signs of intoxication may appear:
- headache, dizziness;
- weakness;
- nausea, sudden vomiting;
- irritation of mucous membranes and respiratory tract;
- dyspnea;
- allergy;
- sometimes - convulsions;
- if poison is ingested in large doses, it will be fatal.
The main danger from using dust soap is that DDT certainly accumulates in the body and is no longer removed from there. Accumulation of the substance is possible with repeated use of the product or as a result of its entry into the bloodstream through wounds, scratches, bite sites, as well as through the mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth if the rules of use are not followed.
If this toxic substance does accumulate, it can lead to very serious consequences:
- disorders of the nervous system and brain;
- mutagenic changes;
- malfunctions of the immune system;
- oncological diseases.
The use of dust soap is prohibited during pregnancy (fraught with fetal death) and for removing lice from children.
Composition of dust soap and principle of action
Dust soap resembles ordinary laundry soap, only it contains a strong insecticide - dichlorodiphenyltrichloromethylmethane (DDT). People call the substance DDT dust, which is why the soap itself received this name. The active component of DDT penetrates deep into the integument of insects, causing their inevitable death. Also, dust destroys the protective shells of lice larvae and eggs, which leads to their instant destruction.
The main component of soap is not excreted on its own; it can even accumulate in the body, entering through scratches, abrasions, and wounds on the skin. Therefore, repeated use of dust can harm the health of humans and animals.
Contraindications
The use of dust soap is contraindicated in the following cases:
- pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- childhood;
- weakened immune system;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- predisposition to allergies;
- for irritated or dry scalp;
- for various skin diseases;
- for reuse (soap can only be used once due to the toxic substance it contains).
Negative consequences of use
Excess DDT can lead to serious consequences:
- Mutagenic changes.
- Deterioration of the body's protective functions.
- Brain dysfunction.
- Formation and growth of cancer cells.
- Serious disturbances in the development of the child while still in the womb.
Signs of dust poisoning are:
- headache;
- the appearance of rashes of various types;
- nausea, indigestion;
- dizziness, lethargy;
- breathing problems;
- muscle spasms.
If even one of the symptoms appears, you should immediately consult a doctor. Taking activated carbon tablets and gastric lavage will not bring results.
About the effectiveness of use against lice
It’s not for nothing that the use of dust soap against lice was so popular in the past, because its effectiveness in this sense really deserves praise. Quite often it is possible to get rid of parasites in just one procedure, and even modern special means cannot boast of this.
Advantages and disadvantages
The high efficiency is explained by the fact that dust soap is capable of dissolving the protective shells of nits, as well as destroying adult parasites and their larvae with even greater ease, corroding their chitinous cover.
Plus, this soap for lice and nits is very inexpensive, which is very important for many, especially considering its effectiveness. The price of dust soap ranges on average from 20 to 50 rubles.
Another question is where you can buy dust soap. Due to the fact that, due to such high toxicity and danger to humans, it is now almost never produced, it is quite difficult to find it. There is a possibility that you can still purchase this salvation from lice somewhere in the hardware stores of some villages, but the chances are, in fact, small. Buying dust soap in a pharmacy now is also quite problematic for the same reason. Therefore, you can probably buy this remedy for lice (by the way, dust soap for fleas is no less effective) only on specialized websites selling antiparasitic drugs.
Where to buy dust soap? Alternative remedies
Currently, dust soap is almost never produced due to the presence of a toxic component in its composition. You can buy dust on the Internet on special websites selling antiparasitic drugs, in some veterinary stores and pharmacies. The cost of a bar of soap is approximately 20-40 rubles.
It is important to distinguish dust soap from tar soap. Dust is used only in pest control, and tar soap is used for cosmetic purposes to improve the condition of skin and hair.
If using dust soap is not possible, it is easy to choose a safer pharmaceutical product. The most popular drugs for lice and nits:
- shampoo “Pedilin” and aerosols “Para-plus”, “Rosh tov” - effectively fight lice, while being safe for humans;
- sprays against lice and nits “Paranit”, “Nyuda” - can be used to treat children from the age of three;
- hellebore water is an alcohol tincture of hellebore herb, which has a detrimental effect on lice;
- shampoo and spray “Lice Guard” - the drug is harmless for use in children, but should be used with caution by people prone to allergies;
- special anti-pediculosis combs - with their help, parasites need to be combed out for several days, but a significant advantage of their use is the absence of contraindications and side effects.
Another affordable way to get rid of parasites is to shave your head completely, this will help improve the condition of the scalp in general.
Brief instructions for use
Using soap on your hair
If, for some reason, there is nothing left but to use lice dust, precautions must be observed especially carefully:
- carry out the procedure in appropriate “equipment” (gloves, mask or respirator, safety glasses);
- wet hair, soap;
- wrap your head in a bag, put a cellophane cap on top (like for dyeing your hair, but with a rather tight elastic band);
- hold for 30-40 minutes, no more;
- the entire time the soap is applied to the hair, sit with your eyes and mouth tightly closed (breathe only through your nose);
- after the allotted time has passed, rinse your hair with shampoo several times, after which it is recommended to use hair balm;
- Immediately carefully, strand by strand, comb out the dead lice and nits with a special comb.
If unpleasant, and even more so painful, sensations appear during the procedure, it should be stopped immediately by washing off the product several times.
And yet, despite its high efficiency, it is hardly worth using dust soap against lice, given all the consequences that this can lead to. In order not to harm yourself, it is better to use modern safe drugs to remove parasites, rather than subjecting your health to serious tests for the sake of a quick result.
Pet handling
In addition to using dust soap against lice, it is also used to combat various insects living in the fur of domestic animals - cats and dogs.
Before use, the animal must be protected by wearing a special protective collar. This is done to prevent toxic substances from getting into the dog or cat’s eyes, ears and mouth.
The processing of animal fur is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Wet the animal's fur and lather it well.
- After leaving the foam on the animal for 10 minutes, rinse everything off with shampoo specifically designed for your pet.
- Dry the animal and give it milk to drink to neutralize toxic substances that have entered its body through the skin.
After all this, it is better to take your pet for a walk to get some fresh air and relieve stress after an unpleasant bath.
