These insects are probably one of the safer parasites that can infest a person. Yes, they're a annoying pests that make your head itch and can irritate your scalp. That's about all the trouble they cause for us however. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not considered a health hazard. Of course, the ease with which they can be transferred from person to person is a problem.

When you look at the different options available for any treatment plan, they all seem to be quite complex in how they go about dealing with the problem. The point to remember is that you need to kill off the infestation one way or the other. All treatment choices will fit into one of only 4 major categories on how to deal with these parasites.

There are several insecticide based shampoos that all claim a certain unique property but let's face it, they can all be grouped into the bug poison shampoo solution.

So here's a breakdown of the four basic types of Head Louse Treatment Options.

1. Insecticide based Shampoos. These are readily available at your local drugstore and do a fairly good job if you are comfortable with using bug poison on your family members.

Another problem with these products is that there is some evidence to suggest that head lice are becoming immune to the poison. This means more multiple treatments or the use of ever stronger poisons are needed to be bug free.

2. Haircutting. Remove the source of a safe environment and it's much easier to find an kill the offending pests. The next step would be to use a mechanical method such as thoroughly combing with a nit comb to be certain that all adult insects and eggs are gone.

3. Essential oil based shampoos. These use natural antiseptic and other ingredients that are toxic to the pests. These products also have special natural additives that provide relief for the itching and need to scratch.

4. Use a home remedy option. These are the food product method of trying to deal with head pediculosis. Pediculus humanus is a fancy term for a head lice infestation.

In any event, home remedies suggest putting mayonnaise, peanut butter, grease, etc. etc. on the infected head, leaving it on for 8-10 hours, then trying to clean off the mess only to repeat if necessary. Overall, even if they work they're usually so difficult to successfully use these home cures are at best, a poor head louse treatment strategy.

So in the end, only you can decide which head louse treatment if right for your use. I personally like the idea of using a nit comb regardless of the kind of shampoo you decide to use. It's cheap insurance that everything has been removed from your child's hair and the infestation has been stopped. As for shampoo type, you can't go wrong using the safer essential oil based shampoo products.