How to Treat Lice with Nix
Lice infestations are a common problem when children reach school age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that six to 12 million children in the three-to-11 age range are infested with lice every year in the United States. Ridding your child of lice can be a time-consuming and frustrating project, compounded by the fact that many schools will not let children return unless there are no signs of nits, the tiny eggs that lice lay in your child's hair. Nix offers several products designed to not only kill lice living on your child's head, but also those found in your home. Treatment can be accomplished in a few short steps.
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Instructions
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Examine your child's hair and scalp if you notice that he is constantly scratching his head. Itching results when the lice bite the scalp. Look for lice and nits in a well-lit area. A magnifying glass may help you, as both lice and nits are very small. Lice are reddish brown and look like sesame seeds, while nits are small white or brown eggs that attach firmly to the shaft of the hair.
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Wash your child's hair with regular shampoo, but don't use conditioner. Towel dry the hair and soak the scalp and hair with Nix Crème Rinse. Be sure to apply the crème rinse to back of the neck and behind the ears. Place a washcloth over your child's eyes to prevent any of the Nix from dripping into her eyes.
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Wait 10 minutes before rinsing out the Nix Crème Rinse. Towel dry your child's hair again until the hair is slightly damp.
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Remove nits from your child's hair with the special metal comb that is included in the Nix package. While the Nix Crème Rinse will kill lice in your child's hair, you will still need to remove the nits from the hair before they can hatch into lice. Keep hair damp while you use the comb. Divide the hair into four or more sections and work on one section at time, starting from the top of the head and working your way down.
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Pull the comb firmly through the hair. After each pass of the comb, check the comb for nits. Use a tissue to remove nits from the comb and put the nits into a sealed plastic bag.
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Check your child's head for nits at least once a day for the next week or two. Nits are so small that is easy to miss some of them the first time that you comb your child's hair.
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Tips & Warnings
Vacuum carpeting, rugs, car seats, upholstered furniture and mattresses, as it is possible that nits can infest these items and then reinfest your child. After you vacuum, remove the vacuum cleaner bag from your house. Wash sheets, towels, pillow cases, hats, coats, scarves and other items that your child has worn or touched in hot water. Dry these items using your dryer's hot cycle. Put stuffed animals, blankets, bedspreads, pillows and items that can't be washed in a sealed bag for at least one month. Spray beds and couches with Nix Lice Control Spray. Check all household members for evidence of lice or nits. Adults can get lice and if you don't notice that your child has lice immediately, it is likely that the lice will infest several members of your family.
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- Photo Credit Leviticus
