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Everyone is at risk for head lice, however, families who have children in preschool or elementary school face an increased risk. Children love to play closely together, especially little girls, and have a tendency to share items like hats, brushes and hair ties. This is how head lice spread so quickly.
Slumber parties are another mode of transportation for these parasites. Clothes, pillows and blankets are often shared during these get togethers, making it the perfect opportunity for infestation to take place. - The most common symptoms of a head lice infestation is itching--this is caused by the bites from the lice as they feed on your scalp. You may also experience a tickling sensation as they move across your head, or open sores from scratching the areas that itch.
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Before you treat your child or anyone in your family, you need to check everyone and be sure that they are suffering from head lice. To do this, you must know what you are looking for and where you will find the lice.
When you first begin checking your children, look behind their ears, on the scalp and the neckline, and on the back of the neck. These are the most common hiding places for lice. You can then move slowly through the rest of the scalp.
Lice take on three forms: nits (eggs), nymphs (baby louse) and adult louse. Nits can be difficult to see, often being confused for hardened drops of hair spray or dandruff. They are white or yellow in color, oval in shape, and stick firmly to the hair shaft.
Nymphs look identical to adult louse, but are smaller in size. They may be grayish-white or tan, and the size of a piece of rice. At this stage, blood is required for their survival.
Adult lice grow to the size of a sesame seed, and just like the nymphs, are tan or grayish-white in color. They tend to blend in with darker hair, appearing darker in color against it. Asan adult, lice can live up to 30 days, provided they have a blood source (the scalp). If they fall off, they can survive a mere two days. -
Once you have identified the lice, it is time to treat all who are infested. It is not necessary to treat the hair of family members who are not infested, nor is it necessary to treat your pets, as lice cannot live on them.
Begin by purchasing medicated lice shampoo at your local grocery or department store. These are available over-the-counter and the most common brands are Rid and Nix. Do not wash the infested person's hair before the treatment, or for two days after. If a female in your family has long hair, you will need two bottles of lice shampoo for the treatment to work.
Once you have used the shampoo, run the nit comb provided in the package through your child's hair to remove the nits, dead lice and any remaining lice that may still be alive. Do this every two to three days, and then re-treat seven to 10 days after the first treatment. This ensures the lice have been completely removed.
If you have a child under the age of two who is infected, do not use the medicated shampoo on her. Instead, place a bit of conditioner in her hair and use the comb to pick out the nits and lice. You will need to pick these out by hand daily until the lice are gone, and speak to your doctor about any other treatments. -
Treating your hair is only part of the cure; to completely rid your family of the lice infestation, you must also treat your home. Begin with clothes and bed linens. Wash everything in hot water, at least 130 degrees, and dry them on high heat for a minimum of 20 minutes. If you have any clothes that cannot be placed in a washer, have them dry cleaned immediately.
Move on to combs, brushes and hair ties. Soak all of these for one hour in some type of disinfectant, such as lysol or rubbing alcohol. You can also wash them in soap and hot water, however, the water needs to be at least 130 degrees; this is the temperature that kills both lice and eggs.
Concentrate on your furniture next. Vacuum all your couches, chairs and carpeting to ensure any eggs or lice that have fallen off are sufficiently swept away. This is also the time when you need to collect stuffed animals and place them in a plastic bag. Tie the bag tightly and set it aside for two weeks; this will suffocate the lice and take them away from a potential food source.
