Head Lice - how to prevent it and treat it!
Maybe you’re wondering how this will save you some money! 😉 There was so much great info about it on our facebook group – time to share it with everyone! It’s one of those things I’ve been working hard to avoid, but think it’s great to have the info just in case (knock on wood!)
If your kid’s school keeps sending home lice notices here are some ways to try to avoid it:
The basics are don’t share anything, hats, scarves etc. Keep your kids hair tied up if it’s long, and be vigilant in checking. The notes that are sent say to check daily for 2 weeks. You can also use things like tea tree oil in your shampoo or sprayed onto the hair, or coconut oil to try to repel them. You can even buy special shampoos to avoid them.
If you do end up with a kid with head lice, one of our facebook regulars had some great advice:
“As a stylist, lice are a huge pain in the backside but that’s about it. They sell treatments over the counter at all pharmacies. Do as the instructions suggest, and most important, pull all the eggs off that are cemented in about 1/2″-1″ away from the scalp. Treatment may have to be repeated and wash all the bedding, hats, scarves in HOT water, and anything that can’t get washed, stuffed toys, etc. toss, or stick in a bag and throw them outside to freeze or in your freezer. They won’t live off the scalp after a couple of days, as they need body heat, but if kids play with the same toys that may have lice on them, it will reoccur. Just check the kids faithfully behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. Louse are really small so they may get missed, but you want to catch them before they lay eggs because then there are several live ones that will lay eggs in a cycle. A good sign that there is a louse that has laid the eggs is the cemented dandruff looking watch spots near the root that do not move unless you pull them off. Dandruff or dry scalp flakes usually move easily just by shaking the hair up a little. The little combs that come in the kits don’t work well enough…better to pull them off with your fingers. Sounds gross but totally not harmful to you. Just do the treatment first to kill off anything that is alive.” A big thanks to Roberta for the real world advice!
A gross topic, but knowing a bit in advance can definitely help save you money if and when it happens – also to keep it from reoccuring. What are your tips for avoiding lice, or dealing with them? Have you gotten a lot of notes from school? Has anyone used one of those services that comes to clean your house?