Lice has got to be one of the most annoying part of being a parent - just the idea of your child contracting lice terrifies parents - and with good reason! Lice are stubborn, irritating, and a huge inconvenience. But, personally, I think the worst thing about kids contracting lice is the effect it has on the kids. For some unknown reason, there is still an idea that lice is caused by poor hygiene - which is utterly ridiculous. Also, when a child contracts lice, the school must be immediately informed, which leads other children to being ostracized by other kids ( at their parents' request), and we all know how tactful and pleasant children can be. It leads children to feel like there is something physically wrong with them, as if they, themselves, caused this to happen.
There are some myths about lice that are very true, but there are also some myths that are not and I would like to, at the request of one my readers, provide you with this lice-myth-busting article, as well as give you some tips and tricks to be rid of them forever.
Know, however, that with these tips, I can't make ridding yourselves of lice easier, there are some choices you will need to make and you need to decide whether or not any one of these choices are good for your family. Also know, I am not a physician - no information I give here can replace the information/advice given to you by your physician. If you're really very concerned, contact your family doctor before trying any of these tips.
Personal Experience
As a child, I was really fortunate to be able to "escape" the lice epidemic that seems to plague all elementary schools. I had wild, curly hair so I'm sure they would have loved using my head as their home, but thankfully, it never happened. I did have a few friends, however, who contracted lice, so I understood how lonely a place it must have been. Once kids know you have lice, they're told by their parents to stay as far away from you as possible, and kids can be less than tactful - especially young girls.
However, I didn't escape it forever. When I was 17 and going through my rebellious phase, I was living with a boyfriend (well, technically - he lived three doors down from my parents) and he lived with quite a few other people: his stepfather and his girlfriends, his stepfather's best friend and his wife, plus their two young girls. The house was big enough for everyone and at no time did I find it to be excessively messy or dirty (actually, surprisingly, for having that many people living in the home, it was very well taken care of). I'm telling you this just so that you can gain some perspective on the environment we were living in. The living room was the main area where everyone hung out and it contained a very big corduroy-type sectional couch. You could literally fit like 10 people on that couch.
One of the little girls we lived with, who was 3 at the time, had a severe case of head lice, but her mother had never informed anyone - which is ignoring the golden rule of lice - make sure everyone in your house is aware! That being said, however, it still took me over 4 months to contract it. All of us hung out on that couch but I never contracted it from the couch, and neither did anyone else. One day, I'd gotten out of the shower and realized I'd forgotten my brush in the bedroom - with that many people in the house, I didn't want to get caught scampering back to my room and then back to the bathroom, so I used the little girl's brush. Well! Within days, I was insanely itchy. I had all the signs - itchy behind my ears, under my ponytail and so on, but I refused to admit it.
Finally, I got someone in the house to check for me. She sat behind me and moved my hair. I was expecting a full on search so when I realized she wasn't touching my hair anymore, I turned around and she was scratching her face looking guilty. She said, "You're infested."
I was completely devastated. I told my boyfriend (but never told anyone else) and we went immediately to the drug store where he bought me all the supplies I would need to get rid of it. He washed my hair and we spent hours sitting on the bed while he combed through it. We vacuumed his bedroom inside and out (I resolved then to no longer hang out in the living room, and if I did, it would be on the floor), vacuumed the mattress and put every items of clothing and bedding in the dryer at high heat. For two days, we continued washing my hair and combing it out. It was lengthy, but I was sure we had gotten it all out.
We didn't. It took me MONTHS. Every time it seemed like they were gone, I'd find a little one in a random strand of hair. After a while, my head stopped itching, and if I looked for them, I couldn't find them. But sometimes, I'd be watching TV and would be twirling my hair in my fingers and I'd look into my hair and see one. I kept using the shampoo and kept combing, but it just seemed like no matter what I did, they wouldn't go away. I stopped telling my boyfriend and I still never told any of my friends. I know now how irresponsible it was but it was so embarrassing! Not only did I have lice I couldn't get rid of, but I was 17 years old!
Eventually, my boyfriend and I moved out and got our own place, but still, they wouldn't go away. It wasn't until one day, when I was looking for a change to make myself feel better, that I bought a box of hair dye and dyed my hair. It was a few days afterwards where I realized - THEY WERE GONE. And although I hadn't been vacuuming or washing the bedding as often as I should have been - they never came back.
So this is something that has perplexed me for a long time - if I had it for so long, and I eventually stopped trying to get rid of them, why is it that my boyfriend never caught them? Why is it that my girlfriends - who came over and chilled out on my couch - never got them?
I have a theory: because they don't live as well off the scalp as people say they do - and they're not as easy to get rid of as many people assume.
Myth Busting
1. Lice can easily transfer from one person to another.
MYTH
Lice cannot fly and they cannot jump - if they're going to get anywhere, they need to crawl. Many experts say that head-to-head contact can cause transference, but this head-to-head contact must be for a prolonged period of time if they're going to transfer from one head to another.
However, it can be easily transferred if one person uses a personal item of another person shortly after they've used it, ie: a comb, brush, toque, baseball hat. But because lice require blood to survive, they cannot live on these items for very long. Although it's best to practice never sharing personal items such as these, if you use a your friend's brush who had lice 6 months ago, you will not catch it.
2. You're more likely to get head lice if your hair is dirty.
MYTH
It doesn't matter if you wash your hair three times a day or once a week - lice love any kind of hair and if you're unlucky enough to come into contact with lice, they don't discriminate between levels of hygiene.
3. Head lice is EXTREMELY contagious
MYTH
Although head lice is easily transferable in certain situations, it's not as easy to contract head lice as people lead you to believe - which is why schools are now allowing children to come back to school once they have started treatment.
4. Head lice can live on furniture for weeks at a time. You can contract lice from an infected person's bedding, furniture, or clothing.
MYTH
As mentioned earlier, lice require human blood to survive. They won't crawl onto furniture if it doesn't contain the scent of blood. They can, however, be rubbed into furniture, but unless you put your head immediately in the same place, it's highly unlikely you'll contract it from furniture or bedding. But there are things you can do to ensure it isn't transferred through furniture (see below).
5. If you go to a lice removal service, it will be gone by the time you leave.
MYTH
Although these services are a lifesaver for parents who don't have the time to do the tedious combing, and are a lot more thorough, it is not guaranteed that the lice will be 100% removed.
6. Lice can "come back" without being re-contracted.
MYTH
If lice is 100% removed, it cannot come back - that's not how it works. However, it can seem like the lice has been completely removed, when it hasn't been, which would make it seem like it's "come back." Once you have done the initial treatment, you should continue doing the treatment (shampoo, combing) every few days for a few weeks to ensure it is gone.
Now that I may have gotten you questioning everything you've ever known about lice, I will ease your anxiety by offering some tips and solutions.
What To Do When Your Child Has Contracted Lice
First of all, DON'T PANIC. It's going to be OK! Try to take a deep breath and think about how your child is feeling right now before reacting - more than likely, he or she is going to feel pretty ashamed, and you need to remind your child that it's not their fault and that you can fix it.
There is a growing "argument" as to whether or not one should use a chemical treatment vs a comb treatment and my opinion is: USE BOTH! If you want to make sure it's all gone, do both! Yes, combing is tedious and unpractical for parents (as one article stated) the fact is - lice is super inconvenient no matter what - so doing all you can to get rid of it the first time is the best thing.
Arm yourself with:
Shampoo treatment. There are two types of lice removal treatments - insecticides and non-insecticides - it's up to you which one you'd prefer. As a parent, I would more than likely go the insecticide route as I feel this would be most effective, but this is my opinion and the choice is yours (see below for more information on products)
A regular comb
A lice comb
Tweezers
Detangler - the shampoo will make the hair a little porous which will make it knot easily
Bright light (would be best for many reasons to do this outside if possible)
Damp paper towel or glass of water
Glass of wine! (for mom or dad)
Most Effective Insecticide shampoo according to The Canadian Pediatric Society:
R&C shampoo + conditioner $11.99 for 50 mL, $33.99 for 200 mL
Notes: Pyrethrin, piperonyl butoxide. Made from natural chrysanthemum extracts
Neurotoxic to lice, but very low toxicity to humans
How to use:
Apply thoroughly to dry hair and scalp that does not have residue from a conditioner, gel, creamer other grooming product
Scrub through hair with a minimum of 25 ml
Let sit 10 min
Add a small amount of water to form lather and work into hair
Rinse well with cool water, minimizing exposure elsewhere on the body
Repeat treatment 7–10 days later
Interactions:
True allergic reactions are rare, but possible if allergy to ragweed is present
May cause an itchy or mild burning sensation on scalp (this is normal, however, if the feeling is intense, stop treatment and seek medical advice)
An acceptable treatment for confirmed cases of head lice in children ≥2 months of age
Most Effective Insecticide shampoo according to The Canadian Pediatric Society:
Resultz rinse $21.99 for 120 mL, $36.99 for 240 mL
Notes: 50% isopropyl myristate and 50% ST-cyclomethicone. Dissolves the waxy exoskeleton of lice, leading to dehydration and death.
How To Use:
Use a towel to prevent contact with eyes and to keep clothes dry
Keep eyes closed throughout process, including the 10-min wait time
Thoroughly apply to dry hair and scalp
30–60 mL for short hair, 60–90 mL for shoulder-length hair, 90–120 mL for long hair
Keep product on hair and scalp for 10 min
Rinse off with warm water
Repeat in 7 days
Interaction:
May cause local irritation
Not recommended for use on infants or children <4 years of age
If contact with eyes occurs, flush well with water immediately
Although it's very important to use the proper shampoo (and don't forget, many of these shampoos are designed to dehydrate the the lice, so your child's scalp may become very dry. Many lice removal product lines also carry a cream you can use after shampooing), the most important part of this treatment is the physical removal of all nits and eggs. Ensure you have the best comb possible.
Lice combs can range from cheap to expensive, but I would highly recommend going with the more expensive ones as they will be more durable and have higher technology. Whatever price you choose to go for, your comb should be:
made of stainless steel (not plastic)
have tines with spacing so small that you can barely see through
tines that contain grooves (the grooves will help dislodge the nits and break open the eggs)
To effectively use the comb:
Sit down and get comfortable; you'll be there for a little bit.
Wash the hair with the treatment shampoo ad directed on the product label.
Section hair off into tiny portions as if you're dying it. Start at the root of the hair (as close to the scalp as you can get) and comb through the hair to the very end - if your comb has grooves, try not force the comb if it gets stuck, it could pull some hair out.
Wipe the comb off with the damp paper towel. If you notice anything on the paper towel, be sure to remove it before wiping it again. You could even use a glass of water to dip and ensure everything is off the comb before returning it to the hair.
Use tweezers to remove any nits or eggs you see that the comb isn't or cannot remove (magnifying glasses would be very helpful with this)
Repeat this until you are no longer able to see anything. Don't forget - lice are quick little buggers and they don't like the light, so while you're parting, it's possible that they may scurry elsewhere, so it's best for you to do the full head two or three times to ensure it's completed.
Once you have done all this, remove the bedding and vacuum the mattress. Wash the bedding in hot water and put it in the dryer. Although it's unlikely that lice will transfer and live on things like teddy bears and inside pillows, to save you the anxiety, you can place them in a plastic bag and knot it shut. Leave it in the bag for about a week, wash in hot water, and put in the dryer.
A lot of people think that they need to do this vacuuming and washing every day to ensure it is gone, but it's really not necessary. I recommend doing the treatment, using the comb, and then putting a tight shower cap on your child when he or she is going to bed, perhaps even with one of the prevention sprays/creams.
It's important to also use these prevention sprays or creams every day either after your child has contracted it, or before it even happens. Popular prevention creams are:
Lavender oil shampoo/spray
Tea Tree Oil shampoo/spray
Making sure it's gone and doesn't come back
Like I said, if your child's lice keeps "coming back," it was never gone in the first place. It's highly unlikely that you will get it all in one sitting - regardless of whether or not you use a service. In fact, Lice Squad, the leader in lice removal services, states: "We guarantee the most thorough lice removal service possible and provide you with adequate follow-up instructions with directions depending on the level of service you have chosen. Some additional combing may be required to aesthetically ensure every last nit is gone. The subsequent combing is especially important... your additional combing will help prevent any new lice from setting up camp in your child’s hair." So no matter what, you need to follow up the initial treatment with consecutive combs just to be sure. Although you can probably be rid of most of it in one day, put it in your mind that this process generally takes a few weeks before you can be confident that it's gone.
But if your child is older, there are other options as well.
If you have a girl, who you feel is old enough, and you've done the treatments and the combing countless times and it just doesn't seem to want to go away, purchase a semi-permanent hair dye (can be the same colour as her current hair) and this will kill the dang things in their tracks.
If you have a boy - shave his head. Easy Peasy!
I hope this article helps. I realize it's a lot of information but the more information you have, the more equipped you are in handling this super-annoying issue. And thank you to one of my readers who suggested this for an article! Great idea!
Now that my own scalp is irritated from scratching while writing this article, I hope you find something in here that helps!
Have any questions or comments? Have any tips you have found to work? Leave them below!
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