There’s a note in your child’s hand when he or she comes home and it’s from their school, informing you there’s been a case of lice discovered. The infected child was sent home, of course, but because it was your child’s class, you’re advised to check your child carefully for head lice. You cringe, hope not and proceed to check your child’s hair from side to side, front to back and there! Near the base of his or her neck, small oval-shaped nits that can be easily mistaken for dandruff are on some of the strands of your child’s hair near the scalp.
Don’t panic. Head lice are nasty little pests to deal with and the removal process can be cumbersome but you can get rid of head lice. It is important to understand that simply shampooing and conditioning your child’s hair with regular hair care products will not remove the nits. You must get a head lice kit or use a home remedy to get rid of head lice.
Head lice nits that are attached to the hair are eggs that hatch within one week. So it is possible to get rid of head lice in your child’s hair while they are still nits if you detect them early and conduct the removal process right away. Once the eggs hatch, baby head lice, known as nymphs, grow into adult head lice, called louses, after 7 days.
Both the nymph and louse attach themselves to the hair and feed on a regular diet of blood. Although an adult louse has a life span of about 30 days, during that time, the louse not only feeds but lays more eggs, which can create an infestation.
If you choose to use a head lice kit, follow the directions carefully. Make sure to use the nit comb provided in the kit and do a complete comb-thru on your child’s entire head. Some lice kits require a complete repeat application a few days later. You must do both applications if this is the case to ensure that all of the nits, nymphs and louses are gone.
Consult with your doctor for a medicated prescription to kill head lice. Home remedies include covering the head with mayonnaise to suffocate the lice or coating the hair completely with olive oil and leaving it covered overnight.
It is imperative to wash the clothing and bedding where the infected has slept. It is also very important to examine everyone else in the house and to treat everyone who is infected and to wash clothing and bedding for them as well. Otherwise, head lice will travel back and forth from head to head.
Head lice are human parasites however, contracting head lice does not suggest you are not clean or do not practice proper hygiene for your child. Head lice actually attach themselves, and their nits, better to clean hair.
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