Guide to Head Lice Removal

When your child is sent home with head lice, it is easy to fly into a panic. How did they get it? How can you get rid of it? Didn’t they listen to you when you told them not to share hats and hairbrushes with their friends?

Stay calm. Head lice infestation is actually very common, especially in children who are in school or in regular contact with other kids. Instead of worrying about how it happened, just focus on fixing the problem. Here’s how to do so without losing your sanity or tons of money in the process:

Reality Check

Why do we panic when we encounter head lice? Because we see our child with a head full of tiny parasites and we worry that they will fall ill or become a social pariah.

Time for some truth. Head lice are not dangerous. They are not known to spread disease; the only real symptom associated with a lice infestation is itching. With that in mind, it is easier to focus on finding a good treatment option for your kids without making rash decisions.

Keep the Problem at Bay

Once you know your child has brought home head lice, do your best to contain the problem. Do not need to avoid contact with your child altogether, but keep kids from hugging one another, avoid sharing hats, brushes, or other items that touch the head and hair, and separate any children who typically share a bed if one has head lice.

Be sure to wash all headwear, pillowcases, and soft brushes that your child has recently used after you find out about the infestation. This will help prevent the infestation from spreading to others and from returning to your child’s head once you have treated them.

Choose a Treatment

There are several approaches to treating lice. The first that most parents reach for are over-the-counter kits that include medicated shampoos and lice nit combs. The shampoo includes a blend of chemicals that will usually kill adult lice with a single application. (It may take time for the lice to actually die, but generally, within a week all adult lice will be gone.)

The comb includes with these kits is the agent that will actually help remove lice. By thoroughly combing your child’s hair, you can dislodge the dying adult lice, as well as the nits (eggs) and nymphs that are likely present.

It is important to note that when you remove lice from the head, you may not be able to remove nits. Lice attach their eggs very securely to the hair, and even if the eggs are nonviable - or dead - they may remain attached to the hair for several weeks. This can be disturbing to see, but as long as the eggs do not hatch, the infestation is considered cured.

If you are experiencing difficulty in removing lice from your child’s hair, consult your physician for a prescription treatment or a different option from the first one you tried. It may take several weeks, but eventually, the infestation will be beaten - and your child will be fine, even in the meantime.

About This Author

Lara Gill Joined: October 27th, 2018