It’s one of every mother’s biggest fears, head lice – big-time nightmare. Well guess what? Your kid got it; now let’s do what we’ve got to do to get rid of it.
Don’t Panic
I repeat, panicking will do no good in this situation (or any other situation for that matter), and it will freak your child out and may even send wild signals to their self esteem.
Before we begin treatment it’s important to understanding lice behavior. A typical life cycle of a louse is about 30 days. The first sign of lice would be seeing an adult louse or lice on or near the scalp. Lice are usually transmitted from head to head, but could be hanging out in a hat that Polly wants Sally to try on because she just knows how cute it will look on her. Lice are human parasites and can’t survive without our heads for very long. The lice adult females lay eggs, which are called nits. These nits usually hatch within 7-10 days, the hatchlings are baby lice called nymphs. Nymphs take about 5-10 days to reach sexual maturity, at which point they can lay eggs and start a vicious cycle. The nymphs are about the size of a grain of sand, and the nits are about the size of a piece of dust. I kid you not, these suckers are tiny! So tiny that professional lice removers use magnifying lights to spot the nits and nymphs. Don’t fret though, they can be seen with the naked eye. The whole goal here is to break the cycle. No nits = no lice, so nit picking (ever wonder where the saying “don’t be so nit picky” comes from?) is essential to ridding yourself of these parasites. One little nit is all it takes to start the cycle all over again, this is why if you choose to use over the counter treatments like RID or NIX they instruct you to retreat in 7 days, so any newly hatched nymphs will be killed before they are able to lay eggs.
Treat (kill the bugs)
There are many over the counter treatments and many natural treatments. If you choose an over the counter treatment like RID or NIX be aware that sometimes the bugs are resistant to these chemicals and although they may do a good job, a good idea would be to follow up with a natural treatment in 2-3 days. When using over the counter treatments it’s very important to follow the manufacturer’s directions to ensure the best possible result. Usually their treatments look something like this;
1. Apply special shampoo and leave on for 10 minutes.
2. Rinse hair (you should see some dead bugs rinsing out).
3. Apply special gel to aid in combing out bugs and nits with the special comb.
4. Wash all bedding, jackets, hats etc of each person affected in hot, hot water.
Vacuum carpets and couches, bag and seal stuffed animals for 4 weeks to starve
any stowaways.
5. Repeat in 7 days.
If you choose to do the initial treatment naturally there are a ton of different techniques out there. Mayonnaise & olive oil will suffocate the bugs, while things like Listerine, Vodka, and Denorex Extra Strength shampoo will straight up kill them, and vinegar helps to loosen the ‘glue’ the lice use to attach the eggs to the hair shaft.. A natural treatment looks like this;
1. Apply mayonnaise to hair in sections of about 1 inch, being sure to go all the way to the scalp, massaging into scalp. Wrap head in plastic wrap or plastic bag then cover with a shower cap or hat to help hold it in place and add a little heat. Leave on for at least 2 hours or even overnight. This will suffocate the bugs. In addition you could mix the mayo with some vinegar in a bowl, whip it up until it looks like cupcake batter and then apply. The vinegar will help loosen the nits as I mentioned. You could even tell your kiddo you’re having a cupcake hair party. Now while you have the plastic on the head, eat a cupcake and take a deep breath.
2. Wash hair (a dandruff shampoo with zinc works good, the zinc helps to kill them), put conditioner in the hair and leave it in to aid in combing out the nits.
3. Use a lice/nit comb to comb out the hair. Comb about 1 inch sections at a time, if it is longer hair you are working on it’s a good idea to clip the hair after each section. It’s easiest to begin from the bottom of the back of the head. Using paper towels to wipe the comb after each pass clears the comb of bugs and nits, and also allows you to see what you are getting out. Be sure to put the paper towels in a sealed bag and dispose of them. The combing is the most essential part of ridding yourself of lice. You must comb every day. Maybe your little one could use a little song and dance at this point? A little comic relief?
Comb, comb, comb your hair, every single day, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
this is how the lice will go away. (To the tune of ‘Row, Row Your Boat’)
Now end the song and get back to work. When you’re done combing all the hair and you feel satisfied that you’ve found all the bugs and nits, rinse the hair, take another deep breath, and get ready to clean.
You’ll want to wash all bedding, jackets, hats etc. of anyone being treated in hot, hot water. You may even want to turn up your hot water heater for this job. Next, vacuum carpets and any upholstery where affected people have sat. You don’t have to go crazy here, remember the bugs can’t live long after they leave the scalp. Washing floors is not necessary, but if it helps you feel better – do it for good measure. If you are really roaring to go, get your spring clean on sister (or brother)! There. Now, don’t you feel better? Now, go take a shower and get some rest. Your work won’t be done for a few weeks. Diligence is necessary for successfully getting rid of lice.
Repeating Treatments Until You Are Free & Clear
If you used an over the counter treatment, you’ll want to retreat in 7 days as I mentioned above. If you used a natural remedy, you can treat as frequently as you like, but every 2-3 days is good. Maybe the next treatment you use the olive oil instead of the mayo. You can saturate the head with vinegar to help loosen the nit ‘glue’, but olive oil really helps comb those nits out too. If you are finding nymphs or nits when you are combing out the hair with the lice comb, you’ll want to retreat in a few days until you are free and clear. You’ll want to rewash bedding after any treatment that you find nymphs, because of course; this means an egg or eggs have hatched. You should continue daily head checks for at least 3 weeks once you are free and clear to be sure there is not another infestation.
Communicate (but not too much!)
Tell the school nurse, but other than that keep it private. You’ll want the nurse to know so he or she can check the whole class. The last thing you want is for your child to have to go through this again. Some kids can be cruel, and let’s face it, the adults connected to those kids can be even crueler (the kids learned how to be mean somewhere). So, there’s really no reason to tell Sally’s mama that your child has lice, when you know she’s going to have it posted on Facebook within 5 minutes and then the whole PTO is telling their kids to avoid your kid like the plague. If you know you are being diligent about checking and treating your child’s head, there is no reason to spread the word. The teasing and bullying could go on for years to come.
Feeling a little insecure about having play dates in your house right away? Fine, take a break from play dates for a few weeks. You deserve the rest. Get some sleep, but don’t obsess about the fact that your child got lice. Obsessing about it will only cause stress for you and your family. So, pull up your boot straps, or in this case – your nit pickers, get the job done, and move on with your life.
Future Prevention
Moving forward it’s all about prevention. Lice can’t stand the smell of coconut, tea tree oil, or peppermint, and all of these can help repel lice. You can use a yummy smelling coconut shampoo and conditioner. There are some on the market with tea tree oil in them. You could also put 10 drops or so of tea tree oil and/or peppermint essential oil in a spray bottle with water in it and mist it on your child’s head in the morning before school. It makes for shinny pretty hair too! Girls with long hair can always wear braids, especially in spring when it’s high lice season. Also, talking to your kids about not wearing other kids’ hats, scarves, and hair accessories is a good idea. Now may also be a good time to discuss staying in our own personal space while at school.
Good luck friends!
