Head Lice Season - NOW OPEN!

The letters are going home in their schoolbags…..head lice season is back!

How do you prevent your little ones from catching those itty-bitty critters and how to get rid of them once the scratching starts.

Firstly, here are some interesting facts:

• Estimated every one in ten children suffer from head lice and 80% of head lice infestations occur in children between the ages 4-16

• Lice do not fly or jump. They can only be passed through direct or very close head contact (or sharing hats, combs, accessories)

• They may be small, but an adult can crawl 23cm in 1 minute! Impressive.

• Studies have shown that head lice prefer sweet blood and don’t like testosterone so females are more of a target

• Head lice like clean hair

• They feed by injecting saliva into your scalp and sucking the blood out, Eew!!!

The life cycle of Head lice:

• Nits (eggs) take 7-11 days to mature and hatch

• The baby louse takes 9-12 days to grow to an adult (size of a sesame seed)

• Once an adult, it needs to find a mate

• 24 hours after pairing, the female lays her eggs and will continue day after day

• If head lice don’t have contact to fresh blood supply, they will die after 48 hours

Is it just dandruff?

Dandruff is flaky, white in colour and irregular in shape. If you brush or flick the dandruff flake, it fall away.

Eggs, however, stick to the hair shaft, it is more dense and brown in colour (if it is white, the egg has hatched) and it is oval in shape.

Many people find that the head lice come back 3-4 weeks later. This is either from re-catching again or they weren’t fully cleared in the first place. The lice may have been removed but not all the eggs and 3-4 weeks later, they have all hatched.

Prevention:

The best way to prevent head lice making their home in your hair, is to keep hair tied up in a bun or plait. Spraying a little Tea tree oil in a water spray bottle daily onto the hair can stop the critters from grabbing on and the smell is very strong for them.

Head lice and school:

Unfortunately, if your child has lead lice, they need to stay away from school and contact with others until treatment has been completed.

You have lice?! – The combing technique

Have your child sit down in front of you (putting a good movie on helps). Starting with dry hair and from the nape of the neck, section the hair. Squirt on some conditioner, paying particular attention to the root area (where they usually are), gently comb through hair with a fine tooth comb wiping the conditioner on a towel, revealing the lice. Work your way up to the top of the hair taking small sections, applying conditioner and combing through.

This technique avoids shampoos and chemical treatments but it usually only removes the lice not any unhatched eggs. This process can be time consuming but will need to be repeated every 3-4 days for the next 2 weeks after that to ensure all are gone.

Over the counter shampoos/ treatments:

Shampoos for treating head lice can be bought from supermarkets and chemists; they can be quite affordable and also costly. No matter which one you choose to buy, always remember to follow directions carefully and you will always need to re apply 7-10 days after first application.

After time, head lice can become immune to the shampoo, making it difficult to get rid of. Perhaps trying another brand or technique can help.

Electric (zapping) combs:

These are the latest weapon for defeating the critters. The “Robi comb” is probably the best known product. The comb has metal teeth and is powered by batteries. You use the comb in your hair, combing until it comes in contact with a lice and it then zaps it! There are a lot of mixed feelings about this one saying the comb doesn’t work well on thick hair and it’s easy to miss as well as you still need to repeat the process.

A la naturale (home remedies):

• Smothering: coat the entire hair with olive oil, petroleum jelly or even mayonnaise (yes, that’s right!) mix mayonnaise and vinegar together, wrap in plastic and keep in overnight.

• Hands, good light and patience: in a good, natural light, section hair in small sections and remove each egg and lice one by one.

• Hair dryer: even though a hair dryer will not kill all the head lice, using a high setting and blowing them can kill some but will need other treatment. (Using hot irons will also kill head lice but we need to remember head lice live close to the scalp and getting a hot iron/straightener is not recommended close to your scalp – ouch!

Lastly, remember once treatment has finished, it is recommended washing all brushes, combs, hair accessories, pillowcases in hot sterile water. Vacuuming carpets/lounges is also a good idea.

All the best!

Lisa (Kids Kuts)