How can I prevent my child from getting lice?
This topic is going to make you itch. A lot! The thought of lice creeping through the family wardrobes and scalps is a spine tingling, head scratching notion; a notion many of us get to face as hard fact when that dreaded letter shows up from school. An outbreak of lice is no laughing matter, but it doesn’t need to cause fear and tears either. Let’s get the facts straight and squash those little buggers before a family epidemic arises.
Myth and Fact
Lice DO NOT jump (or fly, or swim). They are fast crawlers who like to be nice and warm and near their food source—human blood. The amount of heat our bodies throw off means that we—yes, adults and kids alike—are the perfect breeding grounds.
Cleanliness and personal hygiene have no effect on who gets lice and who doesn’t. Believe it or not, head lice much prefer clean hair over dirty, but there are still preventative steps to take to make an infestation less likely.
Lice prevention starts with early detection. This means regular family head checks (2 to 3 times a week) at home while your kids are in school, or daycare, and in contact with so many other human heads. Snip-its stylists also do a check before every haircut.
What are you looking for? Adult lice resemble grayish brown sesame seeds in shape and size. You are also checking for eggs (tiny white dots that resemble dandruff) and nits (the empty eggshell that’s also dandruff-like, but extra sticky) near the scalp but attached to the hair shaft.
Because head lice are most commonly found on the scalp, behind the ears and near the neckline at the base of the head, the next step in prevention is to avoid head-to-head contact. Young ones who haven’t yet mastered the concept of body space, and teens jumping on the group selfie train are especially susceptible.
Teach your kiddos good habits: Avoid sharing hairbrushes, combs, hairclips, binders, hats, bike helmets, scarves, coats, towels and even headsets and earbuds. Sharing lockers, desks, clothes hooks and closet space is also a little precarious. Lice can survive 48 hours without a host; they have the time to crawl from article of clothing to article of clothing. Avoid these risky situations whenever possible. When all else fails, spray everything with a preventative spray, like the Ladibugs Mint Spray, available at Snip-its.
- Feeling something moving in the hair—even a light tickling feeling.
- Lots of itching—and not just from reading this post. An allergic reaction to the lice bites may cause uncontrollable scratching.
- Look for sores on the head caused by excessive scratching. These may be easier to spot than the actual head lice.
- Head lice are most active in the dark, so notice if your tiny tots are abnormally irritable and are having difficulty sleeping.
That’s why Snip-its offers Ladibugs Hair Care—a pesticide and chemical-free line of products using the highest quality ingredients and essential oils to prevent and treat head lice – even those pesky “Super Lice”. The Elimination Kit offers everything you need to rid those nasty nits for good!
Once treated, isolation and heat are paramount to stopping a lice relapse. Hot water laundry and high heat drying work wonders in the fight against head lice on all articles of clothing, bedding, car seats and hair accessories. Keeping your infected little one home from school is a good idea and typically the school and CDC protocol.
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The advice that you are being given is meant to assist with a problem, but since all information about the individual, is not known, it should not be taken as a definitive response. You should consult your personal provider, with specific problems.
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