What are head lice?
The head louse is a small, multi-legged organism that feeds on human blood. The color may be gray or brown. The female louse lay eggs, also known as nits, which are attached to the hair shaft with a cementing material near the root. The nits appear to be pearly in color and teardrop in shape. They cling to the hair shaft and are difficult to brush or scrape off. Head lice do not jump or fly and generally cannot survive longer than 24 hours off the host.
Preventing Head Lice:
Infestations are not prevented by personal or household cleanliness, use of shampoo or length of hair. All social and economic groups can be affected by head lice.
It is impossible to totally prevent head lice infestations. Young children come into close head-to-head contact frequently. One way to attempt to prevent the spread is to be proactive at home. Some good strategies to follow at home are; inspecting hair and scalp daily, instruct your child not to share any personal items, and notify the school nurse of any suspected infestations.
Signs of an infestation:
Some signs of head lice are; tickling feeling of the head, itching of the scalp, Irritability and difficulty sleeping and sores on the head. Live head louse and nits are most commonly found behind the ears and at the nape of the neck.
Treatment for head lice:
The best option is to reach out to your child’s healthcare provider for advice on the best treatment plan and to follow their direction as well as the product label. Typically, over-the-counter or prescription shampoo, lotion, or cream rinse is used to treat head lice infestations. If active head lice are seen 8-12 hours after treatment, you may need to try a different product. Please ONLY treat for active lice, do not treat as a preventative measure. The nits must be brushed or scraped off of the hair shafts.
There is no guarantee that any product will completely kill all the eggs. It is extremely important that the hair and scalp continue to be thoroughly checked. Most products recommend a second treatment 7-10 days after the first treatment in order to kill any lice from newly hatched eggs.
Home Remedies:
Many alternatives to head lice products are promoted because of treatment failures. But, there is little proof that these methods are effective at killing the lice and nits on the head. Some of these remedies include olive oil, mayonnaise, tea tree oil, and petroleum jelly and hair dryers. Never use harsh substances such as kerosene or gasoline. Do not use pesticides (bug spray) that are not registered for treatment of lice.
Head Lice in the home:
Head lice do not infest the house, but must be removed from the house hold items to prevent future infestations. Bed linens and recently used clothes, hats and towels should be washed in very hot water. Personal items (brushes, combs and hair clips) should also be washed in hot soapy water or thrown out. If there are any items that are not able to be washed and may have come in contact with the head of the infested person, tightly bagging the items for 2 weeks may be done. All household members should be checked and treated if there is any evidence of active lice or nits.