Handling Head Lice
As soon as your son gets home from school you notice the itching. You examine his scalp for the telltale signs of eggs hatching. As soon as he remembers your son whips out a notice out of his backpack. It’s official—your child has been exposed to head lice.
Head lice refers to tiny insects the size of sesame seeds that like to burrow on your scalp, commonly infesting children age three to 12. Lice feeds on human blood. Itchy irritation occurs when the scalp reacts to the saliva of the feeding lice.
Often pale gray, the adult louse attaches its poppy-seed-size eggs with a glue-like substance to the hair shaft close to the scalp. The female louse live up to four weeks and lay 10 eggs a day. These eggs or nits are yellowish-tan or gray and attach themselves securely to the hair shaft close to the scalp. Eggs hatch in about a week. The resulting lice are able to reproduce in about another week.
Anyone can get head lice. It has nothing to do with personal hygiene. They exist primarily on young school-age children, and girls get it more often than boys, probably because they like to play in each other’s hair at school.
Lice cannot jump or fly but they can crawl 2 ½ to 12 inches per minute. They crawl from head to head and feed off human blood. Sharing items such as combs, hats, hair ribbons, headbands, hijabs, and all of these types of accessories can lead to the spread of lice.
White children are more likely to have lice (although it can also be found on Asian and Hispanic children). African-Americans have oval hair shafts which these bloodsuckers have difficulty attaching themselves.
It can be difficult to spot an adult loose. Often, you don’t see them because you could be looking on one side of your head and they be on the opposite side of the head.
There are certain steps you can take to become lice-free. Some folk remedies such as mayonnaise, olive oil, tea tree oil or kerosene have mixed reviews. The idea is to drown lice that is already attached to your hair. After, use a fine toothed comb to comb out the nits or eggs that are left behind.
Another option are lice-killing shampoos on the market like Nix. What makes it special is the active ingredient permethrin. Permethrin keeps working several days after application even though you will have to reapply. Another lice treatment product is Rid which contains pyrethin which doesn’t have the long-lasting effect of permethrin and isn’t recommended if you have a ragweed allergy.
You will have to do a thorough cleaning of your house from top to bottom. Don’t worry, lice can only survive for 48 hours off the head. Vacuum floors, rugs, pillows and upholstered furniture. Some experts recommend discarding the vacuum bag.
Clothing, linen and cloth toys worn or handled by the infected person during the two days before lice and nits were found should be washed in water hotter than 130 degrees Fahrenheit or machine dried at the hottest setting for at least 20 minutes.
Other articles may be dry-cleaned or sealed in plastic bags for at least 10 days to kill the nits. Combs and brushes need to soaked in disinfectant solutions.
Remember lice is not life-threatening, just annoying. It’s important to be diligent about getting rid of lice, nits and all. Follow the care instructions given to you from your doctor and/or your child’s school.
