Head Lice

Having head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene, nor a lack of frequent hair washing; it is a part of growing up associated with Daycare and School for children. Do not worry too much about how they get, or where they get from; all parents need to focus on the problem that is how to get rid of them effectively.

Unlike human body lice, head lice do not transmit any infectious disease but they are unnerving, annoying, frustrating and give parents a headache. It gave me goose bumps when my children and all their belongings were sent home from school one day due to head lice found in one of their little friends. The infestations can be spread by direct contact with hairs of an infested person. I did not realize that lice are a very common problem for kids aged 3 to 11 years old until I was forced to read about them. It is estimated at least 6 to 12 million cases of head lice infestation occur each year in the U.S. It is less a problem among boys, because one can always shave their hairs to reduce infestation if it is O.K. with them. I did not shave my boys' head because luckily they did not have head lice. But it is an important lesson to learn in case I need to treat them in next 8 years, there are more things than shaving alone for me to know. Things to do if daycare has a head lice infestation:

1. Carefully check if your child has head lice: You could simply examine all area of scalp for the sign of live lice or eggs. Head lice can be seen by naked eyes; the adult head lice are about 2-3 mm in length, similar to sesame seeds. The eggs called nits are brown (unhatched) or white (hatched), they are small. In a infested person, head lice and nits are found in the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears, near the neckline at the back of the head.
   


2. Comb their hair using a metal nit comb or an electronic lice comb. The electronic lice comb carry a small electric charge which kill lice and nits on contact. Combing can effectively remove the lice and eggs, and combing can offer a solid examination to insure that there is no louse on a child's hairs. Nit combs have fine teeth and it may become painful if one brushes too hard. So please be gentle and slow when combing.
   


3. Clean child's hairs with shampoo and check the presence of lice and nits again. Some stores sell lice prevention shampoo which are nature products, such as TLC (total Lice control shampoo), Zippity Doo's Shampoo for children. I have not found concrete evidence for their effectiveness. Some webs described that mayonnaise, Vaseline, olive oil or tea tree oil can kill head lice, but it is not being tested. I am not sure how effective they are. It will be nice if natural products can control the lice infestation, nobody would like to put pesticides or pediculicide to their child's head. Some research laboratories or government agents should carefully examine and evaluate the myth. The fact is that millions of people have head lice every year, it is epidemic.
   


4. Wash their daycare belongings (bedding, towels, sheets, clothes, toys…): Use hot water in a washing machine with detergents. Drying them in high heat
   


5. to kill lice and nits. Soak combs and hair brushes in hot water for 15 minutes and do not share combs and brushes if anyone may have head lice. Lice cannot survive in the low temperature, so freeze small suspected items if it is manageable. Clean and bag the items that are not applicable to heat or freeze treatment in tightly sealed plastic bags, put them away for two weeks.
   


6. Vacuum carpets, pillows, mattress and furniture.
   

Treatment is considered only when live lice or eggs are found.

• Trim hairs shorter to reduce the area of infestation. Shaving hairs may be too extreme for some family but cutting hairs shorter should be a compromised method.
  


• Mechanically remove head lice and nits by frequent combing. It is a time-consuming method, however, it is very effective and it is safe, no chemical is applied.
  


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  Both over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for treatment of head lice.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Pyrethrins-Rid, Triple X, A-200…Pyrethrins can only kill live lice but not unhatched eggs. The shampoo is used with a lice comb (Rid 1-2-3 Lice elimination system).
    
  
  
  • Permethrin lotion 1%-Nix, it is not approved for use in children younger than 2 years old. Similar to Rid, nix only kill live lice but not unhatched eggs.
    
  
  
  • Dimthicone-LiceMD. This product is not traditional lice shampoo and has no chemical to kill lice. Instead, the manufacture claims to use physical mode of action to detangle hairs, so lice and nits can be removed by comb. I like this idea of no pesticide on the head, and definitely will give this a try first, before I am forced to put the chemicals on the little heads.
    


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  Prescription medications
  
  
  
  
  
  • Malathion lotion
    
  
  
  • Lindane shampoo
    

The use of lindane is controversy. Because of its potential toxic effects, it is banned in other countries but not in the US. All medicines may have side effects.

The symptoms of head lice infestations are itchy scalp from the lice bites, red infected bit marks, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Head lice links:

Head Lice information sheet

Head Lice treatment for kids.

Head lice identification and treatment.

CDC head lice treatment.