Now that the holiday season has wrapped up, and with the celebration of a new year, you may find unwelcome guests have taken up residence in your child’s hair. Any of your visiting loved ones could have unknowingly been propagating a case of head lice, and passed them onto a member of your household. Discovering head lice in your child’s hair is not what we envision when referring to the ‘Season of Sharing’.

Many parents feel a sense of guilt upon discovering head lice in their child’s hair. After working for years in the industry, I can honestly say this should not be the case.  Those little critters are so darn tiny, unless you know what you’re looking for, discovering head lice can literally be like finding a needle in a haystack.

The question clients most commonly ask, after discovering head lice in their child’s hair and removing them is, “How can I prevent my child from getting head lice again?” There are a few things that help reduce your child’s risk, the first is keeping long hair pulled back in a braid, ponytail, or bun at all times. The second is a mint preventative spray, which acts as a repellent. Neither of these head lice prevention methods are foolproof. Yet, there are things a parent can do to help to catch a head lice infestation early on.

To help you in discovering head lice, we recommend that you comb your child’s hair out once a week, using the Terminator Comb. Checking your child’s hair for head lice is relatively easy and doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Beforehand, wet their hair with water, or preferably mint spray. Using your Terminator comb, start at the scalp, and comb all the way to the end of the hair. Next, swipe the comb on a paper towel. This will make it easier to discover head lice if they are present. If doing this once a week is too cumbersome, aim for twice a month. The goal is to discover a head lice outbreak as early as possible.

HEAD LICE!

Your child’s school just sent a note home letting parents know that a few students have it. The school advises all parents to watch for lice symptoms and, if symptoms of lice present themselves, to make sure all lice have been removed from your child’s hair before sending your child back to school. Of course, you’ve heard of head lice. The very name strikes fear in the hearts of many. When you were growing up, the only kids you remember who had lice symptoms were the ones who never washed their hair. To bust a common myth, lice do not care how clean a person’s hair is. Some even suggest lice like clean hair because it allows them to more easily attach eggs.

So, what are head lice? While they don’t burrow under the skin, they do suck blood. Lice very rarely cause diseases, unlike fleas and ticks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t keep other children from teasing kids who do have lice. Head lice are very easily spread from one person to another, and they are very hard to kill. Each year between 6-12 million people get head lice, more generally infecting individuals with long hair rather than short hair. Lice infestations are most common in children between the ages of 5 and 12.

Here are some head lice symptoms that may indicate someone has head lice:

• An itchy scalp – Half of all people who have a lice infestation are allergic to the saliva of the lice. This triggers a reaction that causes intense itching. Itching develop two weeks after initial infestation
• Something moving on your scalp – Have you ever had an ant or a piece of sand on your scalp? Lice can feel the same way.
• Scalp Irritation – Your scalp can become red and inflamed due to scratching or bites from the lice.
• Redness or Swelling on the Neck or Around the Ears – Lice like warmth, and the neckline and around the ears are the warmest areas on your head.
• Nits (or Lice Eggs) – If your child has what looks like dandruff but it is stuck to the hair, it may be nits. White or light colored nits are probably empty egg sacks. Brown nits probably still have lice larvae inside.
• Unusual Tiredness – Lice continue to be active at night. Itching can keep many up all night, which leads to abnormal sleep patterns and tired, cranky kids and parents.
• Other Family Members or Friends Have Head Lice – Head lice are very easy to spread. Even if you take precautions like not sharing combs, brushes or other hair items, lice can spread quickly.

Keep these symptoms of head lice in mind, the earlier you discover head lice, the easier it is to get rid of them.