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.