I had a lousy day yesterday. Literally. I got a phone call from the school nurse that they did a school head check and my son had lice so I needed to come pick him up. How many of you will admit that you have gotten the same call? My guess is not many.
Because I’ve found, both from being a teacher and a parent, is that there is a stigma associated with having lice that makes it embarrassing and taboo to talk about. I get that lice are gross. Just thinking about it makes you squirm and your head itch. But the facts are that
1) it’s really common
2) they are highly contagious and
3) studies have shown that lice actually prefer clean hair (so it isn’t a statement about poor hygiene)
It can happen to anyone.
What a lot of people don’t understand is that by keeping quiet about it, we are increasing the number of cases of lice in our community. Think about it: by the time your child starts to scratch, he has likely already had it for a few weeks. You should immediately alert the school, day care and/or any parents of the children that your child has been in contact with, especially if it involved a sleepover, dress-up play, wrestling around or other close contact. If everyone is working at the same time to get rid of the lice, the chances are better that your child won’t be re-infested. If you keep quiet, the kid who your child gave lice to last week will give it right back to him the day after you finish treatment…. and so on.
So, my point is this… get over the embarrassment. Suck up the fact that it happens to everyone (or could, probably has or most likely will) and when it happens to you, be courageous and make the calls.
By the way, I highly recommend a non-toxic treatment. It is more work, but also more effective, less likely to recur, it’s cheap and… well, it’s not poison. The one we use involves regular old Pantene conditioner, baking soda and a good nit comb to remove every last louse and nit. And if you are in a more populated area and don’t want to do it yourself and willing to pay for someone else to do the work, there are plenty of people who will do it for you.
[read a related story in the New Yorker]
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I hate lice. Just talking about it makes me itchy. Within the last 20 minutes we received a school-wide email stating that several classrooms have been infected with lice. They are taking a proactive approach and head checking every child in every classroom today, tomorrow and Friday. I’m glad to see the school being proactive and letting everyone know what is happening. You are right, lice happens and it is something we will all have to deal with at some point…I’m just thankful that my washing machine has a “sanitize” option!
PS: Can you go into more detail regarding the Pantene & Baking Soda method?
This method works by hand removing every nit and bug, as opposed to the pesticide types that attemp to just kill them. The problem with the latter (in addition to being toxic), is that over time, lice are building resistance and even becoming immune to the chemicals, so there is no way to be 100% sure the treatment has been effective unless every egg has been removed anyway, so you may as well skip them.
Each egg is attached to the strand of hair with a very strong bond. That’s where the baking soda comes in, as the gritty texture scours the nit off using a VERY fine toothed, professional-quality nit comb (the cheap ones that come with lice shampoo are not that great). Without the baking soda, the comb alone may not pull it off.
The Pantene conditioner, thickly slathered through dry hair, is just to make the comb go through. It’s also pure white, so it makes it easier to see what you’ve pulled out.
So….
Step 1: thickly slather Pantene conditioner through well brushed, dry hair.
Step 2: section hair into manageable pieces that you will be able to keep track of.
Step 3: sprinkle a bit of baking soda at the scalp, on each section as you comb.
Step 4: comb thoroughly, making sure you comb every strand. After each stroke, wipe onto a white tissue or paper towel section (looking for bugs or nits). Continue combing each section until the comb is clear of them.
You must be very very thorough of course… You should re comb after a day or two to be absolutely sure you have gotten them all.
There are lots of options for lice treatment, but the best solution is to arm yourself with information, and be patient. There are no magical cures for lice – just persistence and practice, in combination with weekly head checks.
Agreed. Nonetheless, I’d rather practice something else. Thanks for commenting
We use a natural repel shampoo at home in hopes that the little buggers never find their way on to my children’s head. If its true they prefer clean hair I also hope they dislike rosemary just as much. I don’t want to think about the lengthy process of removing lice from one child let alone multiple children.