Head Lice Treatments
It is important to get started on head lice treatments right away once you ascertain that you or your child has head lice. Other than treating the hair, you will also need to find out what you or your child may have come into contact that causes lice infestation.
The first step is getting treatment the hair. You can select from the many over the counter shampoos that will kill lice in addition to prescription shampoos, cream rinses or lotions. Be sure to follow the directions stated on the bottle so that the treatment will work well. Most lice shampoos require you to apply on dry hair, leave it on for about ten minutes and then rinse if off. After this, you will need a fine-toothed lice comb to remove the dead lice and the nits from the hair, which is easier to do so when the hair is still wet. This process should be repeated for another seven to ten days to make sure that any remaining or newly hatched lice from undetected eggs are thoroughly eliminated.
Lice usually cannot survive for more than 2 days once the leave the host (host here also mean the human scalp). Besides doing head lice treatments, you will also need to spring clean and disinfect some areas of your home and find out what could what could probably cause you or your child to have lice. Start by washing blankets and covers for bed, pillows and quilt in hot water and put them in the dryer on hot cycle for about 20 minutes so that any lice on it will be killed. You can also put other things like quilts, pillows, bolsters or even stuff toys in the dryer if you don’t want to wash them in the washing machine. You can send to dry clean things that are non-machine washable like knit wear clothes or items. Some plush toys that cannot be washed in the washer or dry in the dryer can be placed in an airtight bag for two weeks. This will cut out all the oxygen supply to the lice. If its winter and it’s freezing outside, you can place the bag in a colder place like your garage or your yard for two weeks, as this will ensure all the lice are eliminated thoroughly. You will also need to vacuum the carpets and all upholstered furniture thoroughly, and also vacuum your car as well. Soak all hair grooming items like barrettes, headbands, combs, hair ties, hair bands and brushes etc in rubbing alcohol or simply throw them away if you can.
If you happen to have more children but only one has head lice, you should then treat it as if all your children have it. Although lice do not have wings and cannot fly or jump, they can crawl and can be spread via direct contact. Thus, it is highly likely that other children in the same family might have gotten lice that have not been detected.
Therefore, be diligent in following through with the head lice treatments. Head lice infestation is a serious problem and if it’s not being treated, the lice will continue to multiply and thrive until the whole head is infested. Wash your bed and pillow covers in the washer and throw the pillows and bolsters into the dryer for 20 minutes everyday. You can also put anything that is too time consuming to wash daily into the dryer instead. Do this for about 1 week so as to ensure that all the lice are completely removed from your home. Prevent your children to share hair related items like hats, hair bands, hair ties, combs etc. during this period and make sure the girls tie their hair when in school during the day. Just bear in mind that head lice treatments are not just about removing lice on hair, but also in your house.
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