Information on Headlice
  THE WORLD OF LICE AND NITS:

When a person in your family gets head lice, your life can get very hectic.   But the more you know about lice prevention and treatment, the better off you and everyone else will be! The purpose of this information is to provide you with the most current information about head lice.  This information has been gathered by Healthcare Professionals. 

THE LIFE CYCLE OF LICE:

An adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed.  When a female louse finds its way onto the head of a person, she starts laying eggs, or nits, along with a glue that firmly attaches the nits to the hair close to the scalp.  An adult female can deposit 6 to 8 nits in 2 days!  In a week or so, the nits hatch, and the newborn lice take their first meal of blood from the scalp.  It takes about 10 days for a newborn louse to become an adult.  Once an adult, the female louse can start laying eggs.  This means it only takes 16 days for an egg (nit) to become a female louse capable of laying more eggs!  Adult lice live for 9-10 days, making the total life span of a louse from egg to adult about 25 days. 

HOW LICE ARE SPREAD:

Lice are spread from person to person when people are in close contact or when they share clothing or personal items that have been in contact with the head or neck. 

REMEMBER:

  • Lice do not fly or jump, they crawl.
  • Lice can infest anyone young, old, rich, poor, clean or dirty.
  • Avoid sharing personal items such as hats, coats, brushes, combs, and pillows.

HOW TO PREVENT HEAD LICE:

Perform weekly head checks to look for lice and nits.  Lice and nits are very small, so use a bright light or magnifying glass when checking for them.  Sun light is best.

If your child has long hair braid it or keep it in a ponytail. 

NITS OR DANDRUFF???????

Nits are hard to remove from your hair.

Nits feel like little grains of sand stuck in the hair, so you may feel them before seeing them!

Dandruff can be easily moved, Nits cannot!!!  Nits are tiny and yellowish-white, and sometimes gray.  Dandruff is larger and white.

HEAD LICE TREATMENT:  

The treatment of head lice is a long process that can take several weeks.  To get rid of head lice you must do the following:

  • Kill the live lice on the head
  • Remove all the nits from the hair
  • If lice shows up again after you treat, it is usually because nits are not removed properly.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY IN LICE TREATMENT IS REMOVING THE NITS.   IF YOU DO NOT REMOVE NITS REGULARLY, NOTHING ELSE YOU DO WILL WORK!!!!!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

HOW TO REMOVE NITS

Once you have used an approved product to treat head lice (nix or rid etc) you must remove the nits by hand or comb.  Sometimes the comb that is provided in the product does not do the job.  Most children’s hair is to fine or thin and the combs do not work.  In that case you will need to remove them with your hands.  Always use products as directed.  Over use can result in damage to the child’s scalp.  Not using and leaving on as directed can result in the product not working properly.  Some products say not to shampoo 24 hrs after usage.  If you do it, may result in the failure of the product to work properly.  When you shampoo after treatment you wash off the chemicals to soon. 

YOU SHOULD CHECK AND REMOVE NITS EVERY DAY FOR 2 WEEKS.

 

There are several home remedies out there that seem to work to help prevent and remove nits (vinegar, mayo, tea tree oil, etc).  However, I can not recommend this because it is not medically proven.  Some of these things can be damaging to your child’s health if not used properly. 

 

CLEANING YOUR HOUSEHOLD:

When your child has lice you must complete the nit removal process before you spend time and energy cleaning your home.  Reinfestation does not usually come from household items such as carpets or furniture.  For some chronic cases intense cleaning may be necessary.  Most reinfestations come from improper nit removal.

Off the head lice cannot survive more than 24-48hrs.  Nits off the hair will die within hours of hatching if they can’t find a meal.  So don’t kill yourself cleaning.

Pets do not carry human head lice.  They do not need any special cleaning.

You do need to wash the following in the washing machine:  USE HOT WATER
Dry in High Heat for 30mins (this will help kill nits)

  • Bath towels
  • Coats
  • Hats and scarves
  • Washable rugs
  • Sheets, blankets, and pillow cases

THINGS TO SANITIZE:

  • Brushes, combs, and special nit loosening combs
  • Barrettes, other hair holders
  • Detachable foam pads inside bike and sports helmets

To sanitize soak ¼ cup of bleach in 1 quart of cold water for 1 hour.

THINGS TO VACUUM:

  • Rugs and carpets
  • Car seats
  • Chairs and couches
  • Pillows from couch and beds
  • Bed mattress
  • Stuffed animals that have been in contact with head or neck (or you can place them in a plastic bag and closed tightly for 2 weeks, the nits or lice will not have food and die)

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Nurse Jody