headlice March 11th, 2008
Previously, we referred to a New York Daily News article about head lice. The article included a quote that could potentially promote the misconception that human head lice are connected in some way to race, color, culture, or in this case even religion. When it comes to hair lice information, nothing could be further than the truth!
There are additional statements in the above mentioned article that warrant comment:
The article repeatedly uses the term, nitpickers, to describe the featured women who are in the business of removal and treatment of lice. By definition, the term nitpicker has a negative connotation. It arouses an image of someone who is annoying. A nitpicker sounds like someone who you don't want to be around; someone likely to subject you to harassment. There is so much negativity already associated with human head lice. Mothers who find themselves in the middle of a lice infestation are already feeling overwhelmed. Infested children are often ostracized for no good reason. Parents feel embarrassed, based on the erroneous belief that the lice nit infestation is a reflection on their standards of cleanliness and personal hygiene. Children and parents alike may be worn out from repeated use of chemical lice shampoos, and ineffective lice nit combs.
When clients call Licenders lice removal service, they are often in crisis mode. They need compassion, support and reassurance - along with professionalism. It is important to avoid the use of negative or stereotypical terminology. By using an objective, deliberate approach, Licenders reduces the level of distress during a lice infestation. Licenders' caring staff provide methodical combing of lice and nits, using effective lice treatment products, including special lighting and magnifying equipment. Combined with our experience and expertise, Licenders maintains a professional attitude toward the treatment of head lice. Licenders unparalleled professionalism helps parents regain a sense of control and normalcy.
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headlice February 25th, 2008
Last week a friend of mine was in the pharmacy for some routine purchases. He noticed a gentleman looking at a display of lice removal shampoos. The customer picked up each lice product, examined the box, and put it back on the shelf. When he had looked at every available lice treatment product, he seemed quite perplexed. This is not surprising. These products promise all sorts of quick fixes, and it's hard to tell what the difference is between them.
Apparently confused, the gentleman approached the pharmacist for some help. This is the conversation my friend overheard:
Customer: I need to treat lice.
Pharmacist: There are many products for treating lice.
Customer: what is the difference between them?
Pharmacist: You need to read the active ingredients.
Customer: They seem to be full of chemicals.
Pharmacist: Yes, these products use strong chemicals to kill lice. Each product uses different chemicals, in different concentrations.
Customer: But they all kill lice?
Pharmacist: That's what they say on the box!
Customer: Are there other products? like soap? They all are called lice shampoo!?
Pharmacist: Well, you have to wash your hair with it, in order to kill the lice.
Customer: How do I kill the ones that aren't on my head?
Pharmacist: If they are not on your head, why do you think they are lice?
Customer: Well my whole body is itching. I have itchy red patches all over. It seems odd to wash my whole body with shampoo.
Pharmacist: You have body lice! These chemical lice shampoos are specifically made for human head lice (pediculus humanus capitis). If you have body lice, you need to go to a dermatologist right away and get a prescription for body lice (pediculus humanus).
Customer: Oh. I didn't know there was a difference.
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headlice November 5th, 2007
After a child has been treated with a Lice Shampoo, and had the nits properly combed out, attention must be given to the home. Removing the possibility of a re-infestation of headlice is crucial, and not very difficult. We have addressed treating bed linens in Lice Information and Remedies for the Bedroom
The same lice treatment instructions that apply to bed linens apply to clothing and outerwear. Any item of clothing that has been worn by a child in the last few days prior to being diagnosed with lice or nits, could potentially contain a hair with a viable nit on it. If it was worn in the previous 24-48 hours the clothing could theoretically even contain a surviving hair louse. This includes sweaters, sweatshirts, and outerwear such as coats and jackets. When dealing with nits or head lice, it is wise to be extra cautious about items worn directly on the head – hats, scarves, baseball caps, earmuffs, etc. You do not have to fumigate your closets and drawers! Only items that have been in direct recent contact are cause for concern.
In a closet where clothing is pushed tightly up against each other, you should also treat those garments that were pressed directly against the items that we have described above. You do not need to be concerned beyond those secondary items. Remember, lice are human parasites. They need human blood to survive. Lice do not embed themselves in clothing. The only concern is a louse that came off the head within the last 24 hours, or a lice egg ("nit") on a hair, that was transferred by friction on to an adjacent item.
Any items that can tolerate it should be washed in hot water. If they cannot be washed, they should be put into the dryer for ½ hour on high heat. If neither of these is possible, these items should be bagged for 48 hours.
Tie the top of the bag with a knot or a twist-tie. In the case that there is a live lice bug on any garment, it will die within 24-48 hours because it has no access to human blood. In the case of stray hairs with nits, the fact that they are in a sealed bag is equally beneficial. Any newly hatched nymph will die right away without a human head on which to feed.
Upcoming topics:
- Cleaning toys when a Child has Nits.
- Hair Accessories from a Lice Infested Child.
- Bathroom advice for treating Lice.
- Lice or Nits and Your Car.
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headlice August 1st, 2007
Yesterday, we started discussing the shocking truth about the chemicals that are being used in the well-known brands of lice shampoo, and the incredible risks people are encouraged to take when treating head lice and nits.
Here are some more scary examples of products being used for lice removal:
Kwell®, Kildane® and G-well® use lindane. Lindane was once the lice treatment of choice. It is now recognized as highly toxic, although lindane based lice control products are still approved for use in Canada. Lindane is an organochloride insecticide in the same chemical class as DDT. A nerve poison, lindane is readily absorbed through the skin and is classed as a known cancer-causing chemical in California where it is banned. Documented health effects of exposure to lindane include hormone disruption, dizziness, seizures, nervous system damage, immune system damage and birth defects. Lindane, also an agricultural pesticide, has been found in breast milk and blood samples throughout the world and is banned in at least 14 countries. But doctors can still prescribe it as an acceptable lice treatment!
There are prescription medicinal shampoos such as Ovide® that use malathion. Malathion is an organophosphate pesticide ("OP"). Studies have shown links between regular exposure to malathion and various human maladies, including non-Hodgkins lymphoma, childhood leukemia, anemia, chromosome damage, and weakened immune systems. That’s why it’s only available by prescription! While malathion and other OPs undoubtedly can wreak havoc on human health, its producers, many scientists, and even some environmentalists believe that it’s worth the risk in order to deal with lice and nits! Not because it is safe!
Much of the information about the dangers of these chemicals, is based on application of the chemicals to clothing, or spraying it in the air, to control pests such as mosquitoes. Obviously in a lice shampoo, it is applied directly to the skin. The scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of the body. Products applied to the scalp go directly to the blood, without being filtered in any way. They have a much faster, and direct route into the human body, making any dangers far more likely.
This information is not really a secret. The facts are readily available from government agencies, public health resources, and environmental organizations, on and off the web. The lice shampoo manufacturers themselves warn you to use the product only as directed. That’s because if you use it only a little bit longer than recommended, it can be very dangerous.
There are better ways to treat lice and nits – information is available. Don’t take chances on your kids.
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headlice July 18th, 2007
The unwelcome call comes from school or camp: "Your child has lice, please come pick her up." Stay calm you tell yourself. But how to remove the lice?
"Oh, just go down to the pharmacy and pick up a lice removal kit", says your helpful friend. So that’s what you do. You pick out one of the head lice products with a catchy name, and it promises to kill all the lice and nits. Great, you think! I’m going to have this beat by the end of the day. So you follow the instructions, keep the lice shampoo in the hair for the recommended amount of time, and comb through your darling’s head with the interesting plastic lice comb that is provided. It took a couple of hours, but you’re through, you think. Tomorrow it’s back to school/camp/work for everyone!
And then they call again! "Your child still has headlice, please come pick her up again." What’s going on here? The product specifically stated that it was guaranteed to kill all the lice and nits! You read the lice information on the side of the box, and you followed the directions!
Lice are beginning to develop a resistance to lice shampoo! The front page of the health section of the Wall Street Journal on July 17, 2007 puts it simply: "Lice are getting tougher". Joseph De Avila writes, "In recent years in the U.S., head lice have been developing resistance to the insecticides in over-the-counter treatments such as Nix and RID. And while the most common prescription treatment, Ovide, remains effective in the U.S., medical studies in the United Kingdom show that bugs there have developed a resistance to the insecticide malathion, an active ingredient in Ovide."
So there you have it. A louse can outlive those head lice treatments, and merrily continue to lay more eggs! Luckily there are solutions. Chemical-free products, like Licenders Professional Shampoo are available to you. And hair lice do not develop resistance to chemical free lice shampoo.
Chemicals?? That’s a topic for another time.
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headlice March 21st, 2007
Louse infestation is a continuous problem in our society today. While head lice are the most common and well known infestation, there are also body lice and pubic lice. Head lice have reached the severity of an epidemic across the United States, but body lice and pubic lice are just as much of a concern.
Body lice are known to infest clothing, as they lay their eggs on the fibers in the fabric seams. Head lice and public lice are similar in that they infest hair, laying their eggs in hair fibers. All three types of louse take blood meals by piercing the skin of the individual with their narrow mouthparts. While there are several similarities between the three kinds of louse, there are several differences as well.
First off, the frequency and who they infest differs from each louse. Head lice are an extreme problem, especially in urban areas, that is becoming far too common amongst our society. Major infestations are common in socioeconomic groups because of how easily they spread. They are extremely common in schools with younger children because parents are reluctant to tell anybody about their child's problem.
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headlice March 19th, 2007
Another Head Lice Testimonial from a thankful client. I am sure many parents have experienced the same situation, perhaps with different results.
My kids got sent home from school with head lice. I ran to the store and bought some over-the-counter lice treatment that came with a special comb. After shampooing their heads I combed out the nits. I spent most of the night doing laundry and changing the bedding. I washed everything in the house that could have touched the kids' heads. It seemed that we were in control.
A few days later I noticed my little one scratching behind her ear. They were back! The lice weren't dying! I read the ingredients of the head lice shampoo and got nervous about all the chemicals inside. I spoke to
The school nurse and she recommended LICENDERS. She said they came down to the school and were very thorough and all their work was guaranteed. I found out that LICENDERS Products are used by the Israeli Army (IDF) which has a high percentage of female officers!. "If it worked for them it would work for me", and it did! I was very impressed with the quality of the product and the professionalism of the company. I'm sure that you will be too.
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headlice March 15th, 2007
Continued from Treating Objects Infested By Head Lice | Part 1
Lice are notorious for crawling around cushions and seats from the scalp of the infested person. It is vital that you vacuum all car seats and couch cushions to remove any lice that may be infecting the seats.
Some people go to the extreme of fumigating their rooms and using insecticidal sprays on furniture and carpet. While this can be effective, it also has health risks for everyone living in the house, especially younger children. This is not recommended to kill off lice and nits. Instead, you should thoroughly vacuum the entire house from carpets, rugs, couches and table seats.
Combs and brushes tend to be most effected from lice and nits since they have direct contact to the scalp. It is important that you soak or boil all brushes and combs in a pan of water for around 10 minutes at 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Head lice and nits spread very quickly and easily among others that the infested person is in contact with. It is crucial that in order to prevent spreading lice, the infested person does not share anything from clothes, coats, hats, towels, and combs. Just because lice and nits start on a person's scalp doesn't mean that that is where they stay. Therefore, in your venture to rid your household of lice and nits, make sure to clean objects just as thoroughly as the scalp of the infested person.
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headlice March 14th, 2007
Over the years many articles have been written about head lice. The first recorded instance of head lice can be traced back to the documentation of the Ten Plagues as depicted in the Old Testament. Although today's strains are not as severe as in the times of the Pharaoh, head lice still require a commitment to eradicate. What complicates getting rid of head lice today is that lice, like the cockroach evolve and survive. Something that worked to kill head lice just a few years ago may no longer work. Head lice develop a resistance, and then a total immunity to products that used to effectively kill them. How do you get rid of this nuisance? What can you do to avoid catching head lice? What do you have to do around the house? Car? Etc.? All of these questions will be addressed, so stay tuned. First of all, congratulations on finding this article. In a world shrinking in size with internet access, you are often subject to oversimplified misinformation.
Head lice thrive on misinformation! You've undoubtedly read about the quick fix formulas which will kill head lice in 1 quick application. You've undoubtedly read about the product that says combing out nits is unnecessary. Let me ask you something. Remember the fad diets? They didn't work either. At best you lost some weight but it was the maintaining that proved impossible.
There is no quick fix to getting rid of head lice!
Most people will quit reading now. This isn't what they want to hear. A multi billion dollar head lice industry has evolved which banks on your fears and the abundant misinformation. Let's face it, advertising has convinced us we want fast cars instead of practical ones. Advertising has convinced us that we want fast food instead of nutritious food. So why shouldn't we believe that we can get a quick fix to our Head Lice problem?
My name is Norman Horowitz and my wife Adie and I are the owners of LICENDERS head lice products. I encourage you to visit our website for the real deal!
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headlice March 13th, 2007
The second people think of head lice, they immediately think of treating the infested person's scalp. However, it is equally important that you begin treating any and all objects that may have been infested by louse as well. This can be difficult determining what has been infested and what hasn't. Here are five things to consider when treating objects.
HeadLice live off of warmth and humidity, but there is a limit to the degree of temperature they can live off of. Exposing lice and nits to temperatures of 125 degrees Fahrenheit is lethal. Therefore, it is crucial that you wash all articles of clothing and bed sheets in the washing machine in hot water. After washing the clothes, you want to dry all articles in the dryer to ensure that all lice and nits are disinfested from the high temperature.
If you have any articles of clothing or bedding that are non-washable, make sure to at least place them in the dryer. In order to disinfest the articles of nits and lice, they should be placed in the dryer for no less than 30 minutes using high heat. Another option is dry-cleaning your clothes or sealing them up in plastic bags for no less than 10 days.
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