Archive for the 'Head Lice Treatment' Category

Head Lice Home Remedies

headlice August 12th, 2008

As you surf the web, you will find many, many personal testimonials about struggling with head lice. There are numerous blogs, where people discuss and commiserate on the topic of head lice. 

Here are a few quotes straight off just one blog where people give home advice about Lice:

"I have battled head lice with my five year old off and on for the past two years. Here's what I learned: DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON RID OR OVIDE."
posted by Mary in July '08

"…douse your head with WHITE VINEGAR for TWO HOURS. This dissolves the glue that causes the nits to attach to the hair shaft. It makes combing out sooooo much easier. It smells awful though, but if you can stand it you will soon be lice free. Rinse the vinegar out with shampoo….
….*TRY THIS METHOD BEFORE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON PRICEY RID, NIX OR OVIDE."
posted by Amber, somewhere in the USA

"We bought the expensive stuff first and now we wished we hadn't wasted our money."
posted by Anje K. on April 15 '08

"I found out later that commercial lice treatments actually harden the cement that binds the nit to the hair shaft."
posted by Molly in March '08

"After using NIX three times, and Mayonnaise twice…"
posted by Katie January 25, 2008

The facts are, these chemical lice shampoos really are not working! LICENDERS products work! LICENDERS uses NATURAL LICE TREATMENT. No chemicals! The lice die from the lice shampoo, the essential oils repel the lice, the combing solution loosens the glue, and the lice comb catches every single nit.

How did my child get lice?

headlice June 26th, 2008

The following is a response Licenders offered to an inquiry on the Topix Website. The questioner felt that her child got head lice while working at her garage sale. Since none of the other children presented with a lice infestation, the mom was wondering a child could catch lice from old clothing.

This is our response:

I assume you mean head lice, as opposed to body lice. The following only applies to head lice, which live only in human hair:

It is very easy, to catch lice. It is common among all children, regardless of race, class, or hygiene. The child may have caught lice a day or even a week before you became aware of it. The important thing is to treat the head lice right away, with a proper method, in order to get control right away:

1. You need a good, NON-Chemical Lice Shampoo. We can recommend Licenders Professional Shampoo (www.licenders.com). Over-the-counter products contain dangerous chemicals, and the bugs have become resistant to them.

2. You need a proper metal comb with very narrow teeth to remove every single nit. Without removing nits through combing, the infestation is still present, and will continue. This takes time, but is absolutely necessary. Licenders Lice Removal Comb works well, and is used daily by profession lice removal services (www.licenders.com)

Plastic combs do not catch every nit (lice egg). Short teeth will not get through enough of the hair to do a reasonable job. The comb should be made specifically for this purpose, with an ergonomic shape intended to support repetitious combing movements.

Proper Lice treatment involves maintenance for about 2 weeks after the initial treatment, to insure that the infestation is gone, and will not resurface. There are a few other worthwhile products that can support the combing and maintenance process.

In answer to your original inquiry:

The only way to get head lice from clothing, is if there is a live louse on the clothing which crawls onto a human head. Head Lice are parasites, and can only survive off of a human head for 1 - 2 days MAXIMUM. Likewise, stray hairs with mature nits on them can theoretically hatch off the head for 1 or 2 days, but the lice that hatch will die within a few hours unless they can feed on a human head.

Both of these scenarios is unlikely in a bag of old clothing, unless the clothing was worn by someone with an active lice infestation in the last 2 days.

I hope this information is helpful,
Good Luck!

Adie H

Parents, Children and Head Lice (part 2)

headlice June 19th, 2008

continued from Parents, Children, and Head Lice

When a clinician on a job encounters a problem, LICENDERS support staff is always there to help resolve it. Sarah, a LICENDERS representative was contacted by Angela, as explained in our previous post. Her client, Sharon, was resistant to being treated for the active lice infestation on her head. This was after she had spent time and money to treat her son, David*. 
 
Sarah patiently explained to Sharon why it was so important that she herself be treated for the lice. She pointed out that the reason that Sharon brought in David in the first place, was to ensure that his head lice problem was resolved professionally. Sharon* recognized that Angela did a thorough job methodically combing nits from David's head. The truth is that if Sharon's lice and nits are not properly removed, the lice problem is still active in her home! If Mom has an active case of lice, there is a 99.9% chance that the David* will be reinfested. After all, surely Mom loves him, and is going to hug him, and spend time with him! What exactly is the point of removing head lice from a child, and knowingly giving it back to him a few hours later?? Lice treatment kills lice, and removes lice and nits. But no lice treatment can honestly claim to make a child "safe" from catching it again. The only way to properly treat head lice and nits is to make sure that everyone in that child's immediate environment is thoroughly clean as well. As a caring mother, Sharon* understood that the right thing to do for David* was to be properly treated for the head lice herself.
 
*names changed to protect privacy

Parents, Children, and Head Lice

headlice June 16th, 2008

Last week, LICENDERS provided a head lice screening at a private school in lower Manhattan. David S.* in one of the primary grades was found to have a heavy case of head lice. When LICENDERS describes a case as heavy, it means that there are live lice bugs. In addition, usually in a "heavy" case, the hair is infested with too many nits [louse eggs] to count, in various stages of maturity. These symptoms indicate that the lice infestation is not new. Multiple adult lice have had the opportunity to mature, lay lice eggs, and those nits are already hatching. This is minimally a 2-3 week cycle.  The likelihood that other family members are infested with lice during that time is obviously very high.

Sharon S.*, David's mother, was referred to LICENDERS by the school. She made an appointment to bring David in to the LICENDERS Lice Treatment Salon, in Manhattan. We got a call from Angela, the clinician treating the S. family. The problem was, that Angela saw live lice bugs on Sharon's head, but Sharon* herself did not want to be treated! During a lice infestation, parents are often too upset to think rationally. LICENDERS' clinicians understand this, and a professional approach to the situation was implemented. We work together as a team to get the lice removal job done right. Our dedicated staff representative, Zoe, called Sharon* personally.
 
to be continued

Lice Information from a Pediatrician (continued)

headlice June 5th, 2008

"Dr. Hook" a.k.a Dr. John Hong of Charlottesville, Virginia is a reknowned pediatrician who writes medical articles for THE HOOK, a local newspaper. Here is the continuation of his article about head lice, published on 5/15/08, and posted with permission from the author.

 

Continued from yesterday's LICENDERS post, Lice Information from a Pediatrician

 

Adult [female lice] are about 3-4mm in length, live about a month, and lay 10 eggs (nits) a day that stick to the bases of hair shafts. The eggs hatch in eight days, and the nymphs mature in eight days. (The crazy ones are called nymphomaniacs– or not.)

 

These creepy crawlers suck blood from the scalp, eyebrows, and other hairy places on the head and neck. The bites can cause an allergic reaction, like a mosquito bite, leading to itchy bumps. Scratching the bumps can lead to bacterial infections.

 

The white nits are easier to spot than the mobile lice. If you catch a louse, you might put it in a ziplock bag for the doctor to view under a microscope.

 

Nits are truly nit-wits because they stick to the hair even after hatching or treatment for lice. So a fine-toothed nit comb is used to wipe them away. Topical medicines like permethrin (Nix), pyrethrin (Rid, A-200, Pronto, Clear), and malathion can be used. A second treatment might be needed a week or two later.

 

to be continued

 

© Dr. John Hong, Inc

 

 

Nits, Lice and School (part 3)

headlice May 7th, 2008

continued from No Nit Policies in Schools (part 2)

A child who is actively being treated for head lice, using an effective method should not be kept out of school. Live lice bugs will have already been killed. At this point, the chances of nits and nymphs in the hair is greatly reduced. Even if there are stray nits, lice eggs can not crawl from one head to another.

Active treatment should include a 2 week maintenance period, with daily comb-outs to remove any possible stray nits as well as nymphs that may have just hatched. Until 2 weeks are past, there may still remain a few stray nits in the hair, which can hatch into tiny nymphs. By using a lice comb daily, even this small risk is being addressed. A tiny nit or nymph that is missed at first will grow, and certainly be caught in a subsequent comb-out. By the time 10 days have passed, the lice incubation period is over. Any nits that may still be on the head can not be viable: in other words, they will never hatch into live lice. The lice nit treatment can be considered complete since there was no opportunity for a louse to survive to maturity.

The lice infested child who has been treated, should have her hair tied back during this 2 week maintenance period. She should have strict instructions about not sharing any head gear, and should keep her accessories in a contained place, apart from any other children. Children can understand that by doing their part, and acting responsibly, they can prevent another child from getting head lice, and transfering it back to themself! No child wants to have a reinfestation, and undergo a full lice treatment all over again. When a child understands that these cautions will benefit themselves in the long run, they are more likely to cooperate.

School nurses should be aware of the lice nit treatment process, so that they do not over-react to finding a few stray nits on a child who is actively undergoing a proper 2 week treatment protocol. Other parents should also understand the head lice treatment process for the same reason. A no-nit policy allows for the school administration to ensure that children found to have lice or nits will undergo a proper comprehensive treatment to remove the lice and nits, without spreading the lice problem and creating a widespread lice epidemic.

No Nit Policies in Schools (part 2)

headlice May 5th, 2008

continued from No Nit Policy: School Lice Infestation (part 1)

Another problem with lice in school environments, is that kids bring jackets, hats, scarves, and other accessories to school, and remove them. Often, those items come in contact with each other, in a communal pile, or designated coat area. Children often try on their friends' accessories as part of their playful interaction. A human hair louse can rarely survive off of a human host for more than a day. However, when accessories are shared among kids, there is ample time for a live lice bug on a clothing item to transfer onto another head.

These situations arise multiple times with the same children. If one child has an active lice infestation, there are numerous opportunities for this child to infest the children with whom she interacts daily.

A no-nit policy should have parameters. A child being actively treated for lice should not be made to miss school unnecessarily. School nurses and administrations need to know the facts about head lice treatment to properly apply the no-nit policy.

to be continued

Head Lice: Is it a crime?

headlice April 3rd, 2008

There is actually a woman sitting in a Pennsylvania jail because she refused to come get her lice infested kids from school!

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported yesterday, that Nicole Lynn Holmes was dealing with the head lice infestations since February. The Belle Vernon Area School District has a "no nit policy", and Ms. Holmes was instructed to keep her children at home until the lice problem was resolved. When the kids showed up in school a few weeks later, they were still infested with headlice.

The school called the police, who arrested the mother and charged her with child endangerment. She is in custody, until a hearing on Friday.

The responsible thing to do when there is a lice infestation, is to get control of the lice and nits immediately, before the child has an opportunity to spread it to their schoolmates and friends. Lice spread very quickly. When head lice is treated properly, the lice infestation can be contained within the affected children and their immediate family. Left untreated, a short term inconvenience can become a community wide lice infestation.

The lesson here is clear: Do the right thing. Find out how to effectively remove lice and nits. If the job is too big or tedious for you, call the professionals. Ignoring a lice and nit infestation is selfish. And according to the police in Belle Vernon, PA, failure to treat head lice is a crime!

Head Lice Outbreak in the Neighborhood

headlice March 18th, 2008

According to an article that appeared last week on Thisweek Online, there has been a major outbreak of headlice in three schools in the southern Twin Cities area in Minnesota. Over 150 cases of head lice were found in those 3 schools.

The schools include Pinewood Elementary School, Dakota Middle School, and Eagan High School. According to the news article, reported by Andrew Miller, each school has been taking appropriate measures to eradicate the lice problem.

The article qoutes a nurse, Sally Cole, who makes a very good point regarding the reason that this head lice nit outbreak would affect three separate schools in one neighborhood:

" 'Pinewood feeds into Dakota Hills Middle School and Eagan High School, and it’s likely that Pinewood students passed the lice to their siblings attending the middle school and high school', Cole said.

[A school district communications specialist] underscored that the school facilities themselves aren’t the source of the lice. In fact, pinning down the origin of the virtual deluge of head-lice cases in [the affected school district] may not be possible. 'It’s very difficult to tell because you can pick lice up anyplace,” Cole said.' "

Accurate information about lice is very important when it comes to dealing with a lice outbreak in a school. Head lice information and facts help the parents understand the situation better. Without lice nit information, parents tend to believe all sorts of rumors about Lice and Nits. Blame for the lice and nits gets thrown around, which is not useful for removing the lice problem. When head lice information is presented in a matter-of-fact way, parents are less likely to deny the problem, and more likely to responsibly treat their infested children, removing lice and nits.

That is the key to treating a school head lice infestation.

Nitpickers? Professional Lice Removal

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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