Archive for the 'Lice Home Treatment' Category

A professional response to Lice Questions:

headlice September 1st, 2008

I'd like to share a response I posted to a question I found on a message board today.

Bob, of North Carolina actually had a bunch of questions. His mom had lice, and he unwittingly used her hair brush. She had cleaned out the hair before he used it, and washed it with boiling water.  Now, a month later, after using Rid, and a product called Lice-Free, he is still itching. He apparently itches a lot due to allergies, and has dandruff to boot. Bob wants to know how to tell the difference between dandruff and lice!

This is the response I posted:

The short answer: You probably have a very irritated head right now from all of the chemicals you used. Based on your original post, it is unlikely that you got lice after using a brush that was clean of hairs, and had boiling water poured over it.

The good news: Experience has shown us here at LICENDERS, that once someone is thinking about lice, they will feel itchy. This is NOT an indication that you have head lice!

The not so good news: If your mom treated her own head lice infestation with a chemical product like Rid, she may still have lice, and you could have caught it from her in a number of ways in the days or weeks that followed. The lice may have survived the treatment. They crawl from head to head very quickly. If every nit was not methodically combed out with an effective lice comb, those nits could have (even 7-10 days later) hatched into nymphs (baby lice), matured into lice, and continued the cycle on her head… and yours.

We have a lice removal service, in the New York Tri-State area. We sell the products that our clinicians use… because they do work. Lice become resistant to the chemicals in the products you used. Our products are 100% natural, safe, enzyme based, and chemical-free. We have a blog that has articles on lice facts, fiction etc. The link to the blog is on the bottom of the home page of our LICENDERS website.

Good Luck to you!

Lice Information From a Pediatrician (conclusion)

headlice June 11th, 2008

Dr. John Hong, a pediatrician from Charlottesville, Virginia, wrote an article about head lice and other pests. This is the conclusion of the article, posted with permission from the author:

continued from
Lice Information From a Pediatrician [part 1]
and Lice Information From a Pediatrician (Continued) [part 2] 

But like the nasty bed bugs haunting hotels, lice have become more resistant to topical medicines. So oral medications are sometimes needed, like ivermectin (Stromectol) or adding Bactrim to permethrin.

In South Pacific, Nellie says, "I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair…" and that applies to [head lice] too. Sheets, carpet, couches, towels, clothes, hats– all need to be cleaned to prevent recontamination and contaminating other household members.

Body lice occur more in folks who are homeless or have poor hygiene. The lice live in clothing (in particular, seams) and then feed on the body-– in particular, the armpits and waist where the seams of the clothes are.

Pediculosis pubis is usually sexually transmitted– the creatures look like tiny translucent crabs, without the Old Bay seasoning. An adult female is 2-3mm long, lives about a month, and lays three eggs a day. The nits and lice hang out in the pubic region, but can go to the armpits and even eyelashes. Lice poop looks like brown dots on the skin, and little bruises can form from louse bites.

Lice are pretty horrible. I wonder if Andrew Zimmern, of Bizarre Foods, would ever eat them. Just make sure, if you eat dinner with him, that if he serves you fried rice, it isn't flied lice.

© Dr. John Hong, Inc

"Dr. Hook cracks a joke or two, but he's a renowned physician with a local practice." - THE HOOK, website on which Dr. Hong's article was originally published.

 

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!

Nitpickers and Lice Removal Services

headlice March 10th, 2008

Recently, a human interest news item was devoted to lice removal services. The article, appeared in the New York Daily News on January 29th 2008. In her article, titled They're In the Lice-Removal Business, Rachel Monahan, discusses a supposed cultural trend in head lice treatment services. Her focus is on some women who have become lice removal experts in Brooklyn, New York. The tone of the article about lice removal warrants some comment.

One of these women describes herself as an "Orthodox Jewish nitpicker", and even goes so far, as to make a connection to the area of a nitpicking housewife. "They say Jewish men make good husbands; Jewish women are known to be nitpickers." Even in jest, such a statement is demeaning - and less than professional. Even a self-directed insult can result in uninformed, negative stereotyping. The fact is, human head lice are an international problem. The lice problem is prevalent in every culture, race and nationality. Religion is certainly not a factor. Any person who invests time and researches solutions, can become quite knowledgeable about lice nits and the best method of removing a lice infestation.

Furthermore, we take issue with the term "nitpickers" altogether!

to be continued

 

Body Lice and Head Lice: Different Lice Treatments

headlice February 27th, 2008

Previously, I posted a conversation overheard in a pharmacy, between the pharmacist and a customer. The customer was looking for an over the counter Lice Shampoo, but was confused. He therefore approached the pharmacist for information on prescription lice treatments. The symptoms he described were for body lice, not human head lice. This customer, had he not consulted with the pharmacist would have purchased a product with very potent and dangerous chemicals, available over the counter for treating head lice.

The moral(s) of this anecdote:

  • LICE INFORMATION is crucial, in order to properly treat the problem. Headlice Shampoo will not treat body lice. A dermatologist must be consulted for body lice. Fortunately, medical intervention is not needed for pediculosis capitis, human headlice. Although both kinds of pediculosis are human parasites, they are different. The bugs do look similar, but body lice are smaller. Human head lice can be easily treated without prescription formulas.  
     
  • Dangerous chemicals are being used for treating head lice. Your head is one of the most absorbent parts of the body. Since chemicals are becoming less and less effective in treating hair lice and nits, the chemical lice treatment products are increasing their concentrations of these chemicals! Read the ingredients. Do your research. Fight back! Non-Chemical Lice Shampoo is available. Why resort to chemicals?

Lice Nit Comb Facts

headlice February 5th, 2008

continued from  Why use Head Lice Shampoo AND a Lice Comb?

The second step of head lice treatment is to remove all the remaining nits. Although some lice shampoos may loosen the glue that holds the nits on the hair shafts, there is no safe OR chemical lice shampoo that has been shown to kill or remove nits. It has been established that the only way to properly treat a lice infestation is to carefully and methodically remove every nit. Nits must be removed with a very good lice nit comb. Combing the hair properly is even more effective for getting rid of lice nits, than trying to remove them one at a time by hand. Nits that are left in the hair will continue to hatch 7-10 days after they were laid. Newly hatched lice, called nymphs can not lay eggs. They are not mature enough to be fertilized until they are approximately 10 days old. Nymphs, like mature lice crawl extremely quickly. If the hair is properly combed, even nymphs that may have hatched shortly after the initial lice shampoo treatment will be combed out.

Because combing out lice nits and nymphs is so important, Licenders has done considerable review of lice combs. We have evaluated dozens of nit combs while providing treatment for head lice. Many different lice combs are available, each with different features, and innovations. Some of the features offered in lice combs are useful. Other lice removal products range from unnecessary, to ineffective, to downright ridiculous!

Professional Head Lice Removal Service

headlice January 28th, 2008

LICENDERS provides lice home removal services in the New York City area, including Long Island and Westhchester, Connecticut, and parts of New Jersey. One of the benefits of using a head lice removal professional is that you are not alone in dealing with the lice problem.

A part of the LICENDERS protocol is a routine follow-up phone call to our clients.  This is typically done 1 or 2 days following the original lice removal treatment and it is a priority to our staff here at LICENDERS.  The purpose of this phone call is to review the maintenance process after the initial headlice treatment session. Often, when a household is dealing with a headlice problem, there is a general feeling of being overwhelmed. Our clinicians take the time to patiently explain in detail the lice and nit combing-out process that needs to be followed.

Due to the natural stressfulness of a lice infestation in the family, it may be difficult for a client to fully focus. LICENDERS understands this, and makes sure to stay in touch with our clients after they have experienced the professionalism and reassurance of our home or salon lice treatment services. Clients are understandably a lot calmer once we have provided the home head lice removal, and we want to make sure that they remain in control. LICENDERS staff  help our clients to follow the instructions they were given at the time that the clinician was combing out the lice and nits. We clarify the details of the lice removal process, and answer any questions that may have been formulated after the lice treatment was completed.

LICENDERS takes our relationships with our clients seriously. Once our lice removal service is contacted, we are there for our clients until both of us are confident that the lice are history!

To be continued

Lice in Your Home? Quick and Easy Solutions

headlice November 29th, 2007

If a member of your family has gotten a lice diagnosis, it is easy to get overwhelmed with the prospect of cleaning your home. The truth is, to get rid of head lice in your house, you really only need a vacuum cleaner, and access to a washer and dryer. No special cleansers, chemicals or professional lice removing services are necessary! If you know which areas of the house to be concerned with, you can methodically clean only those places, and then consider your house free of lice.

Here is a quick reference list of previous posts with advice for cleaning your home when your child has lice:

Treating Lice and Nits in the Home - Finishing the Job

headlice November 22nd, 2007

In the past few weeks, we have presented helpful information about cleaning your house when your child has been diagnosed with lice or nits.

We have explained that when dealing with human head lice in the main living areas of your home, you need to be concerned with places where a person is likely to rest their head. When dealing with the bedrooms, linens, toys, and closets need to be addressed as well, because it is more likely that there are stray hairs around with viable nits on them.

To finish up the job of cleaning your house of hair lice and nits, do a quick review of your bathrooms. Remove any used towels and wash them in hot water in the washing machine. Dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Remove visible stray hairs that may contain nits, from bathtubs, sinks and showers by collecting them with a paper towel. Dispose of these hairs by placing them in a knotted plastic bag and toss them in your trash.

You have removed hairs from the head rests of chairs and couches, and treated the relevant items in your bedrooms and bathrooms. The same procedure applies to recently used coats and jackets. If you have a closet with such outerwear, it is only significant if the clothing has been used in the past 2-3 days before the lice diagnosis. In such a case, refer to our previous post on cleaning clothing during a lice infestation.  

Remember that head lice treatment for your house is mostly a matter of removing stray hairs that may contain nits. Human head lice will not survive on floors, or on chairs, or in closets - because they need to feed on human blood a few times a day. As we have stated many times before, a human head louse will die within 24-48 hours off of a human head.

The way to preserve the job you have done ridding your house of lice and nits, is to maintain the lice-free status of your child's head. Once you have used an effective lice shampoo, and methodically combed out all of the nits, you must continue the combing out process every night for about two weeks, to ensure that there are no remaining nits. If this maintenance is not done, having clean linens, sofas, and towels, will not prevent remaining nits from hatching and starting the process all over again!

 

Cleaning Lice from Hair Accessories - Bedroom, Bathroom and Beyond (Introduction)

headlice November 13th, 2007

A crucial detail that must be addressed when treating the bedroom when a child has lice, are the brushes, combs, and hair accessories of your lice infested child. You can clean your house, wash your linens and bag your toys, but obviously, in order to maintain the removal of lice with a lice shampoo and comb, hair accessories must be dealt with properly!

The first thing to do is to remove ALL items that you use in your child’s head, and bring them into a central place, such as the bathroom sink. Remember to include brushes or combs that may be stored for convenience in another location, such as a kitchen or bathroom drawer, or near a front hall mirror. Collect all such items from your home – even if they do not belong to the child with nits. Children often use their parents’ brushes and combs when it is convenient, so it is a good idea to clean every hair grooming item in the house – even the ones that may be off limits in your own bedroom. You want to make sure that every hair accessory in your home has been treated for nits.

Of course, the easiest thing to do with inexpensive items that have a lot of hair in them is to simply discard them. Put them in a plastic garbage bag, seal it with a knot, and put them in the trash. However, this is not always a practical solution.

Items of monetary or sentimental value, can be safely treated despite the lice and nit problem. It is not necessary to add additional anguish to a child by irreverently discarding their possessions during a lice infestation. Treating hair accessories for lice and nits must be done carefully and methodically. Again, it is not difficult or complicated. Once you know what to do, even these most personal and problematic items can be salvaged, with the assurance of having been successfully included in your home treatment of head lice.

(to be continued)

- Next »