If your child comes home with head lice, you may have a lot of questions. It is important to keep in mind that head lice are treatable with time, patience, and diligence. You should speak with your doctor if your child is under 2 years of age, has asthma, allergies, or if your child’s scalp is broken or infected before using any chemical shampoos.
How do you get head lice?
Direct head-to-head contact
Through indirect contact such as combs, hats, brushes
How do you treat head lice?
Chemical Shampoo and physically removing the eggs
Using the “Wet Combing” method (a special technique to physically remove the eggs and live lice)
Should I sterilize the entire house every time my child comes home with head lice?
Since head lice cannot live off of a human host for more than 24 hours, vacuuming is all that is necessary to pick up any stray hairs, eggs, or live lice.
Lice do not jump, fly or swim from one person to another. Cleaning personal items should include those articles that come in direct contact with the child’s head such as combs, brushes, headgear, or towels. These articles should be washed with hot water.
Following the child’s treatment for head lice, the bedding should be washed with hot water and then dried on high temperature (or the hottest temperature possible) in order to kill any lice and nits. The heat will kill the live lice as well as the nits.
Do I have to treat everyone in the house for head lice?
Only those people found to have head lice should be treated
Pets are not able to get head lice
How do you prevent head lice?
Check your child’s head routinely for head lice
Discourage children from sharing clothing, towels, combs etc.
Teatree oil and hair styling products such as hair gel or mousse have not been proven effective in prevention of head lice.
How do you get head lice?