10 Facts How to keep lice out of hair?
- Teach kids not to share personal
grooming items, hair decorations, clips,
headbands, hats or clothing.,
- Store hats inside coat sleeve or backpack.
- If your child has long hair, keep it pulled
back in braids or pigtails. Store hair care
items separately.
- Do not allow kids to lie down or place
their heads on the carpet. Vacuum
frequently.
- Encourage kids to use only their own
pillows, blankets, etc. especially at
sleepovers!!
- Head lice do not cause disease and only
live on human heads. They cannot
survive more than 1-2 days if they fall off
a person.
- Remember lice do not jump, fly or hop,
they crawl quickly and are spread
through direct head to head contact.
- Check your child’s head if you notice
them scratching. Ask your school nurse
if you need help with screening.
- Notify other parents with whom your
kids have had contact and notify your
school nurse.
- Recheck (rescreen) at least once a week,
make it a routine personal care activity.
Important notes:
- Use a good light source ( nature sunlight
or strong lamp) while cleaning the hair.
- Section off the hair and work in one
small area at a time ( metal clips may be
helpful).
- A metal comb is recommended.
- Be patient while cleaning the child hair
as it take long time to tackle the problem,
so an entertaining video may help keep
the child occupied while cleaning his
hair.
- Do not use a crème rinse, combination
shampoo/conditioner, or condition
before using lice medicine.
Head Lice
Do not panic! Head lice are not an
emergency and, in most cases, do not pose
any health risk.
What are head lice( pediculosis)?
Head lice are tiny insects that live on the
head and scalp of people, especially young
children.
There are three phases of head lice:
Louse is the term used to describe an adult.
An adult louse is about the size of a sesame
seed and tan to grayish-white in color. Adult
lice may live up to 30 days on a person’s
head, and the female can lay between 100 to
200 eggs during that lifespan.
Nit is the term for a louse egg. They are very
hard to see and may be confused with hair
spray droplets or dandruff. Nits are oval
and usually yellow to white.
Nymph is the term for a newly hatched baby
louse. It differs from an adult louse only in size. Nymphs mature into adults in about 7-10 days.
Who can get head lice?
Head lice have been found on peoples head
of all socio-economic levels. It can affect
people with high level of personal hygiene.
Children, particularly those of ages 3-10
years are most likely to get head lice
because of their close contact with each
other.
Signs of head lice:
- Tickling feeling of something moving in
the hair.
- Itching, caused by an allergic reaction
to the bites.
- Irritability.
- Sores on the head caused by scratching
(these can sometimes become infected)
How are head lice spread?
Live head lice are
spread through
direct head to head
contact with an
infected person, but
also by sharing hats,
combs, and other
hair accessories.
Head lice do not fly
or jump but crawl
really quickly.
Step to treat head lice:
-
Use a special shampoo for lice, you can buy
it or get it from health centers and use it
according to the instruction.
- Check every member of the family for live
lice and nits. Treat only those who have head
lice.
- Nit combs should be used to comb nits and
lice from the hair shaft. It may require
several hours each time to tackle the
problem. Repeat until no more active lice
are observed.
- To kill lice on bedding, clothes, etc., wash in
hot water and dry.
- To kill lice on brushes, combs or hair
accessories, soak them in hot water (at least
130F) for 5-10 ,minutes.
- Retreatment, usually in 7-10 days, is
recommended for most medicines in order
to kill any newly hatched lice before they
produce new eggs.