"Headlice are in your children's school"
Straight away you think not my lovely child and you feel the need to inspect your child's hair...........
and discover it is full of the little unwanted visitors - Nooooooo
So what do you do? How do you treat it? Do you mention it to anyone or keep it quiet?
I've been there as a parent when my children were young and as a professional hairdresser many times having to break the news to parents that their children have got headlice.
So here is my easy to follow guide to help you through this problem.
What To Look For :-
First of all " headlice" are the animals and " nits" are the eggs.
They are unfortunately a common experience for children aged 6-11 years.
So here are the signs to look for and i bet you can't read it without starting to itch!!!
Headlice are nothing to be embarrassed about but they do need effective treatment to get rid of them.
Headlice are the little brown lice you see on the hair shafts although many people may still call them nits.
A nit is the egg case which sticks to the base of the hair shaft.
You can often see white specks in a child's hair these are the empty cases which tells you have the unwanted visitors.
"Louse eggs glued to hair shafts . Eggs are the size of a small pin head.
Other signs are are you may scratch their head a lot, but this isn't always the case.
So as soon as you spot any of these signs you need to start the treatment.
Different Types Of Treatment :-
The "Nit Comb" ..........
Many people choose not to use a chemical treatment or insecticide.
This method can take up to 2 weeks of daily use to get rid of all the nits and lice and can be very time consuming.
You will need to purchase a nit comb
* Cover the infected hair with conditioner
* Comb through the hair starting at the roots and going all the way to the tips of the hair.
* After each stroke check the comb for lice and clean it on a tissue.
* Comb the hair for at least 30 minutes every day for 2 weeks.
The "Chemical Insecticides"..........
These are purchased from a chemist and contain chemicals designed to kill headlice by various methods. Some poison the lice,while others paralysing their nervous system.
These should only be used as the instructions tell you.
Please note some of these products contain alcoholic lotions , so do not use a hair dryer on them as they are flammable.
The product i recommend is LYCLEAR TREATMENT SENSITIVE 150ml £14.99
This lotion is gentle to hair and skin, it is proven to kill 100% of headlice and eggs in 1 application.
It contains Oxyphthime that kills head lice and makes them inactive at all stages of their life, by attaching to the respiratory orifices to suffocate and consequently dehydrate them.
* Put a towel around your childs shoulders and apply sufficient quantity of the solution evenly onto the hair pay particular attention to neck and behind ears.
* Massage well from roots to tips ,leave the lotion on the hair overnight ( 8 hours minimum)
* Wash the hair in the morning with normal shampoo and comb the wet hair with the enclosed anti lice comb to remove dead lice and eggs.
Please note all members of the family should be treated to avoid the lice coming back.
A week later please check all family members to make sure you haven't still got the nits or lice. i always repeat this treatment to make sure all the lice have gone.
The Myths :-
Many people fall for the myths so please read........
Myth ,,,,,,Lice prefer dirty hair
Truth.......No lice live on all types of hair.
Myth.......Lice prefer long hair
Truth.......Lice infect all types of hair and all lenghts
Myth.......Lice jump from head to head
Truth.......Lice walk from head to head as children touch heads or cuddle.
Myth........You always have an itchy scalp
Truth........You only itch if you are allergic to the bites and feces.
So The Golden Rule Is :-
Headlice are extremely common, nothing to be embarrassed about.
Do tell the childs school and alert other parents.
Do treat all the family.
SO SPREAD THE WORD NOT THE LICE.
Lots of love
Louise
xxxx
Nit comb: http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Head-Lice-Remover-Comb_8626/
Treatment: http://www.boots.com/en/Lyclear-Treatment-Sensitive-150ml_1373971/
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