Head Lice Home Care
The head louse is a parasitic insect that can be found on the head, eyebrows and eyelashes of people. * Egg/Nit: Nits are the lice eggs, laid at the base of the hair shaft, nearest the scalp. Nits are firmly attached to the hair shaft, are very small and hard to see. * Nymph: An immature louse that hatches from the nit. It looks like a small version of the adult louse. Nymphs mature in 9-12 days and require blood meals to survive. * Adult: The fully grown adult is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to grayish-white. The adult can live about 30 days on a person’s head, but will die within a day or two if it falls off a person. An adult female can lay about 6 eggs a day. How are Head Lice spread? Head lice are spread by direct contact with the hair of an affected person. Spread by contact with combs, brushes or hats can happen but is not common. Head lice can NOT hop, jump or fly; they move only by crawling. What are the signs and symptoms of Head Lice ? * Tickling feeling of something moving in the hair. * Itching, caused by a reaction to the bites of the head louse. * Irritability and difficulty sleeping; head lice are most active in the dark. * Sores on the head caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected with bacteria found on the person’s skin. Family members of a student with head lice should be encouraged to inspect themselves to see if lice are present. All individuals found with lice should be treated simultaneously.
Treatment DO NOT APPLY ANY INSECTICIDE OR OTHER CHEMICAL not specifically labeled for treating head lice on people. Well intentioned parents treating their children with toxic or flammable substances have caused poisonings and death. Do not use extra amounts of any lice medication unless instructed to do so by your physician and pharmacist. The drugs used to treat lice are insecticides and can be dangerous if they are misused or overused.
There are many possible over the counter treatments for head lice. No one brand works better than others and store brands can save a family money. These are chemical based and work to kill the live lice that are laying eggs, immature nymphs that have hatched and may or may not kill what may be in the egg sacs. (nits) Follow the instructions that come with the product. There may be a WARNING in the product instructions: Do not use a combination shampoo/conditioner, or conditioner (coats the hair and interferes with the treatment) before using lice medicine. Do not re-wash the hair for 1-2 days after the lice medicine is removed. This would reduce the residual effect of the treatment.
Please note: Prescription head lice treatments are available through your doctor's office.
Alternative treatments (ex. petroleum jelly, mayonnaise, olive oil, herbal oils, and enzyme-based products). Many alternatives to over the counter or prescription head lice products have been suggested. Although there is little scientific information to support these methods, successful treatment has been reported using several alternative treatments. People often use alternative treatments when conventional treatments haven't worked, or when there is a concern about the toxicity of using head lice control products repeatedly. The school department cannot recommend these treatments without further evidence of their effectiveness. Well-tested procedures have not been developed for these treatments. Many treatment variations exist. However, it is important to mention some of the more commonly used methods. The alternative treatments listed below are referred to as suffocants. When applied, the treatment may suffocate and/or create a habitat unfavorable to the head lice.
General Instructions for Suffocant Treatment*
Instructions for Nit Removal Once the products (chemical or alternative) are rinsed from the hair the hair should be towel dried for the next step of the treatment. This next step is the MOST TIME CONSUMING PORTION of the treatment and can NOT be taken lightly or skipped. Nit picking (hair combing) with a fine-tooth comb is often used to remove the nits (eggs) from the hair. Combing takes time and patience. It is the daily combing and pulling by hand to remove the lingering nits and immature nymphs that can hatch, that will eventually break the cycle and get rid of the lice!
*Note: Any live lice found during the inspection should also be removed with the comb or fingernails. REMEMBER! Nit picking is IMPORTANT. This is done initially and then every day for the next 4-6 weeks. It is difficult to determine a “live egg” from a “dead egg”, if you do not remove those nits (egg sacs) some of them will continue to hatch and start the cycle all over again! The treatment you use will need to be repeated 8-10 days from the first treatment. This is to kill any new live lice that may have hatched since the last treatment. You will also be combing out any nymphs (baby lice) when you are combing. Repeating the treatment sooner, several days in a row, or on a ‘regular basis’ as a prevention, can cause lice to develop a resistance to the chemical treatments.
Many people claim that the following methods help nit removal (loosen nits, make louse combing easier). The school department cannot recommend these methods without scientific evidence of their effectiveness:
Cleaning the house (and car) You will need to change the bedding, and wash the blankets of the person with head lice. Bedding, towels, nightclothes and other clothing that was in contact with the head within a day of treatment should be washed (hot water) and dried in the dryer at high heat for at least 20 minutes. Vacuuming floors, especially carpets recently occupied by affected persons are recommended. Lice will soon die (generally within a day) once off the head for a day. Nits attached to hair that have fallen from the person will likely stop developing and will also die within a few days. Although it is not necessary to thoroughly clean the house or car, vacuuming floors will help dispel concerns about lice or eggs that may have dropped off the head.
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