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The Facts About Head Lice
- Lice are HUMAN parasites. They do not feed on dogs, cats or birds.
- Lice need to eat every few hours or they will starve to death. They will not live if they fall of the host and do not climb on a new host in a matter of a couple hours.
- Eggs will not survive if they fall off the hair. This is why lice glue the eggs on the hair when they are laid. Smart little buggers!
- Lice can hold their breath for just over 10 hours!!! This is why “home remedies” of Mayo, Olive or Tea tree oil do not work.
- Lice do not jump. Their legs are made for climbing, not jumping. They crawl/climb from one head to another. They do not jump or fly.
- Lice are not transmitted by brief contact. It is prolonged head to head contact ( like selfies, side by side video gaming, tv watching or reading) that they crawl from one person to another.
- Lice can lay over a 100 eggs as an adult. They have a 3 week life cycle. Catching and clearing all eggs and live lice is imperative to controlling re-infestation. When in doubt, keep combing it out!
- Here is an awesome video of what actual lice and nits looks like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S1lrliT9w0
How to Treat/ Prevent Lice
- Don’t panic. It is lice, not the plague. The calmer you are, the easier it is to fix. This is WAY more common than you think!!
- Research carefully. Not every piece of info on the web is accurate. Please go to https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/index.html or https://www.liceclinicsofamerica.com/ for the most accurate and clinically researched/proven information.
- Your student will not be permitted to ride the bus or attend school until they are cleared by the clinic. Please call the clinic to make arrangements. I am there early most days and always willing to help.
- Be ready to carve out some time to work. It takes many many hours to clear your child’s head. You will have to comb with the correct device daily, working small sections at a time. This is a short video demonstration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFAoTFa8kWI
- Treat with a dimethicone based product. NIX and RID do not work. Lice have become resistant to the chemicals. Dimethicone is a oil that weighs enough to suffocate the lice. It is easy on the scalp and highly effective on the lice.
- Vacuum all carpets and cloth furniture daily for a week.
- Wash linens and stuffed toys on hot and dry on hot. You will need to rewash linens daily. Keep stuffed toys off the bed ( other than the favorite) until the process is completed. This just helps with potential for re-infestation.
- Every person in the house should be checked and treated if needed. One person usually transmits to others in the house when they lay down for the night for story time, or tv watching. Sorry moms, that is usually you!!
- Fumigating, spraying does nothing but waste money. Don’t do it. Daily combing, Vacuuming and changing the bag after the week is done is more effective and less expensive.
- Remember to notify the clinic when your child has lice. In most cases we can help and answer any questions.
- There are professional lice removal services available too: Lice Doctor or Fresh Heads
District Policy on Lice in Schools
