Okay, so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share this information because it gives people (me!) the heebie jeebies. Lice is one of those things you never want to contract, much less talk about. This isn’t a good topic for dinner conversation…more like whispers out of earshot of the kids or other parents. Well, we got it (could you hear that?). Happy summer vacation.
I had never experienced lice and frankly, I thought since it was the end of the school year there was no way we would fall subject to those little blood suckers. I was wrong. Very wrong. Thank goodness I had scheduled a hair cut for my son. If the stylist had not found them I might not have found them until we were all totally infested. She checked my daughter quickly and then ushered us out the door. It is a health code violation for a stylist to treat a person with lice – thankfully! We left the establishment far before I suffered through a loud discussion between my children about their lice. Oh! The humiliation.
The first thing I did was go to the pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist. She was so nice and
could see the panic in my eyes. Her recommendation was a lice kit (yes, chemicals). Typically, I am not one for dousing my children with chemicals, but when you are completely freaking out you’ll do just about anything. I got two kits and treated them immediately. This was shampooing and combing through every strand of hair. Once I finished I got on the internet and did research.
We had to bag up everything that was soft in their rooms. I put their bedding, all stuffed animals, pillows, backpacks, and coats in garbage bags. I had to spray the couch, their beds, and the carpeting with a de-lousing spray and then vacuum. Then, I saturated my children’s hair with olive oil and put them in shower caps to sleep for the night. Their used bed linens and pillows were put in the dryer for 45 minutes. Heat and freezing kills lice. Water does not, fyi.
Once they were sleeping soundly I did more research. I found out from online friends that the Lice Centers of Ohio was a fabulous place for treatment, so I called to find out more information. I could have had my kids treated there for a fee and checked for free. They use holistic sprays and comb through the hair wearing a black light to be sure they are getting everything. Since I had already treated my kids I didn’t need to have them do it; but, I bought their spray and their nit comb so I could administer treatment at home.
See, you can’t treat the kids once and the lice is gone. You are supposed to:
- comb through their hair every day for two weeks
- keep cleaning their bedding for two weeks and anything they lay on (put a sheet on your couch!)
- keep all their toys and what not bagged up for two weeks
- put everything they wear or sleep on through a hot dryer for 30 minutes…every day…
There are several other ways to treat lice: Cetaphil, mayonnaise, olive oil, tea tree, etc., etc., but really, the only thing that truly works is combing and getting rid of all the nits. Ugh. Now, lice cannot jump. You don’t have to worry about getting them unless you have head-to-head contact or share hats and pillows. There is plenty of research online or call the Lice Centers of Ohio and talk with them. Pediatric Hair Solutions is another option.
