You should not despair if one of your children shows the symptoms of head lice. The facts are that it is unlikely these days that any child will go to school without this annoying problem.
Head lice will never make it in the long jump, but they are excellent crawlers and will happily crawl from head to head among children playing or sitting together.
When a head lice infection is discovered, don’t panic. It is best to systematically work through a variety of simple processes to achieve eradication. You can start by washing the sheets and pillows that the child uses, and pay attention to the loungers that children may come into contact with. However, it is rare to find lice in these places, since they prefer the environment of clean hair and scalp.
Combs and hairbrushes must be cleaned and the child must be taught not to share these items with others.
The life cycle of head lice is only around 4 weeks. The eggs (nits) are deposited on the hair shaft adjacent to the scalp and adhere firmly to the scalp, making them difficult to remove.
After just over a week, the eggs hatch, and after another week, they are classified as adults. For the remaining 3 weeks of their life, they lay around 20 eggs each day to maintain the nit infestation. Lice treatment is difficult and persistence is required to eliminate them and also to prevent new infections.
One thing that can make detection difficult is that not all children experience the itchiness that we associate with head lice. Because of this, it is imperative that all family members are checked if anyone in a family is affected.
There are suggestions that today’s head lice are becoming immune to the chemicals used in their treatment, although these views have not really been proven. One positive we are noticing is that people are no longer willing to use harsh chemicals on their bodies, particularly the sensitive skin of young people.
Many mothers opt for home remedies like smothering the affected hair and head with oil or conditioner. Methods like these can help, although frequent repeat applications seem to be required.
There are now a range of products commercially available that contain natural oils such as olive, neem, tea tree, lavender and melaleuca and good results are reported.
Whichever product you choose, look for one that contains natural herbs and oils that are safe to use on your beloved family members.