Head Lice Treatment - How To Get Rid Of Head Lice

Head lice cannot jump, they crawl from head to head which is why they are so common amongst children who tend to sit close together. If your child does get infected, whatever head lice treatment you decide to use, it is wise to also wash all bedding and treat furniture where their heads may have rested, but healthy head lice tend to stay on heads rather than move. However sharing combs or brushes where the lice may have been removed during combing will spread them. If your child does catch headlice and is scratching, check to make sure they do not have head sores as these can become infected.

You need to understand the life cycle of lice if your head lice treatment is going to be effective. The life cycle is about a month. The lice eggs or nits are attached to the hair close to the scalp and are very hard to remove. They hatch in 7 to 10 days and reach adulthood in another 6 to 10 days. They then live for another 20 days laying about 10 eggs a day.

Head lice are difficult to treat and to prevent the infection recurring, vigilance is needed to ensure that no eggs remain to hatch. Not everyone actually gets an itchy head so if someone in the family is infected all heads should be checked. Some people find the idea quite horrendous, when my granddaughter became infected my daughter would shake when she was trying to remove them. As a primary school teacher I had seen so many infected children I was unmoved.

Unfortunately lice are becoming immune to chemical head lice treatment and many parents prefer not to use it anyway. Another solution is to use hair conditioner, left for a while, then combed with a nit comb. If you wipe the comb on a piece of tissue you will see the head lice even if they were invisible on the head. This has to be repeated every 3 days for at least two weeks to ensure any newly hatched eggs are caught. Personally we found that olive oil, which we left on overnight after combing, worked better and left the hair in a lovely condition. However the problem kept recurring and finally I bought a battery operated flea comb designed for pets which we found very effective. I have noticed that these are now advertised for head lice. If you do decide to use one, check that the manufacturer guarantees that it is safe to use on a child.

I came across another suggestion for getting rid of headlice and although I haven't tried it myself, but it seems a safe way to try to get rid of them.
Dissolve slivers of Grandma's Lye Soap in a quarter cup of hot water for 30 mins. Apply the paste to the head and leave for 15 mins. Rinse with a water and vinegar solution. Repeat every other day for at least a week and then keep checking to ensure that no more nits have hatched. (Many thanks to www.itspuresoap.com)

You should always discuss any treatment with your doctor before starting, remember a child's skin is very sensitive.
Whatever method you choose, don't become complacent, keep checking.

How To Get Rid of Head Lice

Advice on head lice and nit treatment

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