Head Lice Treatment – 5 Tips to Avoid a Year Round Infestation

I love winter. Breath white in the air and red noses as children are shepherded through the frost to school. Ice on puddles and woolen mittens, chilly evenings spent inside chatting, the cold bringing us closer together. A time for snowmen, hot chocolate, toasting marshmallows on the fire, and… head lice.

Wait a minute, head lice?

Yes, head lice. The thought of which is enough to make even the strongest parent (who has seen it all) shiver to the bone, shift uncomfortably and unconsciously itch their head.

Winter is a time of crowding together to stay warm, sharing hats, coats and mittens, coloring together, huddled on the floor in front of the fire. This is a veritable free for all for head lice, who will only leave one human for another. Leaving for any other reason spells certain death, so as soon as they smell another, they are off in search of fresh blood for them and their nits.

Thankfully there are several ways to avoid the wee nasties launching a full scale invasion on your child this winter.

1. Sit down and have a chat with your child about the perils of head lice. Let them know that they need to be very careful not to share hats, coats, scarves or anything that can transmit head lice of their eggs. If you have trouble, you can visit our website below and download our totally free eBook that you can read together.
2. Talk to your girls about sharing hair brushes and combs. Dress ups and hair brushing will be common with inside play being a little more limited. Let them know that it only takes one pregnant or a pair of lice to cause an infestation and all scrunchies, hair ties, brushes and combs are off limits.
3. Boys are likely to be sitting close together playing games, either the electronic, hand held or board kind. Let them know that head lice find it very easy to reach out with those powerful front legs and swing from child to child. They do not jump or fly, but they are designed very well to transfer themselves through head to head contact. Studies have shown this is very likely the only method of transmission.
4. Remind children that head lice have nothing to do with a child’s cleanliness. Let them know that head lice actually prefer clean hair, so just because a child has contracted lice, doesn’t mean they are dirty. Try to minimize teasing by making it clear that head lice find it much easier to move around in clean hair and attach their nits, but they will live anywhere, so it has nothing to do with how clean or dirty you are.
5. Tea Tree oil can be bought from your local health food and has been proven to be a safe method of prevention. It makes the child ‘invisible’ to the lice as they no longer think they are human, so will not transfer to them. There are a variety of ways it can be used.

i). Add 10 drops to your normal shampoo so that it smells strongly of Tea Tree.
ii). Add a few drops to water in a spray bottle and spray before play.
iii). Add a few drops to a leave in conditioner and spray every morning.
iv). For boys, add a few drops to their gel.
v). For girls, add a few drops to their hair spray, as long as it is the pump bottle kind.

With head lice, prevention really is the best cure. They are a lot easier to avoid than they are to get rid of. As long as you take just a few precautions, you can avoid a full scale invasion of head lice this winter.

Happy holidays!

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