Since my kids are not in school yet, I didn't realize this lice issue still exists. I was under the impression the movie with Jessica Parker "I don't know how she does it all" the lice topic was just exaggeration. Is there a prevention for lice?
Yes - it's still an issue. I get a notification from the kids' school at least once a year. I wash my daughter's hair with tea tree oil shampoo, keep her hair in braids, drill her on the rules: don't share hats, barrettes, hair bands, etc. I dealt with it once years and years ago with my oldest (who is now in her 20s) and it was a nightmare. I never want to go through it again, so I am super paranoid about it.
Buy some Tea Tree Oil and add a few drops to every bottle of shampoo you buy. No more than that though. It is very thick and oily. It stinks to high heaven too. Lice don't like it due to the smell and they can't stick eggs to hair that has Tea Tree Oil residue on it. Their "glue" won't stick to oil.
They need exceptionally clean hair for laying/sticking their eggs onto or the dirt and oil will keep the nit from sticking.
Head lice is a sign your kids are clean by the way. Body lice like dirty bodies, they live on filth.
Teach your kids not to share coats, hats, hairbrushes/hair accessories. Braid little girl hair if there is an outbreak in her class. Consider tea tree oil shampoo as a preventative. But don't freak out too much. My DD was an infant at the time that another kid had lice. As far as I am aware, no other children were infected. The center cleaned and had the parents take home all the kids' linen and coats (double bagged for transport), we washed them and brought them back. When my SD had lice, it wasn't from school, it was from a relative. We haven't had any problems in 8+ years since.
Always use a product on your child's hair-gel,hairspray etc. There is a teatree spray shampoo too.
Usually the schools send out information about lice at the beginning of each school year. It will explain how to avoid it and how to deal with it if your child gets it.
They have rules about no hugging, no sharing hats etc.
I also heard a Doctor speak about how the kids that tend to get lice usually are fair haired, thin hair and extremely clean hair.. So to try not to wash a child' hair every night. Let them go 2 or 3 days before washing their hair.
Oh it still exists. :-( My daughter had it a couple of months ago and wasnt even in school. Here is what I learned:
Keep your kids hair pulled back (ex: pony tail)
Use shampoo with Tea Tree Oil or Coconut Oil
Lice like clean hair (they can glue their eggs to clean strands better than oily strands)
Blow dry and/or flat iron at least once a week (Lice cant survive the heat)
Never share hair accessories, brushes, hats, etc.
If you suspect lice, buy a NitComb and comb behind the ears, nape of neck and crown of the head. If you see brown-ish colored debris on the comb, then its most likely lice.
**Try not to use the pesticides. Studies are finding that lice are becoming resistant to them**
Ulta sells some products including a spray to prevent lice. I worry about this because my daughter has to share a locker with two other students at school. I'm dreading the possibility of her bringing it home because of the hassle of getting rid of it. Bed bugs are a huge problem right now too.
My girls had it for 2 years! It would come and go. Finally after trying all the products OTC and perscription, the only thing that worked was keeping detangler from CVS in their hair daily. We pull it back once in awhile but always keep detangler on their hair. It was a nightmare that seemed like it would never go away. My kids were in private school when they had it. Now in public school they haven't gotten it. We didn't have to cut their hair during any of the outbreaks. Remember not to share helmets at softball or baseball.
It goes through waves at our daughter's school. My nieces recently had it and they opted for a professional lice remover to come out to their house and comb it all out -- instead of the caustic "Rid" chemical route. The professional recommended keeping our daughter's hair in pony and pig tails and spraying the hair at the base of the neck and around ears w/ hair spray. Lice like clean hair and don't like hairspray. Other than that, there is not much you can do.
