Treating and Preventing Head Lice

Head lice can spread quickly among children at school.  So parents, please check your children daily!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has a lot of detailed information on lice in both English and Spanish: http://www.cdc.gov/lice/head/index.html

Harsh pesticide products, such as Rid and Nix, are the only official recommended methods for killing lice.  However, some people have found that:

• Due to their toxicity, these products can only be used once every seven days.  If you find more lice before day seven, you need to find alternative methods to kill them.
• In recent years, there have been increasing reports of lice outbreaks that are resistant to these products.
• Parents of infants or children with severe allergies may feel uncomfortable using these harsh pesticides.

There are a few home remedies that reportedly can help prevent lice. Most of the home remedies are safe, inexpensive, and easy to find.  A simple Google search provides a laundry list of home treatments that parents around the world have employed for generations.  They include Suave Juicy Green Apple shampoo (some think the lice don’t like the smell!), mayonnaise, white vinegar, conditioners with coconut oil, using a blow dryer or flat iron, to using a metal nit comb and/or your fingernails.

Whatever your decision, please remember to check your child’s head daily and treat any infestation immediately!