Lice are spread by sharing infested clothing or by direct personal contact. They are small white insects that produce thousands of eggs, known as nits, and are found close to the scalp on the hair shaft.
In school settings, lice can jump from head to head, or jacket to jacket. It is advisable that if the school is infested with lice, advise the children to keep their personal belongings like hats and jackets in their school bags
But before throwing out all the bedding in the house, or shaving the child’s head know that it is treatable. And remember lice do not discriminate against anyone
Where to Start
As soon as someone in the household has come in contact with lice, remove any extra blankets, stuffed animals, and dolls with hair, extra pillows and anything with fabric from the infested room. Put these items in a trash bag and store them somewhere outside the house, preferably a shed or garage. Leave them there for 4 weeks. #Lice need to have human contact within 7 days to survive.
Put all bedding, including pillowcases, pillows, sheets and comforters in the laundry. Make sure to wash everything in hot water as that is the most effective way to kill anything that might be living.
Next concentrate on the bathroom. Throw out any hairbrushes, hair ties or hair clips. If saving money is important put all the items in hot boiling water, but it is advisable to throw everything away and start again.
Spray beds and living areas with RIT or opt for more environmentally friendly type products; there are many websites that have tips and ideas for homemade lice-products.
Treating Lice on the Body
While waiting for the laundry to finish, begin treating the lice on the child’s head. While there are many chemical products on the market, killing lice is as easy as opening the refrigerator. Products like olive oil, mayonnaise and vinegar are few of the household items that can be used. There are many websites that provide natural remedies to kill lice.
Once deciding on an effective way to treat the lice, the next step is to use a very fine-toothed comb. The comb will help to pull out any nits that are on the hair shaft. Remember to inspect each piece of hair, to ensure the problem is combated.
Pin the hair into sections and go through each section with the comb, looking for nits anywhere on the hair shaft. The nits are like a gluey substance that adheres to the hair, but once treated, they should slide down the shaft of the hair easily.
After combing the hair, wash the hair again with a tea tree oil based product, and it doesn’t hurt to use tea tree oil around the base of the head to keep a future infestation away.
Remember to check the child’s hair again after washing; this process will have to be repeated several times. This is the only way to guarantee that the lice infestation has been treated.
The Final Steps to Take to Ensure Lice are Gone
Vacuum beds, carpets, thoroughly, and make sure to discard any vacuum bags immediately.
Some experts suggest if leaving the house for seven days is the best way to combat the problem. Lice cannot be without a live host for more than seven days.
If this is not an option, then to continue, washing, cleaning and treating the child’s head until guaranteed that the lice have been eradicated.
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