Help With Headlice

We Know! This isn't a topic that likes to be discussed, but unfortunately head-lice are quite common. They especially occur when the kids are in school. 

The mere word can send shivers down your spine. They're contagious, annoying, and can be hard to get rid of. While they're frustrating to deal with, they aren't dangerous. 

Prevention

While you can never guarantee that a child will pick up head lice, there are some prevention sprays that may help. In store, we have Hedrin Protect and Go Conditioning Spray.  It is a mind and gentle detangling formula that leaves hair smelling nice and fresh.  We also have Nitty Gritty Defence Spray which uses a blend of essential oils to repel lice.

Signs of Headlice 

Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look a little bit like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off.

Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp.

Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. If head lice is not treated, this process repeats itself about every 3 weeks.

With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is actually due to a reaction to the saliva of lice. However, itching may not start right away - it usually depends on how sensitive a child's skin is to the lice

 Treatment Options

Here is store we have several brands available:

• Lyclear 
• Full Marks
• Hedrin
• Nitty Gritty 

 We also have a non topical solution with the V Comb, which hoovers the lice away. Feedback on this has been good and reduces the need for topical treatments. The Nit Kit is also handy as it contains all the tool to successfully clear head lice including a detangling spray, detangling brush, Lice Comb and Hair Nets

Be sure to check with your child's school to see if other children have recently been treated for lice or if head lice has been reported and report your case. If you discover that your child does, indeed, have lice or nits, contact the staff at the school and childcare center to let them know. 

 

If you are unsure of which treatment to use or need any advice on them or anything else, call into us at any time and we would be happy to give you some help.