Parenting

 Head Lice Treatment In Children Head Lice Treatment In Children

Head lice are a shockingly common affliction in the United States, particularly for elementary school-aged children. It is calculated that there are about 12 million incidences per year. Until recently, the only effective head lice treatment used abrasive chemicals and pesticides. They got rid of the lice, but also left an overly dry scalp and pesticide residues that lingered in a house for months afterward. Currently, researchers are trying to find more ways of mechanical removal of lice and lice eggs. The basic steps for "nit-picking" follow.

Anybody with lice can get a natural lice wash that is sold at any pharmacy. Carefully heed all instructions, making sure to let the product work for the recommended time before washing it out. If this solution doesn't work for you, you can try slathering the scalp a thick coat of petrolatum, mayonnaise, or olive oil and leave it in overnight. To protect your bedding, a shower cap can be worn until you go to rinse the solution out in the morning. While messy, this mixture should effectively suffocate the lice.

Many children in schools have experienced receiving a head lice treatment. There are many products available over the counter, and there are some good home remedies as well. An essential part of the treatment is coming the hair thoroughly a special comb. These combs have teeth that are so fine and close together that they remove the nits of the lice from the hair. Schools, doctors and nurses, and pharmacists are all good sources of head lice information and instructions for treatment.

Now that you've completed your head lice treatment, you also need to clear your house of lice and nits. Head lice live on the scalp of a person, but they can survive for up to 55 hours on their own. So everything that has touched a lice-infested person must be washed to get rid of any lice, including beddings clothing. It isn't required to use special detergent to kill the lice, just standard detergent and hot water. When you need to disinfect an item that you can't wash, try some lice spray.

Because nits can survive for up to 14 days even without a host, it is important to quarantine any items for that amount of time if the item cannot be cleaned. If this is not possible, the item should Some experts suggest that taking a vacation from your home is a great solution. Stuffed animals must be kept in an airtight bag if they normally share the child's bed.

Once head last have been eliminated, the focus should be on prevention of further infestation. Instruct children to not share hats, combs, scarves, or other items that contact their heads with other children. Also tell them to try direct head-to-head contact while playing. Finally, tell anyone who your child may have contacted while they had lice about the situation.