by Eva Smart

Created on: November 20, 2007

SURVIVING LICE WITH OVER-THE-COUNTER TREATMENTS

Lice can be a plague that makes you WISH for locusts! Lice are unfortunately a subject I know quite a bit about, because I've spent my life as a director of child care centers, where lice are a constant risk. Children are always, literally, in each others' hair, so one louse can turn into an epidemic quickly. I've coached many a family through de-lousing, so I'm happy to share the secrets to success with you.

Lice are parasitic insects that live off of blood, biting their hosts about once every four hours. Head lice hide in hair, preferring shiny and silky hair over coarse or curly hair. They are small and dark in color. The website www.WebMD.com has a good photo. They are hard to see in dark hair. Their eggs are small and clear, and they attach firmly to the shafts of hair. Nits are hard to see in fair hair. Nits that are empty after hatching are called casings. It's a myth that the bugs moving on your head make you int-actually itching is an allergic reaction to the bites, so your head can itch even after all lice are removed. Anti-inch creams or antihistamines can help.

Fortunately, there are easy fixes in North America and Canada. Folks in Britain aren't as fortunate, as lice have become resistant to over-the-counter treatments. Regardless of where you live, however, lice can be removed from your home with a few steps. EVERYONE in your house needs to be treated, though, or lice will gladly hop back into the clean head.

YOUR BEST PURCHASE: A GOOD LICE COMB
The best remedy is truly combing every centimeter of hair with a lice comb. These tiny combs, used methodically on tiny sections of hair at a time, can truly catch every louse and nit. Combing works even better if you apply a layer of conditioner to the hair before combing, as this loosens the nits slightly. The problem with relying on combing is that if you miss one, you can be re-infested very soon.

OVER-THE-COUNTER
There are two basic over the counter pesticide in shampoo and lotion form that you can use to treat a lice infestation. They are both safe for children over 2 years of age, but should be used only on hair washed in a sink to minimize the pesticide's contact with your body. Some people need two treatments. If you need more than that, a physician can prescribe medicine that is stronger.

In most stores you will see:

Nix Lotion (pesticide: permethrin 1%)
and Rid and Pronto shampoos (pesticide: pyrethrin)

The pesticides will kill the lice, and then you can carefully comb out the dead lice and nits.

CLEANING HOUSE

Get the louse out of your house! At the same time as the family is being treated, wash all bed linens and clothing in hot water. Other items, such as pillows, quilts and stuffed animals or dolls can be put in plastic bags for a few days to suffocate the lice. They really don't live long away from their generous hosts, so they are not hard to get rid of from your house. But just one left in hair....that's another story.

Nip them early, and bust the bugs. That's my motto. In might seem hard and it's certainly a lot of work, but it is common and nothing to be ashamed of. Lice infestations have nothing to do with hygiene-in fact they prefer clean hair. If you can, try to keep a sense of humor about it. I've been able to tell some funny stories to children about the bug villages I see to keep them laughing while I de-louse them. We're only human-which is a meal to a louse!

Sources: American Association of Pediatrics, www.aap.org
Web MD, www.web.md

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