Head Lice

What are head lice?

They're tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live on the scalp and suck blood, causing severe itching. The good news is that head lice can not hurt your child. They are more of a nuisance.

How can I detect head lice?

Scratching is often the first sign of infestation. If your child is at school you will get a letter informing you if there are head lice at school. If you do get a letter about lice you should act on it immediately by checking your child's hair. If your child scratches a lot, especially around the back of the head or the ears, check for lice immediately.
Lice aren't easy to see: the bugs take on the color of the hair they're hiding in. In fact, you may never see a louse. It's common to discover an infestation of head lice based on lice eggs (nits) alone. Nits are also tiny -- about the size of sesame seeds -- and creamy off-white or pearly white in color.

Head lice do not jump, fly, or swim. They spread by direct contact, "walking" from one hair or head to another. They happen in the best circles, and does not mean that you or your child has dirty hair, in fact some people say that head lice prefer clean heads.

How do children get lice?

Most children get lice from classmates or a friend or from shared clothes, such as a hat and sharing the same hair brush.

How do I get rid of lice?

You can buy over the counter shampoos such as "Derbac, Full marks" and only cost a few pounds.
To ensure your child remains free of lice and nits, you must remove ALL the nits with a nit comb and follow up with a second shampoo treatment seven to ten days after the first.

Because lice travel easily from one head to another, getting rid of lice and nits right away prevents them from spreading to other family members, allows your child to go back to school quickly, and put your family routine back on track. If your child does have lice you should not send him/her to school until they are fully cleared of them.

How do I apply a lice shampoo?

Shampoo your child's hair rinse and apply conditioner.
Let hair dry, then apply the lice shampoo. The instructions on the label will tell you how long to leave it in. It is best to shampoo your child's hair before going to bed and leaving it on all night.

Rinse out the lice shampoo and towel-dry hair.

Don't forget the nits

You have to get rid of the nits, too. Each remaining nit will hatch a new round of lice, making it crucial to break that maddening cycle.

After applying the lice shampoo wash with normal shampoo then rinse.
Apply conditioner and leave in the hair, this will help the nits slide off the hair. Use a normal comb to get any tats, knots out of your child's hair. Then use a steel tooth comb (nit comb) And comb child's hair until all the nits are out. Continue to check your child's hair daily and reapply the shampoo 7-10 days later. This is important even if your child has no nits.