Head lice are the most common ailment in schools after the common cold. They are not dangerous and they do not carry disease, they are however easily transferred from child to child.
It is also not uncommon that head lice are seen in families more than once or twice. A second case of head lice can be caused from undetected hatchlings left behind from the initial treatment, incorrect treatment or a reinfestation from another child.
Make sure you get handle on nits with these top tips.
- Make sure the treatment is massaged into the scalp and complete coverage is achieved – many people don’t realise that a newly hatched louse (a nymph) is almost translucent in colour and lives directly on the scalp for this stage of its life. Without focusing on the scalp during treatment it is possible that the nymphs are left to continue the infestation. (Follow the treatment purchased instructions)
- Combing is important to ensure all nits (head lice eggs) are removed. Many treatments don’t penetrate the egg’s shell leaving the embryo inside to continue to grow and eventually hatch. The nits are tiny, between 0.5mm and 2mm in length so it’s handy to have a magnifying glass with you when treating (try the NitWits Natural Head Lice Comb with the built in 5 x magnifying glass) Parents should pay particular attention to the back of the neck and also behind the ears when looking for nits.
- It is possible that even with the most thorough treatment we could leave behind a couple of healthy nits which would create a new generation of head lice. Therefore it is important to re-treat around 7 days after the initial treatment which will tackle those undetected hatchlings.
- If someone in the household has head lice, it is highly recommended to check the other family members for head lice.
