Corpus Christi Mom’s Guide to Treating Head Lice

                                             

Say the word “head lice” and people groan in unison.

I know that I start feeling a crawling sensation on my scalp when I think too much about them. They are a huge nuisance and rate a 10 on the cringe scale. No matter how gross they are, if you are a mom, the chances are pretty good that you will deal with head lice at least once.

Here is list of symptoms to check for if you think that these unwanted guests have shown up in your home.

The most common reaction to a lice outbreak is to get your kiddo’s haircut.  As a hairdresser, I’m going be very blunt: Please don’t take your child to a hair salon if they have lice. I’ve had my fair share of moms who swear that their long-haired daughter begged for a pixie cut, only for me to find lice in her hair. 

Dear Friends: It is against Texas state guidelines to service a client with headlice, so if you don’t say anything and your stylist “discovers” them, they will have to stop the service and ask you to leave. Even if it is mid-haircut.

Trust me- it’s uncomfortable for everyone involved, but it’s really embarrassing for your kid. The stylist will also curse you to 7 years of bad hair days because the disinfection protocol for head lice is a huge pain and takes forever.  Nobody wants bad juju like that. Just sayin’.

There are lice specialists if you want to hire a professional. According to one local website, services start at $150. Depending on your budget, this route may or may not be for you. 

Should you decide to treat head lice yourself, your local pharmacy has lots of products to choose from.  If you choose to use a lice shampoo or not, you will need to remove the nits from your child’s hair with a lice comb. I recommend doing this in a well-lit area since lice eggs are translucent in color and are hard to see.  You should also purchase some butterfly clips so you can section the hair into four quadrants before you begin. Small sections make the job more manageable and you can reclip the clean sections when you’re done. If you catch a louse in your comb, don’t freak out, they don’t jump.  Just stay calm, kill it and keep working.  You will need to recheck your kiddo’s hair in about a week to make sure that they have not been re-infested, so don’t get rid of your tools when you are done. After you are finished, wash them with hot soapy water and store them in a ziplock bag.

Once you have cleaned your child’s hair, you will need to wash their bedding in hot water.  You should also bag up any stuffed animals for at least 7 days to smother any lice that may be lurking. 

In order to keep your child lice-free, talk to them about prevention. Tell them not to share hats, combs or anything else that touches their hair. Some moms add a tablespoon of tea tree oil into their kid’s shampoo as a natural lice deterrent.  Other moms prefer premade products like Fairy Tales which can be purchased at most drugstores.

No matter which route you decide to take, remember that this is a rite of passage

and lots of us have been there before. 

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