Let me guess the subject has you immediately wanting to scratch your head am I right? Even though you may have the hibee jebees lets get one thing clear, Lice is a very common issue especially among school aged children. It is estimated that upwards of 12 million children are annually effected in the US alone (stat from CDC) It is nothing to be ashamed about or embarressed about if you get the phone call from the school that your child has Lice.
First let me share with you my epic #momfail. I am the mother of 5 sons and when they were young I was paranoid about lice. I didn’t know much about it because no one talked about it then. I just thought I wouldn’t survive if I had to deal with it. Then one day just before school was to begin again I saw my oldest son who was about 10 at the time scratch his head repeatedly in a short span. I freaked out I didn’t even know what lice looked like but I was convinced he had it. I saw a red bump on his head. I drove the kids immediately to the barber and I had them shave my sons head, like nearly bald. He was not happy in fact he was downright sad. I gave him no choice. Turns out he had a rather large mosquito bite on the top of his head nothing else. The barber inspected the kids when I told him I thought they had lice. Nothing. I now had a son who to this day still remembers the time he had to go to school with no hair because his mom freaked out for no good reason. I got educated quickly. This is some of what I learned.
The adult head louse has six legs and is about the size of a sesame seed. Nits or the eggs are oval shaped and are even smaller. They're difficult to see, but you can feelthem if you run a fingernail down the hair shaft from the scalp. Nits are usually light gray, tan, yellowish, or white in color. ... After the nitshatch, dull yellow shells remain on the hair shaft. ( parents.com-health) Unlike dandruff that can easily be moved, nits stick to the hair.
Head lice spreads through head-to-head contact with an infected person. With kids, you can see how easily this can happen when they share brushes or hair accessories, hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, towels, blankets and stuffed animals. Sleepovers are common times for kids to get Lice because they can also get it from lying down on a carpet, couch, bed, pillow or blanket that a person who has Lice has used.
What signs to look for ( Dr Axe)
- Intense itching
- A tickling feeling when hair moves.
- Seeing lice on your scalp, body, body hair or clothing.
- Finding lice eggs, which are called “nits,” on hair shafts.
- Small red bumps on the scalp, neck and shoulders.
- Irritability and difficulty sleeping (head lice are most active in the dark).
- Sores on the lice-infested area caused by scratching
What do you do if you discover Lice? Well try not to panic and don’t rush for the clippers. I’m not going to lie you need to do some work but when its done everyone should still have a full head of hair and you should be lice free.
You will need a fine tooth comb you can get at any pharmacy
Double the recipe for longer hair.
Directions:
- Gently melt the Moyaa Shea Butter and leave to cool to a comfortable temp then add the Tea Tree Oil mix together.
- Apply the oil mixture all over the scalp, massage in well and cover all hair This helps to kill the Lice by suffocating them
- Comb through the hair with a fine tooth comb. Use a paper towel or similar to collect anything that comes from the comb then discard
- Cover head in a shower cap and allow to sit for 2 hours. If possible, sit in the sun or use a hair dryer to periodically warm up the cap.
- Carefully remove shower cap, and dispose or wash throughly with very hot water.
- Comb hair again before washing and rinsing thoroughly, twice.
- While hair is still wet, combine 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup water in a small spray bottle. Saturate the hair, spraying ½ the bottle on the scalp and hair.
- Lean over the sink and pour the remaining mixture over the hair, massaging lightly.
- Rinse thoroughly and comb hair once again with a fine tooth comb.
- Follow with a light application of Shea Butter as a leave in conditioner. Style as desired using a blow dryer is recommended for the heat.
As with most lice treatments, you need to repeat the process every 5 days for a couple of weeks. This helps to ensure that you remove all lice and their eggs. Between treatments, comb hair morning and night with a fine tooth comb, and use a little Moyaa Shea as a leave-in conditioner. Lice cant hold on to the hair.
Now let’s talk about house work. You don’t need to go crazy although it is very important to clean all bedding and clothing ( hats, scarves etc, to prevent recurrence. Vacuum carpets and couches or cover for 3 days and avoid using.
An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say so try adding a few drops of Moyaa Tea Tree oil to your shampoo bottle and do regular checks.
What tips do you have for dealing with Lice? Do you have any traumatic memories of dealing with Lice ? Share in the comments. PS I had three foster girls live with us and I’m so glad I didn’t shave their heads when we discovered the litte critters having a party in their hair. Instead I dealt with the issue rationally amd we all survived