HOW CAN YOU GET HEAD LICE?

Anyone can get head lice… mainly through direct head-to-head contact and rarely from sharing hats, brushes and other personal items. Head lice are a problem in many communities and do not reflect poor hygiene or social status.

How Do You Get Lice? Virginia Beach Lice Experts Explain Lice Prevention
Avoid head to head contact. (Even a hug can spread head lice) Keep hair up in a bun or braid. Take a Peek Once a Week (with a professional lice comb) and Screen your children for lice or nits.

Perform wet hair head check with a professional nit comb once a week. Use a professional lice comb regularly. (Regular combing with a professional lice comb can provide early detection and prevent infestations. If lice or nits (eggs) are found early enough, you may be able to stop the infestation from spreading to other family members. Watch for signs of head lice, such as frequent head scratching. (not everyone itches) Check all family members for lice and nits (lice eggs) at least once a week. Only those infested should be treated. Lice are reddish-brown wingless insects, nits are grayish-white, always oval shaped, and are glued at an angle to the side of the hair strand.

Nits or Dandruff?

Be sure not to confuse nits with hair debris such as bright irregularly shaped clumps of dandruff stuck to the hair shaft or elongated segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft and easily dislodged. Lice treatment is inappropriate for hair debris. See Lice & Nit Pictures.

Consult your pharmacist or physician before applying or using lice treatment pesticides when the person involved is pregnant, nursing, has allergies, asthma, epilepsy, has pre-existing medical conditions, or has lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes. Never use a pesticide on or near the eyes. Remember, all OTC lice-killing products are pesticides.

About OTC Products

If you choose to purchase an over-the-counter treatment like Rid or Nix, follow the directions carefully and use with caution. If the product fails, do not switch to other over-the-counter treatments or use any prescription products as a “last resort”. This can be potentially harmful. Manual removal with an all natural product is the safe alternative and a necessary component to any head lice treatment regimen. Remove all nits. This assures total lice treatment. Separate hair in sections and remove all attached nits with the Nit Terminator Comb, baby safety scissors, or your fingernails. Wash bedding and recently worn clothing in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. Combs and brushes may be soaked in hot water (not boiling) for 10 minutes.

Avoid lice sprays with Pesticides! Vacuuming after using an all natural pesticide free product is the safest and best way to remove lice or fallen hairs with attached nits from upholstered furniture, rugs, stuffed animals and car seats. Notify your child’s school, camp, child care provider, neighborhood parents, or visit our Lice Alert page to report an outbreak or get notified when lice is in your area. Check for lice on a regular basis. This is the best way to protect your family and community. If you don’t want to go it alone, call on the lice experts Let’s Be PALS 757-769-8639