Getting Rid of Head Lice

Treating head lice is all about treating the individual, protecting the family, and the household. You may need to buy over-the-counter shampoos and hair conditioners that will treat head lice and special combs to help pull the nits from the hair shaft. It is important to remember to treat only the infested person. Don’t treat the rest of the family unless they are affected too. Lice killing shampoos contain pesticides. Be careful in treating anyone who has asthma, or are pregnant or nursing.

Treating head lice begins with the removal of all clothing. Apply a medicine called pediculicide. Follow label directions carefully. If the person has long hair, a second bottle may need to be used. If you are using this medicine, do not use a shampoo with cream rinse or a conditioner before using this medicine. Once you have treated the hair, do not shampoo for two or three days.

After the treatment, the person affected should put on clean clothes. After treatment look at the hair and scalp. If you still see some lice that are alive but are moving slowly do not re-treat. Comb out the dead adult lice and the nits with a special comb. Sometimes it takes a little longer for the medicine to kill the adult lice. If the lice are not dead and are still actively moving around, that may mean the medicine is not working. You will need to contact your local health department or your doctor for a different medicine.

Using a nit comb for removing dead adult lice and nits is extremely important. Nit combs often come in head lice treatment kits and a flea comb used for a dog or cat may also be used to comb out the nits and dead lice. Check the hair every one to two days, combing with the nit comb and checking for any sign of live lice. Re-treat the hair in ten days. Continue checking for several weeks until you are sure that all lice are gone.

Treating the household may be a little rough, but extremely important. Machine all washable clothing and bed linens in a hot water wash cycle. The temperature should be at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The clothes should be dried on the hot cycle of the clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. If the object is not washable, you should take it to a dry cleaning establishment. Or, you can effectively rid nonwashable items of nits and lice by placing them in a plastic bag for two weeks. This suffocates the pesky pests!

Combs and brushes should be soaked in rubbing alcohol or Lysol for an hour, or washed with hot, soapy water. It is not advisable to use lice sprays, as they can be toxic if they are inhaled. Nursing mothers, pregnant women, people who have asthma or other allergies or medical conditions should contact their doctor before using medicine to kill lice. Do not use lice-killing medicine on eyebrows or eyelashes.

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