Detection and Treatment Process
So you or your child have the sure infestation of lice; please don’t panic. Yes, contracting lice is scary, but they are not known to carry any disease. So don’t scare yourself, or your children. If you have lice, I suggest you go to the medical center to get them picked out. Have your scalp treated to make sure you are clear. But if your child has lice, you can do the detection and treatment process yourself. Follow these steps:
1. Sit your child down and inspect their head thoroughly. Make sure you have gloves, goggles, and a plastic cap on your head. Search through your child’s head with a nit comb in order to see how much infested his/her head is. Once you have a clear view, get ready for the shampoo process.
2. Get your lice shampoo and the nit comb ready. I suggest that you wash your child’s head in the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink, and not the bathtub. Follow the directions on the lice shampoo. This kills the lice completely, and stops the nits from hatching. Once you have completed the directions for the shampoo, bring a chair in the area where you are working. Sit your child on the floor comfortably, and have a lice container ready. Start picking your child’s head for lice and nits, and place them in the container. Once you have picked them all out, close the lid and throw away outside in the disposal, or the dumpster.
3. Do this treatment for the next two to three weeks. Make sure you follow up on the shampoo treatment, whether every other day or once a week. Do this treatment for the next few weeks. There is a possibility that all the lice may not be eliminated, so more shampoos will be needed. This way, you get rid of the last of the lice, and any nits which are planning on hatching.
Other Information About Children and Lice
Now that the detection and treatment process is done, your child is ready to go and play again. Here are a few things you can do for your child to lessen the risk of contracting lice again:
1. For girls, do a protective style or tie it back, nice and tight. Try not to have your child’s hair out for the next few weeks. This will keep your girl’s hair to herself and lessen the risk of contracting lice again.
2. For boys, cut their hair completely, or do a protective style. If you don’t mind your little boy’s hair cut short, then go ahead and cut it. That is the quickest way to rid the head of lice, and stop contracting it again.
3. For kids with dreadlocks, they need to be cut. Unfortunately, there is no way to save the locs. The lice burrow inside the hair and lay multiple eggs, which in turn hatch generations of lice. It’s dramatic and disheartening, but that is the only way to rid your child of lice.
So now you know everything there is to know about lice. There is no doubt that anyone is susceptible to head lice, regardless of race, but it is definitely dependent on hair texture and structure.
Jennifer Arlinsky Watson says
I shudder to think about having to deal with lice in my daughter’s 4c hair. Aaaiiieee!!!
Maria Sherman says
OMG NO.
Steen How says
Thank you for this article! It’s made me more aware