Head Lice Treatments for Child

Eeew, your child has lice. Just the sight of your child scratching away at his scalp is enough to make your skin crawl but you have to deal with it…. and you have to deal with it right away!

A little statistics

Head lice affect more than 10 million children in the US every year and they can be difficult to treat. The mature head lice lay eggs or nits that take 7-12 days to hatch and they can mature in about 9-12 days continuing the cycle.  Head lice usually don’t spread any diseases but they can be very irritating and they can infect an entire household in a few days time. Prompt treatment is the only way to actually control the lice and prevent them from spreading.

What can you do?

1. Most schools usually issue warnings when a lice epidemic becomes evident. As soon as you get the warning, make sure you check your child’s head every day by checking hair follicles. It’s difficult to find one or two mature lice but the silver pin-head sized eggs are easily noticed clinging to hair follicles near the scalp
2. Once you spot white silvery globules on the scalp, it’s time to start treatment. Your pediatrician will recommend OTC pediculicides in the form of a cream rinse, shampoo or lotion to kill the parasite. Use the product on wet hair and continue to use it for at least a week after the lice have disappeared. For very resistant lice, oral medication may be required but this is very, very rare.
3. Although over-the-counter pediculicides (lice-killing product) do work, we also recommend you back this up with manual checks and a lice comb. Regular use of the comb ensures that the adult lice and the eggs are dragged out of the mane. Do not forget to place a white towel under your child’s mane while combing to collect the eggs and the lice. You can also use the Lousebuster to treat your child’s lice situation. We recommend you research the procedure before you start to ensure complete safety.
4. Prevent reinfestation by soaking bed linens and clothing in very hot water at about 130° F and then running them through a hot dryer for 20 minutes. Remember to soak all hair care products and accessories in rubbing alcohol and in medicated shampoo as well.
5. Home remedies like mayonnaise, petroleum jelly, olive oil, baby oil etc are popular and they are supposed to be very effective but they have not been scientifically tested for effectiveness.

Caution

Pediculicides are dangerous and most dermatologists urge caution while using them. Do not combine them with other products or other pediculicides to increase the effect and to kill lice faster. It is very dangerous. Do not combine the pediculicide with a hair dryer or blower and do not use the same medication for more than three times on a child. Try natural methods as much as possible and contact your pediatrician if the lice situation does not resolve.

Almost all prescription and over-the-counter medications sold today for treating head lice contain pesticides or other chemicals, many of which have the potential to cause irritating skin reactions or other harmful side effects. For anyone looking to treat head lice the safe way, the LouseBuster™ device uses only controlled, heated air, so it is very safe – even when used to treat people with asthma and those who have previously experienced side effects from other products. Please visit Pediatric Hair Solutions.