Lice Questions Straight forward Answers
Recently many people who I have been speaking to School nurses, Social workers, Day Care Centers, School staff and administrators have had questions about head lice detection, prevention and treatment.
There really is so much mis-information out there and the question many people ask who is correct? Well after a many years of hands on education and research to support working with families and individuals I have some of the most frequently asked questions answered.
The most often asked question is How do I check For Head Lice?
First off some tools to make the job easier and more effective
- Excellent light (natural light, if possible – outdoors, close to a south facing window or the best light you can find in your home otherwise)
- A magnifying glass, magnifying/reading glasses and/or a microscope (the toy you have tucked in the closet might even do the trick)
- A comb or brush to completely detangle the hair and a comb to section the hair for those with very thick and/or long hair (and in this case, some clips might be helpful too to hold the hair up in sections)
- A leading head lice comb . This IS NOT a plastic comb that comes in with some of the over the counter kits and it is not even the two sided red-handled metal comb that is sold separately by one of the manufacturers of the kits. You need a stainless steel head lice comb like our Meticulice Ultimate Lice Fighter Comb This item is one of the best tools you can have in your medicine cabinet.
- A spray bottle of water (detangler spray or a spray bottle filled with water and a small amount of conditioner to help remove tangles on thick or curly hair) these will aid in combing through the hair.
- Go to a well lit area this can be outside
- Use your detangler comb or brush to completely detangle the hair.
- Then, part your child’s hair and using the magnifying glass or another type of magnification, look at the areas we ...
Prevent Head Lice During the Cold Weather!
Parents know that the secret to staying warm in the cold weather is to keep your head covered. Yes, it's the time of year when bins full of hats, scarves, and gloves fill up classrooms and homes. It's also the time of year those pesky letters from the school nurse frequently come home with our kids....
Family Members Are Not the Only Ones Who Travel for Thanksgiving!
WooHoo! Thanksgiving is around the corner and everyone is looking forward to a long weekend of relaxation and time spent with friends and family. But heads up! At any given time, 2 - 3 percent of the population has head lice. This means that head lice may hitch a ride with a favorite relative and share the holiday with you too!...
Why Does My Head Itch?
One tell-tale sign that it is time to check your head for lice is the itch. Not every itch means head lice, but persistant itching should be checked. Here at...Meticulice Encourages Expression of Feelings About Head Lice
Having head lice can be a very emotional experience. First of all, there is still a stigma that people with poor hygiene get head lice. Not true at all. Head lice don't discriminate between dirty or clean, rich or poor, and young or old. Second, ridding yourself of head lice can be a time consuming and tedious process. So it is no wonder that children can feel overwhelmed when they learn that they have head lice....CNN Interview and FREE Head Checks!
Here it comes! The 2012-2013 school year is almost upon us! Parents are busy buying school supplies, new clothes, haircuts and more to ensure their children start the year off on the right foot. What a shame that after all of the preparation, many parents will receive the dreaded "lice letter" home from the school nurse.You know what we're talking about. The letter that tells parents that a student in your child's class has been identified as having head lice. The letter that automatically raises your hand to scratch your scalp. Unfortunately, head lice is a fact of life and with children spending so much time in close proximity of one another, schools are breeding grounds. Last year, Suffolk County had a head lice epidemic at the start of the school year.
Should your child be sent home due to head lice, he/she will not be allowed to return until they are nit free. The school nurse and possibly your pediatrician may recommend an over the counter treatment for lice removal. These treatments contains pesticides which can be harmful to your child, are tedious and difficult to use correctly, and often do not completely resolve the problem. This has led some ambitious entrepreneurs to open head lice removal businesses.
While any person with a head lice business may look like a professional, don't be fooled. Not all businesses are created equally. Meticulice , founded by Elissa Rand, follows the Shepherd Method of head lice removal. Elissa attended training at the Shepherd Institute and has been certified in the Shepherd Method. The method uses natural products and a comprehensive 3 step removal process. The Shepherd Method is considered to be the safest and most effective removal method. Just this week, the owner of an Atlanta based head lice removal business that utilizes the Shepherd Method was interviewed by Barbara Hall on CNN .
A good way to relax about the head lice problem is to be proactive. Meticulice is offering FREE head lice checks on August 30th from 9:00 - 4:00. If lice is detected, treatment will be scheduled...
Looking for Lice? Use the Wet Combing Method!
Have you ever wondered whether a wet comb will detect head lice better than dry comb? Probably not. But fortunately, Dr. Claudia Jahnke of the City Health Department in Braunschweig, Germany did. The results of her study prove that using the "wet combing" method is much more accurate in identifying active infestations. ...Sorry, You Can't "Buzz" Lice Away!
One of the benefits of summertime is the casual attitude people adopt. We look for shortcuts of all kinds so we can have the most time for fun. It's important, however, to know when a shortcut will work and when it might backfire and wind up creating more work for you.One time you do NOT want to take a shortcut is when treating head lice. Summer months may mean a vacation from school, but they do not mean a vacation from head lice. With no school in session, kids have more time to hang out together and this can mean an increase in the transmission of head lice.
We often speak with parents who thought that having head lice in the summer would mean an easier time getting rid of it. After all, it's hot so the kids might not mind a short hair cut and they spend hours in chlorinated pool water. Surely, that will get rid of the lice!
Well, we're sorry to say that it won't. The most common scenario we hear is parents giving their sons buzz cuts. It makes sense. If they cut off all of the hair, obviously they cut off all of the lice too. Unfortunately, no. Even the shortest of cuts can not guarantee that all of the nits will be removed and leaving them behind next to a warm scalp means they might hatch. Once hatched, they will probably look for a better environment, meaning a head with more hair. So anyone else in the house becomes a target.
The good news is that short hair on boys or girls can make it a bit harder to contract head lice in the first place. If lice is contracted, it can be less laborious to treat short hair. For girls with long hair and no desire to go short, the best prevention is to wear a braided ponytail making it difficult for the lice to grab onto a single strand of hair.
The moral of the story? Don't take a shortcut to get rid of head lice. Come in to Meticulice ...
Head Lice Can Survive Fun in the Sun!
