How To Check for Head Lice

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Most parents are fearful of the idea that their children will contract head lice, yet until they actually do battle head lice, those same parents have no idea how to check for it.  If you have never seen it, how would you know?  It would seem logical to turn to the internet for advice, but unfortunately, the web is chock full of misinformation.  But knowing how to check and checking often is your greatest defense against a really tough infestation.  Here’s what you need to know about how to check your child for head lice:

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It is easiest to start looking at the nape of the neck and work your way up toward the front of the hair.  If the child has long enough hair, you should pull it up into a ponytail with one hand, and slowly work your way up, pulling small, paper-thin sections of hair down and examining each hair closely.  You should concentrate at the base of the hair, as the lice eggs are going to be found glued to the hair shaft, quite close to the scalp.  When these eggs are new, they are dark brown in color, and on blonde hair can look like specks of dirt.  Newer nits can be more difficult to see on children with darker hair, as they can blend in quite well.  Nits that are not viable, or that have already hatched can appear clearish, like droplets of water, or white, but will still be firmly attached to the hair.  Nits are most often found at the nape of the neck, the crown of the head, or the hairline around the front or sides of the head.

Often, dandruff is mistaken for lice eggs.  Lice eggs will be firmly attached to the hair and will feel like a hard speed bump if you run your fingers over them.  They will not slide down the hair shaft with your fingertips.  If you are seeing white debris that appears to be on the hair but will slide under your fingertips, you are more than likely looking at dandruff, not nits.

As soon as you find any evidence of lice or eggs, you should take action immediately.  Fresh Heads Lice Removal offers guaranteed lice removal services and we are available by appointment 7 days a week.

Why Is Head Lice So Hard???

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Oh, head lice. You are so small! And yet you have driven us crazy for thousands of years. Why is head lice so hard to get rid of? When I was a kid, our parents slathered our hair ONCE with an over the counter pesticide and that was it! At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, we get calls every day from parents who have been battling these tiny bugs for a month or more, and dang are they hard to get rid of!  WHY???

Traditional pesticide treatments have become increasingly ineffective as the bugs are growing increasingly immune to the pesticides. Some of the stronger pesticides have been outlawed, and the weaker, over-the-counter variety have been way over-used. The result is super lice, which are very happy to have you slather them with this stuff because often, it doesn’t even touch them.

Secondly, these pesticides have never been very effective against the nits. The nits (or eggs) are laid by a female louse several times per day. When the nits are laid, the louse secretes glue that is chemically similar to cement. This glue firmly attaches the nit to the hair shaft, and it protects the nit. No chemical currently available is very effective at penetrating that glue. The best clinical study I have seen shows about a 70% effective rate against the nits. And with lice, its all or nothing baby. This is why all traditional treatments call for a retreat in 7-10 days. You are waiting for the eggs to hatch, and then hoping to kill them with the pesticide before they reach maturity and start laying new eggs. GROSS! And ineffective (see point above).

Third, these darn things spread like wildfire! If you’ve got just one child and a shaved head yourself, you might be alright. Most of the time, by the time you figure out junior, has it, he’s already shared it with his siblings. And more often than not, mom has it too, now who’s going to help her???

As a result, in comes the new and booming professional lice treatment industry. Fresh Heads, have you heard of us??? We are helping family every day, families who are nice and kind and love each other. Families who have worked their tails off trying everything they could find to get rid of these darn pests. Families who just want to be done with it!!! It’s what we do!

Happy Halloween!!!

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Happy Halloween!  Today, we dressed up as lice killers!  9 treatments today, so actually I’m not kidding at all.  I just always knew I’d be a lice killer when I grew up!  Ahhhh, anyway.  People are so often surprised to hear that lice really is a year-round problem, worldwide.  It really doesn’t matter what part of the country you are in, lice happens.  Basically, if you have children between the ages of 3-11, or if you have older children who have friends with younger siblings, or if you are a grandparent who hugs your grandkids…You are all at risk!  Today we treated a 13-year-old boy, 6 girls ranging in age from 5 to 16, and two very sweet and humble mothers.  Can we prevent this, you ask???  YES!  There are a few things you can do:  First, understanding that lice are ALMOST ALWAYS contracted via head to head contact (not from your environment, got that???) you can talk with your children about keeping their personal space personal.  Every child is different, and frankly, younger children just can’t help themselves, but if you can convince them that it is not necessary to hug every person they see, your chances of getting a house full of lice will go way, way down.  Secondly, if you have girls, keep their hair pulled back.  Anything you can do to lessen the amount of contact that your child’s hair has with another child’s hair will help.  Third, you should use a good, independently verified preventative shampoo and spray.  We recommend Babo Botanicals because its the best we’ve been able to find.  Lastly, you should invest in a good, no great lice comb.  Every who really knows anything will tell you the Terminator Comb is the only way to go.  Keep it handy, and run it through your kids heads whenever you think about it.  Early detection (like so many things) is huge!  Most people go at least 2 weeks before they realize they have a problem, and by then, the whole house has it.  Except for dad, usually, lucky buzzards.  Happy Halloween!!!