With another school year over, parents and children are excited to join in the summer fun! Parents, however, often begin to wonder more about how their child’s many summer activities can affect their risk for head lice. In fact, with the arrival of summer, we often come across many parents who begin to wonder if swimming can lessen or increase their child’s risk for head lice, specifically, “can chlorine kill lice?” or “can you get lice from a pool?” In today’s article, we will answer these questions and more so that you can allow your child to splash with peace of mind.

Does Chlorinated Pool Water Kill Lice?

Many parents hope that their child’s quick dip in the pool will not only remedy summer boredom, but also rid them of lice. In fact, one of the most common “home remedy attempts” we encounter during the summer months is the attempted use of pool water to kill lice. Unfortunately, research has shown that chlorinated water will not kill lice. In a 2007 study, lice were found to become temporarily immobilized after submersion in chlorinated water for 20 minutes, however the lice recovered after being taken out of the water. This means that while the dip in the pool may feel refreshing—it doesn’t actually kill lice.

Can You Get Lice from a Pool?

The second most common misconception about lice and swimming pools comes from concerned parents wondering if lice can spread from child to child in a pool. Lice do not swim in water, and so they cannot swim from one person’s head to another. They can, however, still crawl. This means that accessories such as hats, goggles, swim caps, brushes, or towels for drying wet hair should not be shared. For this reason, if your child has lice, it may be best to avoid group trips to the pool with other children until they have had a full course of treatment. If, however, they are not swimming with other children or are in a private pool, there is no risk of lice lingering in the pool water and later attaching themselves to someone else.

Fast and Chemical-Free Lice Removal in Jacksonville and Orlando, FL, and Savannah, GA

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, our professional technicians take a safe, effective, and affordable approach to lice treatment that won’t interfere with your child’s summer fun! We stop lice in their tracks using our AirAllé^® lice machine, a completely safe FDA-cleared medical device. AirAllé^® kills lice and lice eggs through dehydration, and a single one-hour treatment kills head lice and 99.2% of lice eggs. Because the AirAllé^® device is so effective at killing lice eggs (which are difficult for traditional lice products to kill), the likelihood of your child needing a follow-up treatment is less than 1%. And best of all, AirAllé^® does not interfere with your child’s ability to swim or enjoy other summer activities after treatment! To learn more about our list of services and featured products, contact us at one of our Jacksonville, FL, Orlando, FL, or Savannah, GA locations today!