A head lice infestation can be one of the trickiest conditions that caregivers can come across when handling small children. The reason is, if left unchecked the condition can not only worsen but spread to anyone who comes into contact, especially if they live under the same roof.

There is an onslaught of information available to us via the internet and some of us can spend hours researching all things head lice. We might even feel like pros after we have consumed as much information as we can. But hang on a moment. 

When dealing with head lice it is absolutely crucial that caregivers seek the proper medical and professional care as soon as possible. Using Google to make a treatment decision is not exactly the best move to make. It’s understandable why many would seek treatment options that they can do at home, but the importance of timeliness and the risk of further infestation cannot be stressed enough. 

We at Fresh Heads Lice Removal in Savannah Georgia, and Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida, understand how overwhelming all of this can be. That is why our staff takes pride in not only offering signature one-time treatment options but also a wealth of reliable and factual information about head lice. We value understanding treatment options for our clients but also making sure they know the ins and outs of head lice. 

Before you take a look into treatment options, let’s get a firm understanding of head lice: physiology, life cycle, and common myths. 

Head Lice: Physiology

To understand why it’s important to seek professional care when coming across a head lice infestation, we have to understand what they look like and how they operate. 

Firstly, adult head louse are about the size of a sesame seed and are light in color. However, studies have shown that if you have darker hair color, then the head lice will be darker in color as well. A unique camouflage trick. 

They are a parasite that feeds on blood from the scalp, hence the name head lice. They have six legs in total and at the end of each are these c-curved hooks that allow them to grip onto the hair shaft firmly. 

Lastly, they cannot jump from place to place like fleas. They simply crawl around on the scalp and just stay there to feed. Female head lice tend to be a little wider than males and they can lay up to 10 lice eggs, or nits, a day.

Head Lice: The Life Cycle 

Lice starts as an egg or a nit. It’s about the size of a single knot in a piece of thread. They are usually the same color as the hair of the person they infected, just like how they do when fully grown. If you thought seeing an adult head louse was difficult, a nit is even more so. They’re so small, they’re often confused with dandruff or water droplets in the hair. 

After about six to nine days, the nit will hatch into a nymph. At this stage, they are about as big as a pinhead and begin feeding on blood from the scalp to grow in size.

After a few more days they are fully grown into an adult head louse. Females can lay about six to ten nits per day. With a constant food supply, head lice can survive for about 30 days.

As you can see from lice eggs to nymphs, to adult head louse the life cycle of these parasites is brief but rapid. This is why we at Fresh Heads Lice Removal put a strong emphasis on seeking professional treatment sooner rather than later.  

Myths

As previously stated, there are a lot of myths about head lice in general, including treatments. 

No, you cannot drown lice and their nits out by submerging your head under water, this includes swimming pools. Some people think that the chemicals in swimming pools, namely chlorine, are strong enough to kill head lice and nits. If not, then submerging their head ought to do the trick. 

This is simply not the case. 

Earlier we mentioned those hooks that adult head lice have at the end of each of their legs. This prevents them from being removed from the hair so freely. Essentially, trying to get rid of them by wetting your hair is like trying to play a tug-of-war game that you just cannot win. Head lice and their eggs can only be removed from the hair through proper professional treatments and products from a licensed clinician. 

No, mayonnaise or any other kind of occlusion-based product is not an effective lice treatment. You cannot suffocate head lice. They need to be removed through warm heat, prescribed topicals, or by hand with a comb specifically designed for lice removal. 

Head lice are transmittable through direct head-to-head content. This goes back to the fact that head lice need a constant blood supply from the scalp in order to survive, which means that the longer they remain off the scalp, the higher their mortality rate. 

Why Us? Check Out Our Savannah, GA Location Today.

Now that we have answered the question, what do lice look like, let’s briefly get an overview of what treatment options are available.

Our most popular treatment is the AirAlle. Our signature treatment system uses warm air to eliminate all adult head lice and their nits from the scalp. The entire process takes about 90 minutes and comes with a 45-day guarantee. This means that if re-infestation occurs, the person who initially received treatment will be retreated for free as well as anyone who shares a household with the infected individual. This will occur once a head check by a Fresh Heads technician is performed. 

We offer an array of other lice treatments within our facilities, fitting any budget to ensure that our clients and their families get the effective care they need. We value our one-treatment-guaranteed systems as well as informing each of our clients about how to treat a head lice infestation properly. Effective treatments with detailed and concise knowledge at budget-friendly prices are of utmost importance.

And that’s the Fresh Heads Lice Removal difference. 

To schedule an appointment at either our Savannah, Georgia location or at our Jacksonville or Orlando locations, visit our website and give us a call today! 

Schools Without Lice

At Fresh Heads Lice Removal, our mission is to get rid of lice in schools across the United States. We’ve partnered with the Lice Clinics of America to create the Schools Without Lice program. Through this program, we provide school nurses and teachers with free screenings, resources, and treatments. Together, we can have schools without lice!