Picture this scenario: You are two weeks away from your annual beach vacation. You and your kids driving home from a day at the pool, talking about everything you want to do when you go on vacation, and your daughter says, “My head is itching.” You say, “Oh, your scalp is probably just dry from the chlorine or something, baby.” “OK,” she says, accepting your wisdom. As you pull into the driveway, she says, “Mom, my head is REEEEALLY itching!” You stop. For a nano-second, you think, “Could it be? No, surely not.” But instead of visions of seashells dancing in your head, you see creepy crawlers popping from head to head and bed to bed. The mere thought of everything involved can make a generally level-headed mom go bonkers!

Without unloading the car, you and your daughter stand, still dripping a little from the pool, in the driveway. As if you are the Crocodile Hunter himself carefully creeping through tall reeds and swamp grass to sneak up on a dangerous giant reptile, you gingerly separate the hair from whence the dastardly itch came. And (cue the theme music from the shower scene in “Psycho”) there they were. Nits! And where there are nits, there are lice! Like a dragon slayer preparing for battle, you load your crew back into your trusty SUV, head to the closest drugstore, and gather your weaponry for your full-scale attack on head lice.

Is your head itching yet?

Just talking about the little buggers makes most people start scratching their heads. There are many misconceptions surrounding these tiny terrors and many different ways of dealing with them. As with so many other annoying pests, head lice have developed a higher tolerance to over-the-counter remedies, many of which contain neurotoxins. Your first step should be to call your pediatrician immediately. He or she will guide you through this process safely and save you a lot of headaches and head itching.

Know the Enemy

• Head lice like clean, warm places they can really snuggle into, like the nape of the neck and back of the ears. 
• The tiny brown/gray parasites are about 2-3 mm long with six legs and a claw at each end. 
• They crawl quickly, but do not hop, jump, or fly.
• They live on human blood and cannot live for very long away from the scalp. 
• They primarily spread through a hair to hair contact such as close head-to-head touching, sharing brushes/hats (Watch out for trying on random hats at stores unless you REALLY like one), sharing pillows/bedding/headgear in close proximity with someone with head lice. Head lice lay thousands of eggs that will take up to a week to hatch.
• The eggs (or nits) “glue” themselves to the base of the hair follicle and look like tiny pieces of rice. You have to manually remove them from the hair shaft because they stick so firmly. 
• Short hair is easier to treat than long hair, but it is not necessary to cut children’s hair to alleviate the problem. It just takes diligence and a calm head. 

Steps for Greater Success

• Call your pediatrician for advice and follow it! He or she may suggest a prescription. Ask them about the effectiveness of natural treatments like tea tree oil.  
• Explain to your child and family what the situation is and how important it is for everyone to help out and follow the appropriate measures. 
• Wash/treat the affected child’s hair and comb hair with a fine toothed lice comb preferably outside in natural light to get the best look at the situation. 
• Carefully remove as many nits as possible dropping them on the ground away from you. Run all hair brushes, combs, etc. through the dishwasher. The hot water will kill any eggs. Treat all family members’ hair. Even if their heads are not itching yet, they can have head lice. 
• Wash all linens in hot water and dry them on a hot setting. Vacuum rugs, throw pillows and mattresses. Seal vacuum bag in trash bag and dispose of it. 
• Bag up stuffed animals, pillows, etc. that cannot be washed for a couple of weeks. You may need to repeat all of these steps several times, and treat head lice like you would a contagious virus. 
• While it may be very uncomfortable, you must let your child’s school, friends and family know that he or she is being treated for head lice. 

Remember: Getting head lice is not a sign of bad parenting or poor hygiene. Unfortunately, it can be as much a part of growing up as bike wrecks, bad dreams and bullying. As with all of these bumps in development, parents have to be educated and deal with them accordingly. So how did the lice impact the family vacation? The little beasties went on vacation, but thankfully, head lice are tiny and they did not show up in the family beach photos that eventually became Christmas cards. It took many tangles, tears, and even prescription strength treatment to resolve the situation. The moral of the story is to educate yourself and do exactly what the doctor orders. You owe it to yourself, your kids and others.

Heather Bennett is the PR Director and a Parent Educator for Centers for Youth & Families.