Lice

lice Lice is not dangerous to your child’s health. The only real risk is that the scratching will cause irritation to the scalp.

HOW DO I TELL IF MY CHILD HAS LICE

There are several things to look for:

Itchy scalp – this is the most common symptom, although very light infestations (5 or less lice) may not itch.
Visible live nymphs or adult lice – this are tiny, clear to white mobile bugs visible on the scalp or hair shafts. They are most often seen in the hair behind the ears and the nape of the neck. Adult lice are quite fast and therefore more difficult to spot.
Visible nits – “nits” are tiny white shells that are glued to the hair shaft near to the skin. The nit can either contain a live egg, or can be empty (the egg already hatched). Nits close to the scalp are more likely to contain eggs, and those more than ½ an inch away from scalp are probably empty. Nits are often difficult to distinguish from normal dandruff in the hair shaft. One way to tell is that dandruff will easily slide off the hair with your fingers, whereas nits are glued to the hair shaft and are not easily moved.

HOW DO I TREAT LICE?

Non-medicated treatments – here are several harmless, but messy treatments that may eliminate lice.
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise
- Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
  These work by suffocating the lice and their eggs. Simply massage thoroughly into hair, put on a shower cap, and allow to sit overnight. Wash the hair in the morning with regular shampoo. The main drawback of these treatments is that they can be very difficult to rinse out, sometimes requiring several washings over several days. Because of this, we recommend you try a shampoo first.
Pesticide-free Shampoo
Medicated shampoos
Egg (nit) remover rinses – because the above products leave the live eggs in the hair, they often come with a rinse product to help rinse out the eggs (nits). Use the rinse as directed after the shampoo.
Nit removal combs – these often accompany the shampoo. Comb the hair thoroughly after the above shampoo and rinse to help get out any leftover nits.