Hire a professional or don't. Either way, you still gotta put in some time.

Here's a question I just received:

"My friend said she had lice but she got treated two weeks ago. She said that the first time you get treated at places like (insert lice removal salon here), you cannot give lice to someone else. You can't spread. Is this true?"

Here's my answer:

The answer to this is not so cut and dry. If someone is known to have had head lice, I generally assume that they still have it until there have been no sightings of new lice or nits for two weeks. However, just because a person may still have head lice, it doesn't mean that they are necessarily able to spread it. A lice professional will usually be able to remove all adult bugs in the first sitting. It is the adult bug that can leave the head - newly hatched nymphs will not venture off the head for at least a week. So, a person with head lice may be of no immediate threat to others (which is one reason I'm against no-nit policies in schools and day care centres). But let's say that a tiny nymph was missed by the lice professional.  In 7-10 days, if no further combing had been done, there would be a new adult louse on the head that would be able to transfer to someone else through head-to-head contact.

While I generally trust experienced lice professionals (as long as they focus on lice removal over pushing lice "shampoos"), I never underestimate head lice.  I challenge lice professionals who claim to deal completely with your head lice problem in one visit. If they get the bugs out, the chances that they've missed an egg or even a tiny louse,  are still high. When I do home visits, I always offer a free follow up. This is because I believe that everyone should have a second visit with the professional - all of this and I still instruct families to still keep up with their own lice combing. I respect head lice and their resiliency. No matter what "treatment", no matter which professional is utilized, the affected head should still be thoroughly wet combed every couple of days with a good metal lice comb until at least 2 weeks have passed with no new sightings of lice or nits.

Now remember, you don't NEED a lice professional and I really have a problem with professionals that tell people that you must use an expensive product or service in order to deal with lice effectively. I've seen too many hard-working, low-income families who put themselves at risk by throwing away hundreds of dollars and buckets of sanity over their lice problem because of some "expert advice". I've seen people who give up because they feel they will never be able to afford the cost of "treatments" or services.  You know, head lice was dealt with effectively before the invention of salons and chemicals and paid services and fancy tools.  Back in the day, if someone had head lice, you just got in some good light, buckled down, and nitpicked for hours, everyday, until the lice were gone.  Yes, that actually works.

Lice removal professionals are more like housekeepers than health care workers. Everyone can vacuum, but some people don't want to so they hire a cleaner.  Everyone can deal with their own head lice problem, but some people don't want to and that's OK as long as they can truly afford it.  There are times you might want to use the services of a lice professional. (Read my post about this here.) but it isn't a necessity AND using their services won't let you off the hook - you will still have to do lice checking and combing at home.

Time to stop and smell the family. Wait, that didn't come out right...

This is just a quick post to say that I'm taking a break from picking lice and nits in the home.  Just need a little less time with your lice and little more time with my family.  The thing is though, educating people about head lice is my passion.  I'll still be reviewing research and showing you the evidence to check out and the gimmicks to avoid.
 

And, I'm still willing to answer your questions for free (as always), but I'd rather do this via this blog or through my email, thenicelicelady@live.com.

I'll keep you posted on when I'm back in business.  Remember - you don't need a professional or expensive treatments to get rid of head lice.  You just need to be willing to learn, willing to act, and willing to keep going until it's gone.  Read this blog to learn what to do (wet comb with a good lice comb and focus all energy on the head) and what not to do (frantically clean the house and spend hundreds of dollars on ineffective treatments.) 

As I always say, you can outrun head lice.  And feel free to drop me a line. You can do this.

Thanks for the call.

I received a call from an absolutely exhausted mother. She had been running on 3 hours sleep every night for the last 2 weeks. Her pre-teen daughter had head lice. They tried to get rid of it with Nix. They then tried Resultz. But they were still seeing live bugs on the head. The girl was still going to school, but her mother had pulled her from all her extra-curricular activities over this. Constantly cleaning, laundering, combing (with the Nix comb), and worrying, it was clear that this family had sacrificed everything to the The Louse.

I was so glad that she called. It is the best feeling in the world when you can give the news that the excessive cleaning can stop. I am overjoyed to tell a family that there are simple, inexpensive ways to deal with this problem. I tell them about what lice are and what lice are not. By asking specific questions, I can learn about what they know, clear up their misconceptions, and give them proven tools to get rid of head lice.

By the end of the call, the mother was almost crying tears of joy. I completely understood the marathon that she had been through. I validated her abilities and efforts and knew that she would be more than capable to utilize the new information to win the battle.

If you are dealing with the problem of head lice, the information on this blog is for you. But if you need to talk to a person, have questions, or just want to vent about head lice, give me a call. If I'm out, leave me a message and I'll call you back. I would be happy to talk to you. And to the woman, if you are reading this, thanks again for the call. Here's to catching up on your sleep!

You don't need a professional, but you just might want one.

If you have read this blog, then you know that I enjoy equipping people to deal with their head lice on their own. Though I offer my own lice removal services for a fee, I'm the first to admit that you don't have to go to some so-called expert or purchase expensive treatments in order to get rid of those pesky bugs and nits. If you are willing to put in the time and the effort, you can do it on your own.

But there may be times when you don't want to.

If you have questions about head lice, just call me and ask. If you are wondering about whether or not you should call in a lice removal professional, you may wish to read this older blog post about when to call in a professional. Click here to read more.

Will Lice Pick for ??????

Dealing with head lice is one of those activities that society has convinced us costs money. Our local health authority tells families that they must purchase lice "treatments" (pesticides) in order to get rid of these pesky bugs. And yet, people have been dealing with head lice for centuries and somehow were able to fight these parasites without the costly pesticides that we've only had available to us for the last 30 years. People would just pick the lice and nits off of the head, hence the term "nitpicker". You simply don't need to buy lice "shampoos" to deal with this problem.

You also don't need my services. A huge majority of my potential business is turned away because I tell people how to deal with their head lice themselves. Still, sometimes people just want to spend the money for some extra piece of mind.

I've been reading the book The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle. Mark lived "off the grid", without the use of money, for an entire year. It is a very interesting read with some great tips. With all the "Occupy Wall Street" protests going on in the states and the economic crisis all over the world, I do believe we need to be more conscious about how we use our resources.

In this spirit, I would like to barter my lice services. In other words, if you have a lice problem, I would be willing to exchange my lice removal services for something of value besides money. Here's the fine print:

1. I am willing to barter for items or services that I really need or want. What do I need? Who knows. What do any of us need? Haircuts? Lawn care? Obscure gift cards that you won't use? That ornate 1970's clock that your Aunt Maxine left you in her will that you can't stand? I'm open to interesting ideas. Your item or service should be of a value that is similar to what I charge for lice picking.

2. I am not willing to barter for everybody. Unlike Mark Boyle, I still choose to live in a society that uses money. I don't think that my gas company will continue to heat my home in exchange for lice removal services.

3. This is a limited time offer, available only to those in Edmonton, Alberta or surrounding areas. Sorry to those of you who read my posts in the UAE or Sweden. I'm willing to barter my services until November 30th, 2011.

Let the games begin!

Update: I have discovered, to my surprise, that many people are rather reluctant to barter. However, I now have a lovely dreamcatcher that I didn't have before. I guess I won't be living in a moneyless world any time soon.

Why I don't use Adsense.

As you can see, the info on this blog is offered for free. But at one time, I thought about setting up Google Adsense . With Adsense, you get revenue for allowing advertisements on your blog. Then I realized that those ads would be related to the information on my blog - they would probably be ads for lice products. I am not a fan of most lice products and I would never want most of these products to be associated with my advice in anyway. So, this blog will continue to come to you ad free (with the exception of the offer of my services.)

Why do I offer free advice? Two reasons. First,

When to call in a professional...

Most of the calls I receive come from people who want to know how to deal with this problem on their own. I am very happy to share all kinds of information about head lice and will do what I can to help you. You don't need a professional and every lice removal "expert" got that way just through experience, which my callers soon get. However, there are times that you might want an in-home visit.

You might want to call in a head lice professional when...

How to become an expert.

How did I get to know so much about head lice?
Well, first, I was exposed to lice/nit-picking, realized that I rather liked doing it, and then did it for everyone I knew that had head lice. Then I read everything that I could get my hands on about head lice, from reputable and not-so-reputable sources. After that, I took my new knowledge out for a spin. Did you know that adult lice can swim in Nix for a long time? I do, because I dropped them in the Nix myself. How do I know that a louse can look like a minuscule red speck of pepper? Because I saw the tiniest red speck on someone's head, wondered "what is that?", looked at it under my microscope and found it to be a perfect little louse. How do I know that you can believe those studies that say that permethrin, the pesticides found in most lice "shampoos", has become essentially ineffective?

If You Invite Me Over...

If you choose to use my services, this is what I'll do.

I'll come to your home. I'll ask some questions. Why do you think you have head lice? What have you seen? How long have you had this? What treatments, if any, have you tried? Any other symptoms? And so on.

Once I am satisfied that you made the right call, I take a look. I do a quick check on everyone that you think is affected to confirm your evaluation. If I see lice, I set up my chair and my gear and start combing and picking. (I also set up my DVD player and a movie for the little ones - it makes it easier for them to sit still.) How long does it take to pick/comb the lice and their eggs? It depends. It can take an hour to pick out bugs and eggs from short hair. It can take up to 3 hours + if the hair is long and quite infested. I can pick the heads of everyone in the household, or I can just pick the lice off of mom and dad, and show them what to look for so that they can do the nit-picking for the rest of the family.

When I'm done, I'll leave you with some information, and probably some peace of mind too. Then, I'll see you again in a week or so for a free follow up visit to look for any new lice activity. So don't panic - we can get this problem under control. Simple, yes?

Why I DO NOT guarantee my work.

Update: I'm not currently doing lice removal services.  Sorry! But read this blog for info on how you can deal with head lice effectively on your own.

After doing my best to remove all the nits and lice from someone's head, they sometimes want a money-back guarantee - an assurance that they are now lice-free and will be bothered by head lice no more.

I can't do that for them. Why?

1. Sometimes people do not follow instructions.

Even though I make two visits to the home, I still require people to be diligent in their own combing between visits and they need to do regular combing / lice checks for at least 2 weeks after my last visit. If they don't participate in the combing and checking, the problem can still continue. Sometimes, a parent will have me check a child, but they will not let me check their head to see if the lice have been passed around. In these situations, lice may still be in the home after my visit.

2. They might get lice again from another source.

The child that has been declared head-lice free can go back to school, hug a friend who has head lice, and the cycle begins again. I can pick and comb 'till the cows come home, but I can't protect you or your children from all lice everywhere.

3. I can miss something.

Anyone who has ever picked lice/nits knows that it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There is always a chance that I will miss something. This is why I offer a FREE follow up visit where give the head another look and check for signs of any new lice activity.

What I do promise is to provide you and your family with the best information regarding staying head-lice free and I promise to do my best to get every nit and louse out of your hair to the best of my ability. And, I think my ability is excellent, thank you.

Lice Lesson #12: Some people don't like bugs.

Why do I pick head lice? Because I can. In fact, I find it extremely rewarding to nitpick and remove lice. If someone you know has lice, I really encourage you to try it. However, I have found that some people just do not want to go near the little critters, or do not have the time. And head lice is one of those things you need to spend time on. It is one of those things that gets quicker with experience.

That's where I come in. I can help you with a quick assessment, I can just give your lice picking a head start (pardon the pun) or I can nit pick the whole head and remove the lice. It is up to you - maybe you just need information or reassurance that you are on the right track. Maybe you don't want to have to deal with it at all. Whatever your need, I'm here to help.

What You Can Do: Give me a call and we can discuss your needs and your options.

Lice Lesson #1: People can be very nice.

When we think of head lice, we often think of children taunting other children on the playground at school and how cruel people can be.
My first experience with head lice was at a summer camp I worked at. Most camps turn away kids with lice, but the director of this camp understood that such a thing should not stop a child from having a great experience. Every child that had lice started the week by having their heads shampooed and nit picked. All their bedding and clothes were washed and dried before they went back to their cabins. As the children got their heads picked, they watched movies and ate snacks. The leaders were fantastic and the kids had a blast. More importantly, they were so relieved. Some of these kids had suffered with head lice for years. The staff had truly blessed these campers. I now know that the treatments are not needed and usually ineffective, and I also know that combing with a proper metal comb is much more effective, but that's not the point.  What I learned from this experience is that head lice are not the plague and if you deal with it head on (no pun intended) it can be beaten. The kindness I saw at this camp changed me. Everyone on camp knew that these children had started the week with lice, but the other campers were accepting of these bunk mates. Once children (and parents) understand head lice, they are usually very understanding themselves.

What Can You Do: Ensure that your child's school has the most up-to-date information about head lice treatment and that this information is shared regularly.  Show sympathy and offer assistance to other families that you meet who are dealing with head lice.