Working the bugs out of the new school year.

Though I am a life-long learner, I am not currently in school. Still, September always makes me sentimental - it is a transition between the carefree days of summer and the buzz of "back to school". If you are getting your children ready for the "new year", don't forget to check them and prep them. In other words, do a thorough check for head lice before sending them back into the classroom and teach them how lice spread - head to head contact. Make sure you incorporate regular lice checks (through wet combing) into your weekly routine because by the time a family realizes they have head lice they may already have had it for 3 months. Regular checks find lice before the itching even begins.  Your kids should be itching to get back to school but not itching once they get there.

From Summertime Blues to Summer Lovin'

The lazy, hazy days of summer. Time to relax, right? Until your kid is sent home from summer camp because she has head lice. Unlike the camp where I first learned to pick head lice (see my first post on this blog), most summer camps, day camps, and daycare centres have a no-nit policy where children with head lice are sent home. Most parents love this policy - until it is their child that has lice. Then again, many camps don't even check for head lice and I know of children who picked up head lice from summer camp.

Do not fret - there are things you can do to ensure that the only bugs that will interrupt your summer frolicking are the ants that want to join your picnic:

1. Continue with the regular head lice checks.
I know that you relax your routines in the summer - the kids' bedtimes get a little later, the rooms get a little messier, etc. However, remain diligent with your regular lice checks so that a small problem doesn't become a big infestation. Do a quick check each day, do a more comprehensive check once a week, and do a spot check if your child's scalp is itchy.
2. Keep long hair pulled up.
Have children with long hair keep their beautiful locks pulled back in a braid or ponytail. This will reduce their chances of getting lice, or if they already have lice, it will reduce the chances of spreading the problem.
3. Don't share head gear.
This includes hats, visors, big headphones, hair scrunchies, bandanas, brushes, combs, bike helmets, and whatever else lice could crawl on to. Remind your children not to lend, borrow, or share these items.
4. Clean up after camp.
Just in case a critter came home from camp with your child, make sure you wash all returning camp gear in hot water and dry on high heat. Boil brushes and combs. Anything that can't be washed should be put in the freezer for a couple of days. Or, just put items in a plastic bag and leave them alone for 2 weeks. That will take care of any unwanted stowaways.
5. Get informed.
Read what you can about head lice (you can start with the information on this blog). That way, if your child's camp director comes to you thinking that your child has head lice, you can inform him/her about what head lice is and what head lice isn't. And if your child does have head lice, you will know how to treat it without harmful chemicals. Or you might call me, and I'll be glad to help.

No Viagra Required

Clients sometimes tell me crazy ideas about how lice reproduce. Some think that they are like viruses, that you can get infected just by being in the same room as someone with head lice. Some think that head lice are hermaphrodites - that they have both male and female sexual organs and fertilize themselves. Not true.

Both a female louse and a male louse are required to produce a fertilized egg. So, why then can you get lots of head lice from just one bug on your head? Well, if the bug is a male, not much will happen. But if the bug is a fertilized female louse, watch out, because a little sperm goes a long way.

The female louse mates with the male louse just once and receives all the sperm she will ever need. She stores all the extra sperm in her body in a receptacle called a "spermatotheca". Then her eggs just get fertilized as she goes. Not very romantic, but it gets the job done. Bow chicka wow wow!

Aaah...The Simple Lice

In her book, Simplify Your Life, Elaine St. James talks about how she used to take all sorts of medications for a cold - decongestants, expectorants, whatever. Then she decided to simplify her cold fighting strategy and traded all her medications for simple Aspirin. In doing this, she found that her colds were actually shorter in duration than they had been when they were being treated with those cold medicine cocktails.

When fighting head lice, I also like to simplify. I do not use any "shampoos" or medicines at all. I just pick and comb (with the proper comb), and I find that the problem actually goes away more quickly. People who use the pesticidal "shampoos" are often less diligent in picking out every bug and egg, and therefore do not get rid of the problem right away. Or, there are some who deal with head lice so severely with random treatments that they cause their scalps to be dry and itchy - and then they think that the problem is head lice, which makes them use more treatments, which cause more dryness and the problem continues.

By just combing and picking, you will not irritate your scalp, nor will you mask the real problems. You will focus your energies into a technique that works instead of wasting your energy (and money) on false promises. Just K.L.S.S. (Keep Lice Simple, Silly.)

Is it live or is it Denorex?

Yet another home remedy - Denorex shampoo. Does it work in the battle against head lice? I don't really know because most people I know who have tried it have just added it to their list of ofter remedies they are actively using. So I don't know what is solving the problem, if the problem is getting solved at all. You may read story after story of people who say it is the best thing, but I know people who have used it with no lice killing results. Because it is one of those unknowns, I just don't use Denorex for head lice.

The Blame Game

"I'm sure we got it from that awful school - those teachers don't pay attention to anything."
"My niece gave it to me. My brother and sister-in-law don't care about hygiene."


"I must have gotten it from the chair at the movie theatre!"
"I think my son's best friend has it. I'm not letting him come over anymore."

When someone gets head lice, they want to know where they got it from. That's understandable. However, it is very likely you will never find out. You could get it from many places, and just because you think you know someone who has head lice, that doesn't mean that they were the source of your problem. Don't get mad at someone else because you think they gave it to you. They got it the same way you got it - from an unknown source. It wasn't because they didn't care about hygiene or grooming. It wasn't because they had a messy home or were neglectful. They just got it. If you start pointing fingers and getting mad, then you are the pot calling the kettle black. If you are going to confront someone who you think gave you head lice, it would better if you just approached them with understanding and information. Because now, you are all in it together.

You Know What Happens When You Assume...

Your head is itchy, but you've had your head checked and your buddy can't see anything. No bugs and no eggs. Do you have head lice? Maybe - I miss eggs sometimes and sometimes I've seen tons of eggs but no live lice when I know that bugs just have to be there.

However, lice is not like a viral infection that gets into your cells. They are insects. The lice and nits (eggs) are tiny but can be seen without a microscope once they are found. People usually don't even feel more itchy than usual when they have just a couple of bugs.

If someone has checked your head and sees nothing, but your head is itchy everywhere, don't just assume that you have head lice (though feel free to start taking precautions - keep long hair up, don't share brushes, etc). The cause could be from something else, like dry scalp, which gets even drier if you start to put lice treatments on it. Don't jump to conclusions - just keep an eye on your head until the itch settles down.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

It takes a while to get in to the groove of head lice and nit picking. Be patient. Keep going until you find what works for you.

And I'm not talking about which "shampoo" works for you. I mean find the right place to sit. Find the right lighting. Get the right comb. Get the support of a friend. Make the lice check fit easily into your family's schedule.

The fight against head lice is not a sprint, it's a marathon, so don't waste your energy by panicking or taking extreme measures. The bugs can only lay 3-10 eggs per day, and those eggs will take about a week to hatch. Yes, it's a problem but it became a problem over weeks, and it may take you weeks to completely get rid of them. But you can do it, if you deal with it a bit every day. You can always pick and comb faster than they can lay the eggs. Don't panic - you can always outrun them. Just keep going.

Back In The Day...

Do you remember having head lice as a kid? I don't. I think I knew one kid who had head lice, and we just said he had "cooties" (kids can be cruel) and then the school sent him home. Most people I talk to never remember head lice being the epidemic that it is now. Why has the problem grown over the years?

My theory is this has happened because we've put our faith in pediculicides (pesticidal lice treatments). Back in the day, head lice was dealt with severely. Kids were sent home from school. Heads were shaved. Giving people the "leper treatment" probably increased our therapy bills (not good), but perhaps head lice was taken care of in fairly effective ways (with the exception of the turpentine and toxins that were poured on the children in residential schools, but that's another horrible blog post altogether.)

With the arrival of treatments that promised fast results as easy as shampooing your hair with no need to pick out the eggs, all that changed. But so did the lice. The more we shampooed, the more the bugs adapted. The less we picked, the more they spread. So many still believe these treatments are effective and the problem keeps growing.

So what do we do now? As I always say, we gotta pick it old school. Forget the treatments. Pick and comb (with a REAL lice comb, not those little green combs from the treatment packs).

The Buddy System

So you can't afford to have me over. Still, give me a call. Maybe I can give you a better idea of what to look for. One of the first things you need to look for is a buddy.

I have a buddy. You see, just as I check my kids' heads every time they scratch, I get my buddy to check my head when I scratch. My buddy is my husband. Now I haven't had head lice since before I got into this business, but because of this business, I ask my husband to check my head every day. Nothing says, "I love you" like a willingness to check for bugs and eggs. Seriously, men, if your lady has head lice and you are understanding and offer to do the picking, you will be in for some lovin'! Ok, maybe at a later time when you all feel less buggy.

If no one at home can pick your head, maybe you know someone who has also been through the frustrating ordeal of head lice. Another parent at your child's school, perhaps? Be bold - ask for help. Invite the friend for dinner or munchies, put on a good movie and make a night of it.

Sometimes the best time to find a nit-picking buddy is when you don't have head lice. If you hear of someone you know having it, offer to pick first. Then, you can ask them to return the favour at a later date if lice ever happens to you.