The Zen of Head Lice

When I was doing lice removal in people's homes, I always found that my main job was not actually the lice removal - this was really something the families could do themselves.  Where I was most helpful was in calming panic.  Because parents generally didn't call me until they were at the end of their rope after having tried every so-called treatment paired with marathon sessions of cleaning and laundering and wiping everything else from their schedule.  Their panic was causing them not only to freak out about the lice of today but they imagined many more weeks and many more dollars spent on this lice frenzy. They pictured lice living on everything in their home forever. I loved that I could just come in and say,

"You can stop all this now. Breathe."

Not because I was coming in to save the day but because the things they were doing were not actually helping.  I was able help families step away from their panic and future worries and guide them to focus on the simple steps they could take each day to address the problem. I tried to help them to be mindful about head lice.

Jon Kabat-Zinn says mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.  For me, this means to look at head lice objectively for what they are and what they aren't.  They are a bug - a parasite that lives on the heads of humans (other creatures have their own lice.).  They just cause itching (and not death which is what I assume some people think based on their reaction to lice.) They are not the result of uncleanliness.  They are not a virus that is transmitted through the air or even passed through inanimate objects. They are not living in your furniture or stuffed animals.  If you have them, you will find them on the head.

Being mindful when you have head lice also means that you look at yourself and others objectively too.  Take a moment and check your own body's reactions and emotions to the people around you.  How do you feel about the person that you think you got head lice from?  Are you angry?   How do you feel about the parent of the child who first had head lice in the classroom? Are you resentful?  Think of the people you hang around - your friends, co-workers, or the parents of the friends of your children.  Do you feel judged?  Think of yourself.  Do you feel shame?

Regarding the person that you think gave you head lice, they didn't choose to have head lice and there is no guarantee that you didn't get it from someone else. If fact, you may have actually been the first one to get it and they just noticed it on their head before you did. Before you judge others for not dealing with the problem, think of how many "treatments" you have already tried to combat your head lice?   Don't you think others are doing their best, just as you are?

Head lice are not a result of someone doing something wrong any more than mosquitoes or ants are.  They are just a part of life on earth.  So feel free to release any anger, resentment, judgment, or shame that they stir up in you and continue to release those feelings whenever you feel them surfacing.

Another thing to think on regarding mindfulness and head lice is self care.  When we pay close attention to what we are feeling, we can give ourselves what we really need.  Finding out that you have head lice can be a trauma when you don't know how easily it can be taken care of.  If discovering that you have head lice in the home is a shock to you, then you need to treat the shock.  Not by avoiding the problem and pretending it isn't there but by equipping yourself so that you can stay in control - of the head lice and of yourself.  Don't waste time in cleaning and laundering but spend a little time wet combing the head every couple of days until the head lice are gone.  You can read posts on this blog for more tips on how to do that. And tend to your own care through it all.  For each minute that you spend on head lice removal, plan for a minute of self care at another time.  What restores you? A hot bath? A nap?  A nice walk?  A good meal?  If you are dealing with head lice for the first time, then this is something new and with everything new there is a learning curve; with every change comes stress.  Do not allow this stress to be the kind that overwhelms you. With mindfulness, this stress can be the kind that will motivate you.  To be effective and helpful and patient and gracious. 

Now take your partner's hand and start singing "Kum By Yah".  Just kidding.  Mindfulness is not just for the meditators and the yoga instructors. It's for all of us as we muddle through this life and it helps us focus on what we actually have to work with. And I'm positive that you have all you need to deal with the inconvenience of head lice.   Namaste.

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in!

Your child comes home with head lice.  Instead of freaking out, you did the right thing.  You got informed. You got a good lice comb and started the wet combing. You didn't waste time doing unnecessary and ineffective things like extra cleaning, extra laundry and bagging up items. And within a few combings of no longer seeing any eggs or bugs, you thought, "I got this!  I've beaten head lice."

 

And then, the next day during what you think will be a super-quick combing, you find a nit. It must be old, right?  And then you comb a couple of more times and low and behold, you find a tiny louse.

 

You sigh, smile,  and say the serenity prayer.  Or, more realistically, you say, "What the !$#*&!!! Are you freakin' kidding me!?!?!" 

 

Snap.  You lose it.

 

I just want you to know that you don't have to.  If you reading this blog, then I'm certain you are dealing with head lice.  Let me assure you that with each combing it will get better and better.  But let me also assure you that finding a nit or a louse days after you thought you were rid of the problem is very common and is, in my mind, to be expected.  Because even a good lice comb can miss something the first time around. Or the second.  New eggs and new lice are often too small to be picked up by the lice comb. 

 

If you are going through the very unpleasant experience of finding a sign of head lice after you thought you had beaten it, please remember the following:

1. It took you months to get head lice.  Beating it will require an intentional but manageable effort over the next few weeks.  Don't burn yourself out, but don't give up.  Just remember you are in a marathon, not a sprint.  Pace yourself.
2. If you found something, it doesn't mean that you have failed.  In fact, it means the opposite; it proves the combing is working. 
3. It also means you are outrunning the lice cycle.  Lice hatch and as they grow, you can get them out with your lice comb. With the combing that you are doing every few days, you will still get them out before they can lay their own eggs.
4. Just because you found something, it doesn't mean that you are in any way back at square one. A few head lice does not an infestation make.  You are still ahead of the game and all of the hard work you have put into this is paying off. 

One other thing I should let you know is that even if you have beaten this round of head lice, you can always get a brand new case of head lice.  So, if you find head lice again, it may not be because you didn't deal with it properly the first time. It could just be that you got it again.  Lucky you. (At this point, my children would say that I'm being a 'Mommer Bummer' - it's like a 'Debbie Downer' but more maternal).  That's why it is important that even when you do beat your current case of head lice, you do regular lice checks via wet combing.

You do have this.  Really.  If you found another bug, don't think of this as a setback.  Think of this as progress. Because you can always manage the head lice as long as you can manage your own emotions and expectations.

Head Lice 2016: Can't we all just get along?

 In the days after the polarizing American election, we are being reminded by politicians, activists, celebrities, and late-night hosts to hold on to hope.  We must continue to speak up for those who do not have a voice but we cannot stoop to the level of the haters.  We must sort through the madness and appeal to the good in each person.  It is so easy live in fear and point fingers but we must stop and let sanity prevail. This is good advice to remember for pretty much everything in life. 

Even head lice.

A lot of commenters who weigh in on this blog spend a considerable amount of energy on being upset with the people that they feel gave them the head lice.  They are either mad at their child's school for not adopting a no-nit policy, or they are mad at the parents of their child's friend who they don't feel is dealing with their child's head lice effectively, or they are mad at the roommate/family member who will not allow them to check their head for lice. They get furious because now they feel they have to ban their child from going to their friend's house, or they feel they now have to put their child's hair up whenever they go to school, or they have to avoid sitting on THAT couch.  It's bad enough that their own head lice is taking up their time and energy - now they feel they have to change their life because someone else isn't changing theirs in dealing with their head lice.


I get it.  Head lice sucks.  And resentment can easily build when you think that you are the only one taking the problem seriously.


But before you go and have a stern talk with that person that you think is not being responsible about their head lice problem, please consider a few things.

Regarding schools, no-nit policies do not reduce the number of cases of head lice. They just don't.  Because nobody goes looking for lice and nits until the itch starts.  And if a child has not had head lice before, they might not even see or feel anything until they've had lice for 3 months or so.  So, even when no one thinks head lice is in the class, it may already be there. I know that some of you wish that we had school nurses who checked everyone for head lice every week, but seriously, that would just be a huge waste of resources. Parents can check their own kids. We need schools to be spending money on education and health authorities to be spending more money on things that actually address real health problems (By the way, I'm all for vaccinations!)

And what about that friend/cousin/study buddy/soccer coach that you are certain gave your child head lice.  You may be enraged at them but unless you saw that person pull a live louse off of their head and drop it on your child's scalp saying "Mwahahaha!" with an evil grin, you cannot be sure that they gave your child head lice, or that they even have it (unless they tell you).   And if you know they have lice, do you think they wanted it?  They are not spreading it on purpose and they want to be rid of it as much as you do and just because you can't see them dealing with it, that doesn't mean that they aren't.  And if they swear that they don't have it, what are you gonna do?  Tackle them and give them a combing?  Will that make your own lice go away any faster?

When I was a child, I never got head lice.  But now almost everyone I know has their own head lice story.  People don't get head lice because they are dirty or spread it because they are neglectful.  Head lice happens where humans connect and regardless of who gave it to you, the only thing you can control is your own actions.

And I hope your actions are kind.  Let your child go to his friend's house.  Don't freak out if your roommate sits in your chair.  Don't cancel those soccer practices.  Head lice are a bother, for sure, but not a health issue and the melt down doesn't come from the bug - it comes from the energy we spend on frenzied cleaning and angry paranoia.  If you've changed your whole routine because of head lice, that's on you, not on the bug or your neighbour.  You don't have to comb for 6 hours straight because you are not going to get it out in one sitting anyway.  You don't have to clean from morning to night because that doesn't affect your head lice problem at all.  When faced with the challenge of head lice, practice mindfulness - control your emotions and give grace to yourself and others.  If you think your problem may have come from someone you know, gather up all the love, patience, and humour you have and start a accepting conversation.  If they aren't ready for it, don't be defensive - wish them well and let them know you're their for them should they change their minds.

Let love trump hate in every area, even when dealing with these bugs. Together, can we beat head lice?  Yes, we can! 

Margaret Cho sings "Lice"

Margaret Cho, comedian extraordinaire, performed a soulful song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that I will be singing for days.  Anything that puts the lowly louse in the spotlight is welcome and refreshing.  It is musically lovely and a truly enjoyable performance. But as you listen, see if you can you find the misconceptions about how to manage this critter crisis.

 

• The song starts with an implication that you get lice from an impoverished nation. Lice has no nationality - wherever there are humans, you will probably find lice. Though, there are some populations which seemingly have a lower chance of getting head lice.  At least for now.
• In this song, Cho says you need shampoo, which I'm assuming means a pesticide treatment.  This is not true, especially when the pesticide in the most popular lice "shampoos" have been shown to be ineffective. Lice have built a resistance to them.
• Cho mentions a fine toothed comb.  If you have lice, this is your greatest weapon in the fight.  Combs with long, rigid, metal teeth are the best. Plastic fine toothed combs, while still somewhat effective on getting out adult bugs, are not as effective on eggs and nymphs.
• Shaving the head.  Drastic, yes. Not the way I would go but it is a way to get rid of your head lice in no time at all. Just getting an army buzz cut isn't enough - lice can still thrive on a scalp with very little hair. Did you watch the end of the song?  Cho totally rocks that look. In the song, shaving the head is mentioned in the context of having dreadlocks.  I have to say, I know of no truly effective ways to treat head lice on people with dreads. If I had dreads for religious reasons, head lice wouldn't be a good enough reason to shave my head. Since someone with dreads can't get a lice comb through the hair, the fast blowing air of a blow dryer might be their next best tool.
• With lice you don't have to 'go to the mattresses'.  In fact, you don't have to do anything with your mattress because lice don't live on your furniture. They live on your scalp.  Save the dragging of your mattress outside to bake in the hot sun for your bed bug problem. Lice also do not thrive in your garbage. Do they make apartments in your ears? No. Around your ears? Yes.
• Will lice seem like they are dead after a shower? Sort of.  When wet, lice sort of hunker down and close themselves off - they move more slowly and may seem like they are no longer a problem. But those suckers can hold their breath for a long time and can stay alive in water for a day. So, while your shower won't get rid of your lice problem, a wet louse, is easier to detect and comb out.  And if you add some hair conditioner, you can even get the nits out more easily too. 

Even though I disagree with some of Cho's lice premises, I still love the song. Head lice shouldn't be something that we freak out about. Some laid-back humour is just what we need to get through the pain-in-the-arse that head lice is. Anything to get us past the stigma of having this very common pest.

Now, if I could only find out where I can get that awesome louse hoodie.

Head Lice: Do You Ask? Do You Tell?

So you have head lice?  Who have you told?  (Besides me.)  In so many of the emails I receive, people say, “I don’t know what I will do if my (insert close relative or regular acquaintance) found out!!”  In my own home, there is no stigma around having head lice.  My children have never been grossed out about it, even in those times where they have had it.  We respect the bug but we know that it is no match for us. So, talking about head lice with the people we know – friends, family, co-workers, teachers – is a non issue. I would love a world where everyone can be so comfortable with this issue; most of the time and energy wasted on the problem of head lice is due to misinformation and paranoia. Because I am familiar with what head lice are (and are not) I think everyone should just talk about it freely.  

But it isn’t that easy.  I get messages from teenagers who say that their parents would ruin their lives if they found out.  I hear from parents of children who will be cut off from seeing people they love if their head lice is discovered. This issue can bring blaming and fighting and stress.  People’s lives are often restricted or tormented because of the head louse. The tiny louse can bring a huge tension into the home that can have very real consequences. 

So, who have you told?  Who will you tell?  I usually encourage people to tell everyone about their head lice because we will not end the stigma of head lice unless people get comfortable talking about it. And of course, this is still what I think is best.  Ramit Sethi said, “Success in life is directly proportional to the number of awkward conversations you are willing to have.”  I know it can be difficult and embarrassing to start the awkward conversation about head lice.  But once it is started, I believe you will find people are more understanding and helpful than we often expect they will be.

Unless they aren’t. There are things in life that are so much worse than head lice.  Panic. Isolation. Fighting.  Abuse.  If the people in your circle are going to be hurtful to you because of head lice, then I understand why you might want to keep your head lice a secret. It is such a polarizing issue. I have met some people – mostly people who have never had head lice before – who feel that there is some moral obligation for people to disclose if they have head lice.  As if going to work when you have head lice or sending a child to school who has head lice is seen as the most irresponsible act imaginable - the equivalent of going into public with the plague. It is so sad to me that with all the horrible things in this world, people still get ostracized or bullied because of lice.

Because of this, though I would prefer that everyone talk openly about their head lice, I don’t think they should absolutely have to or should be forced to.  Who you talk to about your head lice is your personal choice.  If you discover that your child has head lice, do you have to tell the teacher or the parents of the other children?  Do you have to tell your roommates or your family members?  That is a question you must answer for yourself.    Whatever you do, I hope you can find at least one person who you can confide in about your head lice. I’d say email me, but the reality is, by the time I respond to your email, your louse problem might have already come and gone.  If you can think of one person in your life who is open, caring, non-judgmental, and isn’t grossed out by bugs, maybe that’s the person you should reach out to. Test the waters by asking, “Have you ever had head lice?” Their response, and the panic or lack of panic that goes with it, might inform you about how they might take your news.  And everyone will take the news better if you can demonstrate that you actually know something about this problem and are taking steps to beat it – get informed by reading the posts on this blog and check out the research links.

And if someone discloses to you that they have head lice, follow the golden rule.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Kindness is the best lice treatment that there is.

Great Expectations.

Got head lice? This blog can give you tips and techniques on how to beat it.  But before you even worry about the bugs on the head, you need to deal with the thoughts inside it - what are you feeling?  Are you freaking out or staying calm? Dreading the worst or expecting the best? If you want to beat this problem, you need to make a decision now about the attitude you will have going into it.  Your attitude can make or break how successful you are in managing your head lice.  If you start this battle by being panicked, paranoid, or petrified,  you are going to make it a bigger problem than it really is.  These extreme feelings and attitudes toward head lice can cause you to deal with it in a couple of different ways.  When you allow yourself  to have extreme feelings about head lice, you usually take extreme actions, such as:

• Becoming hyper-vigilant and managing the problem by staying busy all the time doing tasks that are not necessary, not effective, and possibly harmful because you are feeling overwhelmed.
• Avoiding the problem entirely and doing nothing because you are feeling overwhelmed.

Neither of these responses will be helpful to you and will probably cause a strain on your time, resources, relationships and personal wellbeing.  However, if you can put aside the panic, get the actual facts about head lice,  and stick to the simple tasks that need to be done, such as regular wet combing, you will be more than able to get through it. 

I recently heard from a family that got themselves informed about head lice and became their own lice experts.  It became evident to me that they approached their head lice issue with the right attitude when the father of the family told me that his 8 year old daughter had been going around the house singing this catchy little ditty:

"Bed bugs are mean but lice are nice!"  (T., I think you are AWESOME!!!)

This family did not see head lice as a sickness, punishment, or failure.  They treated it like one of life's inconveniences and obviously addressed it with patience, perseverance and humour.  And they beat it! 

You can too.  Give your lice a bit of attitude (positive, that is!).  Expect the best outcome here. If you don't want to sing about lice being nice, then come up with your own mantra to keep your spirits up through this process. Quote Rosie the Riveter, the Little Engine That Could, Barack Obama, or even Yoda if it helps you to stay positive. With a good attitude (your thoughts) and some helpful information (this blog) I know you can deal with head lice effectively.

Of all the human parasites, head lice is the one you want.

I love talking with people about head lice.  Think Bubba in 'Forest Gump' talking about shrimp or Harlan Pepper in 'Best in Show' naming nuts.  I just love talking about head lice.  However, it seems like the conversations that people have with me about head lice turn to talk about other parasites...bed bugs and scabies.  And in my mind, these parasites are a whole different ball game. I once heard someone say, "I'd rather have bed bugs than lice.  At least they don't live on your body."  My response was something calm and rational like, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?"

Head lice, though they live on your body, are simple to treat.  Just get the bugs and the eggs off the head.  They won't survive for very long off of it.  If you forget the hype and look at the research then you know that you can deal with them relatively quickly and for little cost.  You don't have to worry about your home, belongings, or clothing. Head lice are a pain but the problem is still quite contained and manageable.

Bed bugs are different.  They can reside almost anywhere in your home. They can live without a host for a year. As with head lice, they are manageable but are much harder and more expensive to treat and usually require a home treatment of some kind which is costly.  You often have to replace some furniture.  If you are dealing with bed bugs, I highly recommend that you talk to a professional exterminator - even if you don't use them, they might help you get your facts straight and equip you with the knowledge to help yourself.

Scabies are different.  They live under your skin.  They are microscopic.  They are contagious. Most doctors diagnose scabies based on the skin reaction - you usually need to get a skin scraping from a dermatologist to get an actual proper diagnosis.  With scabies, our only line of defense is pesticide and even after treating yourself and everyone in your household,  it is still difficult to be sure if you have actually beaten it. You have to do laundry, vacuuming, cleaning. Dealing with scabies is real work. You can beat scabies but it can be cost and labour intensive.

Other lice, like body lice and pubic lice (crabs), are pretty easy to treat.  Got body lice? Wash your clothes in hot water, dry them on high heat, always wear clean clothes, keep yourself clean. Got crab lice? Well, you might not find a buddy to remove them manually, so it might be easier to try the pesticidal cream which is still effective on these little critters.

With any of these parasites, we have to push back the paranoia and get informed. We need to stop giving energy to action that doesn't actually work and be willing to work on doing what is actually effective. Keep things in perspective - these parasites just create an itch. They are an uncomfortable inconvenience, not a life threatening situation.  We can handle that, can't we?  Still, I want to stick up for the little pediculosis capitis. The little head louse is hearty and resilient but it also has its weaknesses.  Even without a comb, we can remove lice and nits faster then an adult louse can lay them, so we always have the advantage in the fight. If I had to choose between parasites, I'd always pick head lice - because it is the only one I can actually pick.

What's the least you can do to feel sane?

Last spring, my friend's daughter got head lice.  Naturally, my friend called me for reassurance. Though my friend and I have had many discussions about head lice, her perspective on head lice changed when it actually made an appearance in her own house.

She said, "I know that the research says that doing cleaning won't help. But I want to clean.  I want to vacuum everything, including the children. I want to do laundry.  It would make me feel better."

I like a clean home as much as the next person, but I know the cleaning marathons that are triggered by the discovery of head lice.  All other activity (including sleep) is discontinued in and out of the home.  What's worse is that people actually cut back on the time they spend in lice combing because they are too exhausted from their newly adopted morning-to-night rituals (get kids up, strip beds, throw bedding in wash, vacuum mattresses, vacuum room, throw pajamas in wash, throw pillows in the dryer...all before the morning coffee.) Though NONE of this helps, I understand that it is our natural survival instincts that get us moving in a crisis.  Being busy makes us feel better.  Knowing the panic that ensues in a home that just discovers these uninvited guests, I asked my friend a question:

"What is the LEAST you can do to still feel sane?"

My friend already knew that she needed to put the time and effort into a thorough wet combing of her daughter's head every couple of days over the next 2 weeks and that this would already give her plenty of work to do.  But in her mind, she wanted to do more.  In answer to my question, she said, "The pillows.  I think my rational mind would let me give up most of the cleaning, but I know I couldn't rest if I didn't change my daughter's pillow case every day." 

"Ok, as long as you know that this activity will have no effect on your daughter's head lice, right?"

"I know."

So my friend resisted the demon of excessive cleaning and even stopped changing the pillowcase after a couple of days.  She used no chemical treatments and simply used a proper metal lice comb on her daughter's wet, conditioned hair.  Though she combed over a 2 week period, no lice or eggs were seen after the 3rd combing. When I congratulated her on the success of her efforts, she admitted that she had doubted that the solution could be so simple.  (Simple but not easy; even though things get easier and faster as you go, keeping up with the combing is still a pain in the arse.) I asked her why she stopped washing her pillowcases every day.  She said that as she did more combings, her confidence in her own abilities to detect and remove the bugs and eggs grew every day.  She was pleased that I had steered her away from doing more and being less effective.

If you have just discovered head lice in your home, get informed before you do or spend anything. If you are reading this blog for the first time, check out the other posts.  Learn about wet combing. Read the research links.  Think with your head based on the most current knowledge and try not to give into cleaning urges.  But if you just can't resist, then choose your battles wisely.  Ask yourself the question, "What is the least I can do to feel sane?" Not the least you can do in the combing/picking department - nothing will relieve you of this necessary task - but what is the least you can do in the home. Less time cleaning means more time combing. Get a good comb, do the combing, and trust the process.

The lice are on your scalp. Don't let them mess with your mind.

My mother used to have this picture on a sweatshirt.  She was a woman known for her humour, but she was also known for how stressed out she could get. Normally, with life's stressors, we can cope.  Work can stress me out, but I can go home at the end of the day.  If the kids are stressing me out, I can usually find a sitter for a little while.  However, if you have head lice, you don't feel like you can get away from the stress - it's with you day and night, wherever you go,  and since lice problems aren't fixed in a day, you get to feel this stress over time. It can wear you down.

We have to be intentional about how we deal with this stress.  I covered this in the post below , but it so important to remember.  We work hard to get rid of head lice, but we also have to work hard to push past our own panic and fear.  I once met a woman who chose to sleep in her car in the winter thinking that the cold would kill the bugs.  You know, sleeping in freezing temperatures could also kill her!  Step out of your emotions and let your intellect help you assess the real risk of head lice over the perceived risk.

If you don't deal effectively with the head lice, what's the worst that could happen?

• Your head could get really, really itchy.
• You're hair wouldn't look pretty.
• You could pass it to someone else.
• In very rare cases, you can have a greater allergic reaction to head lice. (In the bazillion people I've met with head lice, I've only met one person to have a worse reaction - she had swollen glands and flu-like symptoms. Her doctor told her to take an over-the-counter antihistamine.)

If you go crazy dealing with head lice (spending tons of money, losing sleep, missing school/work, stressing out), what's the worst that could happen?

• You could get very sick - physically and psychologically.
• You could put your financial stability at risk. 
• You could put a strain on your relationships.
• You could lose your job or fall behind in school.

These problems are greater than the problem of having head lice. Head lice cause the first group of calamities.  We cause the rest.   Try to keep head lice in perspective.  Give head lice the attention they deserve, but don't give them one second more.

What's worse than the itch? Burnout.

Recently, I spoke with two mothers who were dealing with head lice in their families (and dealing with it very well, I might add.)  In our conversations, it became very clear to me that these women were now experts on head lice.  They knew what they were looking for and were willing to put in the time and the right kind of effort to deal with this problem. I truly appreciate this kind of vigilance when it comes to head lice.  As I have said before, we must not underestimate these little guys - even with all of our modern weapons, we have more cases of head lice than ever before.  Head lice need to be taken seriously.

However, we must resist hyper-vigilance.Y'know, the kind of vigilance that makes us crazy.  Where we lose sleep over head lice, assume every itch is a new bite, start over combing or over treating our hair, restrict our regular activities,  keep everyone up late and wake them up early to do nit-picking, and clean our homes for hours every day.  I know we seem to feel better when we DO something, but the only thing this hyper-vigilance will do is make us sick. ( I'm speaking mostly to the mothers - sorry Dads, I have yet to find a two-parent home where the father is the main person who takes control over the family head lice.)

As I have said before, when feelings of lice anxiety are leading you down this path, get control of your feelings and look at the facts:

• Extra house cleaning has no proven effectiveness in the fight against head lice. Or, I should say it has evidence-based ineffectiveness.  Studies have shown that extra cleaning does nothing in this fight.
• Keeping children out of school, daycare, or other activities is not necessarily helpful; no-nit policies have been proven to be ineffective in keeping head lice out of these places.
• Head lice in most industrialized nations have developed a resistance to pesticidal treatments.
• Most alternative treatments  have little or no proven effectiveness.
• The over-washing, over-combing, and over-treating of hair can often be the cause of scalp irritation - it can be the cause of itching and/or skin reactions.

As I say again and again on this blog, the way you deal with head lice is to manually remove the bugs and eggs on the head.  To do this effectively, try to get the following things:

1. Time - Not the 10-hour marathon horror stories that I hear from some parents.  I mean, you need to know that you will be dealing with this for weeks and there is no getting around it, not even if you hire a lice professional.  We all can miss something, so some time should be put into combing/picking every 2 or 3 days until you have had 2 weeks with no sightings of bugs or eggs. The amount of time you need to spend in this endeavor will decrease as the weeks go on.
2. A good lice comb.  There have been effective nit-pickers throughout the years who never had the benefits of a good metal lice comb, but for the amount of time you save, I always recommend that you try to get one.  Not a necessity, but exceptionally helpful when used in wet combing.
3. Good light. Natural or artificial, light directed on the head really makes it easier to see what's going on.  For me, an inexpensive head lamp is a blessing.  It brings you directed light wherever you go and keeps your hands free for combing and picking.
3. Perspective. This is just head lice.  It is not the plague.  You are not unhygienic or unclean if you have it. Head lice are simply a reality in our world.  They have been around for ages and I expect we will still be dealing with them in the ages to come. They are a pain in the rear, but they don't have to be a tragedy if you don't let them. 

Trust that you have what it takes to deal with this problem.  Don't panic or start putting your family through a frenzy of frantic cleaning and unnecessary restrictions.  Never let head lice keep you from getting sleep, eating well, and engaging in enjoyable activities.  Never let head lice drain you financially or put your employment at risk.  Push through that initial feeling of panic.  Find a good friend to share your experience with.  Take a breath. Be gentle with yourself.  I know you can do this.

You're never too young to fight headlice.

Today I met a couple of delightful young women who just happen to have head lice.  Thankfully, head lice has not dampened their charming personalities. I was so disappointed that I couldn't stay and visit with them - they were watching campy scary movies. It would have been a hoot! (Hey, I think something like Dracula would be the perfect movie to pick head lice too!) Head lice has been a problem for these girls for a long time.  I truly understand how this can happen as head lice are not to be underestimated in their resilience.

When we are young, our parents take care of problems such as head lice; small children don't have the information, the patience, the stamina, or the drive to deal with it on their own. However, once we get to the age where we start taking care of ourselves more - taking charge of our own appearance, our own grooming - we can probably learn to take some responsibility for dealing with our head lice problems as well. 

My advice to these beautiful girls was to use the wet combing and blow drying techniques on alternating days until a full two weeks go by without ANY signs of bugs or new eggs.  (You can read about how to do these techniques on this blog.)  I felt these ladies were at the age where they could start to take charge of their own head lice problems (although Mom's extra encouragement is always a bonus!)  In fact, they could help each other out - it's always great to have a buddy to help deal with head lice.

Ladies, enjoy watching the bloodsuckers on the scary movies and good luck getting the bloodsuckers off your heads!  Call me if you have any questions. 

Don't underestimate the little guy.

This past weekend, I had the wonderful pleasure of going into a home of a family with 4 wonderful daughters (and a great mom and dad - you all know who you are!) While looking at heads, our discussions enlightened me in the ways of Manga, jokes, pop songs, and tearful movies. The mom and I also had a brief discussion about fruit flies. We have both recently experienced the "joy" of having fruit flies in the home. What a pain. With fruit flies, you don't know where they came from but you soon find that they are difficult to get rid of. They live off of the food (or food residue) in your home, but sometimes, even if you empty your garbage every night, put away or seal up all leftovers and clean all surfaces thoroughly, you can still have a fruit fly problem and they can resurface in full force once you just happen to leave a dirty dish out for a little while.

If you have had fruit flies before, you know how annoying they can be. Just like head lice. (I think everything reminds me of head lice!) You may think that you have dealt with it because you no longer see the eggs or bugs. However, there is a really good chance that you have missed

Head lice are like clutter.

In his book, "It's All Too Much", home organziation guru Peter Walsh challenges the notion that the answer to clutter is more storage. To avoid having to get rid of items, or to avoid having to make decisions about all our stuff, we buy into new "storage solutions" - more baskets, file cabinets, shelving and boxes. However, in the end, these do nothing to deal with the real issue - the clutter itself. In the end, to really deal with clutter, we have to find a way to actually have less of it.

This makes me think of how some people deal with head lice. They want to deal with the problem, but they want to do everything they possibly can to avoid actually having to remove the head lice. They buy "treatments", "shampoos", and concoct home remedies. And then, when they still find bugs living on the head, they call me and ask, "Which treatment should I use next?" Or, they spend all of their energy on cleaning their home from ceiling to cellar because of head lice paranoia but can't be bothered to actually deal with the activity on the scalp.

To quote Peter Walsh, "Enough already!" Forget the expensive solutions. If you have head lice, deal with the real issue - the head lice itself. It is only when you take the time to actually remove the bugs and eggs off of the head that you will see progress. And by dealing with the real problem right from the start, you will save yourself time and money in the end.

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?

Head Lice in the Daycare

In a public school, if your child has head lice and the school tells you to keep your child at home, you can probably fight it if you are able to show the school authorities that you are taking reasonable measures to deal with this problem. If your child has head lice and attends a daycare center, dayhome, or out-of-school care facility, that is another story.

Should I keep my child home from school?

I want everyone to take the problem of head lice seriously. Just because I do not endorse the use of pesticidal shampoos, that does not mean that I downplay the seriousness of it. Everyone should give this problem the time and the effort it deserves. That said, should a child with head lice be kept home from school?

I am sorry for the ignorance of others.

Today I spoke with a woman whose family had been dealing with head lice. In fact, they had dealt with it rather effectively and saw no new lice activity for a week. But then this woman found a new bug and 3 eggs in her daughter's hair. Because of this, her children were "kicked out" of the private day care they were attending. And because this woman now has no childcare, she has to stay home with her children. And because she has had to stay home this past week, she got fired from her job. How terribly sad.

And how terribly unnecessary. I understand the sentiment behind having "no-nit policies" in schools, daycare centres, camps, etc. However, one louse does not an epidemic make. Once the woman removed the louse and nits, her child was, for all intents and purposes, head lice free. With nit picking, it is very possible to miss an egg, and when you do, you may find yourself with a new batch of head lice down the road. To deal with this, you keep checking and picking for at least 10 days, watching for new lice activity. This woman did just this. She did all the right things, but she still suffered a consequence that was greater than the head lice itself.

Last week, I visited a family whose child was sent home from school because they mistook psoriosis for head lice. That's a simple mistake, but they sent the young child walking home without contacting the parents first to ensure that someone was there to receive her. Luckily, mom was at home and nothing happened to the child on the way home from school, but in that situation, the outcome could have been far worse than a case of head lice.

We send our children to school and day cares with colds and flus all the time. And these are much more serious health issues. But with head lice comes paranoia and people will sometimes do crazy, stupid, or dangerous things just because head lice gives them "the creeps". They don't understand what head lice are, how you get them, or that you don't need expensive treatments to deal with them.

But if you want to enlighten them, tell them to give me a call.

Outbreak, Epidemic, and other nonsense words.

Yesterday someone told me that their son's school had an outbreak of head lice. An outbreak? Wasn't "Outbreak" that movie with Dustin Hoffman where he was dealing with a deadly airborne virus? That word, as well as the word "epidemic" can cause a lot of unnecessary panic. Head lice is a year round concern in schools. But once it we realize it might affect us, it becomes an outbreak. And the head lice treatment companies want you to think of head lice as an epidemic - your panic brings in big profits.

The louse is not a virus. While it often blends in with the colour of the hair, it is visible without a magnifying glass or microscope (if you can read small print, you can see head lice and eggs). It is not an airborne creature - it does not jump from head to head, nor can you get it by just being in the same room as someone with head lice. And pesticidal "shampoos" will not get rid of the problem.

Read more about head lice here. Read more here about how to get rid of head lice. If you have questions about head lice, just call me. You don't have to use my services, just call me. It is time to stop panicking.

When others have head lice.

So your cousin has head lice. Should you let her come for a visit? You find out that 3 kids in your child's classroom are totally infested. Should you keep your child home or should you raise a stink with the principal? The mother of your son's best friend just called - her kid has head lice. Do you keep the boys apart?

When someone with lice is coming for a visit, don't isolate yourself - just take some simple precautions. If you or your children have long hair, pull the hair up in a ponytail. If the visitor has long hair, ask him/her to pull it up (this is easier to do when your guests are children). Address the issue with your guest at the start of the visit. If your guest is staying over, give him/her fresh bedding and wash and dry the bedding in high heat each day. Put towels over the tops or arms of the couches - anywhere where someone might lay their head. Put your brushes and combs away. Make sure no one shares hats or hair accessories. Set some ground rules about contact - no hugging when possible (But hey, if my friend was really upset, she might need a hug, and I'd give her one, head lice or no head lice.) And then do regular head lice checks on yourself and members of your household.

With regards to the lice in your child's classroom, talk to the other parents, or talk to the teacher to make sure that everyone is aware of the problem. Offer information and support. And by all means, give them my number!

Have a nice lice frame of mind without going buggy.

When you discover that you or someone you care about has head lice, you know that you are in for some work. You are discouraged because this little "surprise" upsets your family, your schedule, and maybe even your budget (it doesn't have to - don't buy the shampoos!).

However, there is something that is much more exhausting than dealing with head lice: it is the paranoia that some people create around the head lice. Hours of reading about head lice on the Internet. Days and days of cleaning, shampooing, and washing. Constantly monitoring the comings and goings of everyone in the household. Thinking every little itch must be a bug bite. This flurry of agitated activity is absolutely exhausting, not to mention absolutely unnecessary. THIS IS JUST HEAD LICE! Calm down. You will need to do some work to get rid of it - conserve your energies for more productive behaviours.
While paranoia is not productive, the same can be said of an attitude that is too relaxed. I hear people say, "Oh, head lice is just a part of life and you can never really get rid of it.", or, "What's the point of wasting time picking out the lice when my son is just going to come home from school with another case of it next week?" It is attitudes like these which have led to the head lice epidemic that we have in our schools. Having head lice is not in and of itself a health issue, but it is a very real social problem and can leave you or your child feeling like a outcast. And then there's the maddening itching, which leads to scratching, and the scratching can lead to wounds. (If these get infected, then you ARE dealing with a health problem). Choosing to do nothing, or choosing to do very little (i.e. using "shampoos" that don't really work) passes your problem on to others as well.

Stop the paranoia, but don't be ignorant. Don't freak out about head lice, but be prepared to really deal with it. Be diligent, and patient. Lighten up, but don't tune out. Have a nice lice frame of mind.