What about nits (eggs) not right near the scalp?

Nice picture, huh? I like and encourage the reading of a variety of head lice fact sheets from a variety of research centres/universities. While the facts are usually (but not always) the same, they occasionally use different language that helps you understand an issue more clearly.

For example, here's an excerpt from the fact sheet from the Entomology Department of the College of Agricultural Sciences of Penn State University. It is regarding the viability of eggs that are not right near the scalp:

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 deal with your own head lice.

So, you are the one who has head lice. What if you don't have a buddy to help look through your head? If you are on your own, here's what you can do:

Take the time needed to finish the job.

How does my dog remind me of the proper way to deal with head lice? Well...

Beware the physician that makes a commission.

As a lice professional, I am happy to take your money. But I am also the first to tell you that while you may need my advice, you probably don't need my services.

While You Were Sleeping

I love a good bedtime routine. I just finished putting my kids to bed. After a quick teeth brushing and a spot check for head lice, we went upstairs and read a chapter of Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing." Then we said prayers and blessings, gave kisses and goodnights.

And then just before I turned out the light, my youngest daughter just happened to scratch her head.

I said, "Are you itchy, honey?"

She said, "Mom, you don't need to check - it's just that my skin is dry"

I said, "C'mon, sweetie. You know what I've gotta do."

Even if you don't know what to do, do something!

A CPR instructor once told me that a high percentage of serious emergency situations where a first aider is on the scene, the injured or ill person still dies. I found this to be surprising. Then he continued by saying that the deaths didn't occur because the first aider did not adminsiter CPR correctly, but rather because the first aider didn't do anything at all. Many first aiders are so afraid of making mistakes; afraid of getting the ratio of breaths to compressions incorrect, or of doing things in the wrong order, that they remain inactive. The CPR instructor said, "But if the person's heart has stopped, they are technically DEAD. Your imperfect or rusty technique isn't going to make the person more dead. You have nothing to lose by taking some action.

It is the same with head lice.

So it's late and you can't get to the store to get a good lice comb? Use the comb you have and comb the hair that is detangled, wet, and conditioned. You will still be able to get out quite a number of adult bugs this way.

Or grab your blowdryer - warm, fast blowing air kills bugs and eggs.

Or, get in some good light and simply go through the hair, strand by strand. Just like the monkeys do. Look at the root of the hair and the scalp and pick out what you see. Is it eggs or dandruff? Well, dandruff will usually move when flicked, but eggs won't. When in doubt, pick it out. Even with no other tools, your nimble fingers can pick out bugs and eggs faster then they can lay them. If you spend time considerable on this problem and focus your energies on the scalp (and not on housecleaning) you can out run those bugs.

Head lice has been around longer than our tools. We have dealt with them for a long time. You have the ability to get rid of them, or at the very least, get the head lice under control. Get started and do something.

Why I don't like lice "shampoos" or "treatments".

In the fight against head lice, so many professionals state that permethrin based products are your first line of defense. They are touted as being necessary treatments when in fact they are not needed at all. Here is why I have a big problem with lice "shampoos":

1. These "treatments"are costly.
My heart always breaks when I hear yet another story of a family that spend hundreds of dollars on "shampoos" and "treatments" only to find that they didn't work. Most "shampoos" require a second treatment in a week. Bring out the credit card - cha-ching! But wait a minute - I charge for my lice checking/removal services - am I hypocritical?

Don't believe the Nix package. The hair dryer is your friend.

Here's some info I've mentioned before, but it is worth mentioning again. Researchers at the University of Utah created a contraption called "The Lousebuster"(Update: This device is now called the AirAlle). It is a souped-up blow dryer that kills 80% of lice and 98% of nits. Sounds great, huh? It is, but read on...

In creating this specialized tool, they did quite a bit of research about blowing air and head lice. Here's what they discovered the effectiveness of using a regular blow dryer as a weapon against head lice:

How I found a bug on my head. And why I'm happy about it.

As 'The Nice Lice Lady', I am in frequent contact with head lice. Because of this, I have my own head checked regularly for lice and nits. My buddy does a quick check of my head daily, and I check the heads of my children. I also comb my hair thoroughly each time I'm in the shower or bath.

Today I was having a nice Mother's Day bath and combing my hair, alternating between using a fine-toothed plastic baby comb and a metal lice comb. I like using both because the plastic comb goes through the hair faster, but the metal comb squeezes the hair more. When combing, I put hair conditioner in my hair to keep my hair wet and to make combing easier. Also, please understand that I'm not just combing my hair long enough to get tangles out. I'm combing for upwards of one hour - combing from under the hair, over the hair, from back to front and from front to back. I scanned the comb after every stroke to see if I had found anything. I had never had head lice in my hair ever since becoming a professional lice remover.

Until today. I found a tiny louse and I was giddy. There are two reasons that I was happy about what I found: