Protecting your children from head lice

MANILA, Philippines - Head lice are more than just a nuisance: it can be a source of psychological distress and may even be traumatic if the affected person is a child who then becomes a victim of teasing or even bullying.

However, if one child becomes infected with head lice, the entire household is threatened. This calls for measures that protect the entire home and all family members.

There are several steps you may take to protect your home from head lice. Practicing personal hygiene will help prevent head lice infestation.  Shower daily and be sure to keep the hair clean.

It’s important that family members avoid sharing combs and hairbrushes. Head lice can be transferred from one person to another through direct contact (head lice cannot hop from one person’s head to another’s) so sharing combs and hairbrushes increases the risk of getting infected. Sharing beddings, linens, and pillows with an infected person may also spread head lice.

When a head lice infestation is present in the house, soak all the beddings, linens, and pillowcases in hot water (around 130 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes. Alternatively, these items may be placed in a hot dryer for about 30 minutes, or they may be dry-cleaned.

Clean and vacuum around the house. Keeping the house free of dirt and mess will help get rid of head lice that may be lying around.  Fortunately, lice and nits cannot survive long without a human host — only about one or two days.

Usually, the presence of head lice can remain undetected until one family member is already observed scratching his or her head vigorously. This is the first and most obvious sign that head lice are possibly present. The first thing to do is to inspect the family member’s scalp for the actual bugs (head lice) and their eggs (nits).

Nits and head lice are found at the scalp and hair, and many of them tend to gather at back of the head, and near the back of the ears, so be sure to inspect these areas. Nits are whitish or translucent bits found stuck to the hair root or hair follicle. Unlike dandruff, they are not loose and don’t blow away.

During scalp inspection, nits or even actual crawling lice may be spotted. These may be removed using a fine-toothed, head lice comb. However, combing and manually picking lice and nits do not guarantee that all of them are already gone.

Safety is important when removing head lice, so avoid home remedies like gasoline or kerosene because these are hazardous and may cause fires and burns. Avoid using insecticide chalk, too, because this contains toxic pesticides.

Instead, use a safe and effective anti-head lice shampoo. This will ensure that most or all head lice and nits are removed. Depending on the severity of head lice infestation, anti-head lice shampoo may need to be used more than once.

One guaranteed safe and effective anti-head lice shampoo is LiceAliz, which removes not only head lice but nits as well. LiceAliz is made of natural ingredients — from extracts of chrysanthemum flowers. Its active ingredient is pyrethrin, a proven treatment for getting rid of head lice and nits. LiceAliz is safe to use for adults and children as young as two years of age.

LiceAliz is applied just like regular shampoo. For best results, leave LiceAliz on the hair for 10 minutes before rinsing. LiceAliz even has a conditioner that keeps hair soft, healthy, and manageable. For the first two weeks of treatment, apply LiceAliz twice a week. After that, apply it once a week to prevent head lice from coming back.

LiceAliz is not just safe, effective, and convenient to use but is also priced as much as 50 percent lower than other brands of anti-head lice shampoo. For those who want a cool, refreshing after-shower feeling on their scalp, they can use the LiceAliz menthol variant.