Head lice are tiny parasites that burrow in your hair and feed on the blood from your scalp, causing your head to itch. Lice are very contagious and are spread from close, personal contact. Head lice prevention does not require professional medical attention or specific accessories. Home remedies to prevent an infestation in your home or classroom include cleaning infested areas and keeping each individual's personal items separate from one another.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Once you have eliminated head lice from your infected family member, disinfection is crucial to prevent the parasites from spreading to other people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commonly known as the CDC, recommends soaking hairbrushes and combs for 10 minutes in hot water to kill any remaining traces of head lice. Because lice can live for up to two days after removal from a person's head, they still might contaminate the infected person's bedding, towels, clothing and soft toys. The hot cycles of a washing machine and dryer disinfect washable items; if you have clothing or toys that cannot be machine-washed, send them to a dry cleaner or seal them in a plastic bag for two weeks to render them lice-free.
Keeping Personal Items Personal
A head lice infestation among classmates makes the recovery period and prevention for those unaffected a time to learn how not to share. To limit exposure to lice, brushes, combs, hats, hair accessories, bike helmets, towels and other personal items that come in contact with the head or hair should be disinfected and used only by its owner. The concept of keeping your property to yourself may be difficult for children to understand when at other times you encourage them to share with their friends.
Limiting Activities
Prevent the spread of head lice by limiting the types of activities in which your children participate when an outbreak occurs in your home or school. Head-to-head contact is a main transmission mode, according to the CDC, so limiting your exposure to another person's hair can prevent you from becoming infected. Adults are less likely than children to engage in hair-to-hair contact during the course of a normal play date, sports practice or gym class. To prevent catching lice from your child, keep your face away from your child's hair while hugging. Remind your children to temporarily put a halt to games like wrestling, playing beauty shop or other activities in which they come in contact with their friends' hair.
