The concept of having head lice may fill you with horror, but it's a common problem. Far from being a result of poor hygiene, lice are infestations that occur when an infected person shares a hat, scarf, pillow or any other item that may carry eggs with another person. While lice are troublesome to deal with, it is possible to treat them effectively if you carefully and faithfully manage the infestation.
Step 1
Treat the infected person and any person with whom that person has shared clothing or bedding with a lice shampoo. Prophylactically treating other people in the family can go a long way in minimizing the infestation.
Step 2
Remove nits (the eggs left by an adult louse) by using a magnifying mirror and lice comb. Comb through the hair using this fine-toothed comb and checking each section from left to right or top to bottom. You can find nits most typically behind the ears and at the base of the neck. They attach themselves to the hair at the root, so make sure you're in a well-lit area when checking. You must remove them all or they will hatch, and the adult louse will lay more eggs, beginning the cycle again.
Step 3
Bag all items that cannot be washed. Put them in a sealed, plastic bag and leave them in a storage area, like the garage, for 10 days. This allows time for any active lice to die off and any nits to hatch and the resulting lice to die off. Lice feed on blood, so bagging them starves them of their food supply.
Step 4
Wash all items that the infected person has been in contact with for the past two days in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. Lice cannot survive temperatures above 128.3 degrees F (53.5 degrees C), so a hot wash and dry kills off the lice and nits that may be present. Make sure you include covers of infant seats and any towels in this wash.
Step 5
Use the lice shampoo again after nine to 10 days for over-the-counter products, seven to nine days if you still see crawling lice and have used a prescription product. This ensures no adult lice have survived, according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Step 6
Continue checking for nits every two to three days for up to three weeks. Once no nits or found for a week, you're infestation is likely ended.
Things You'll Need
- Lice shampoo
- Magnifying mirror
- Lice comb
- Plastic bags
