LICE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS

Often, because of the inaccurate information surrounding lice and lice treatment, when facing an infestation, families can feel extreme stress. Often, their concern is backwards, most are not so concerned with the treatment of the hair, but rather are more concerned with treating the home. Keep reading for your head lice treatment and lice prevention checklist. This is a good lice checklist for parents.

Hair Treatment

Contrary to popular belief, lice do not live in the home, they live on a person’s head. While lice removal may seem difficult to some, there are a few principles that you should follow to ensure that the lice are gone. The process we recommend is pesticide-free since lice chemicals don’t work anyway; you can gain victory over lice in a few steps. You’ll need a professional nit comb, lubricant for the hair, paper towels, hair dryer, magnification, and patience. Here is your head lice treatment checklist:

• Generously apply the lubricant to saturate the hair - we recommend olive oil.
• Section the hair and start combing with your nit comb.
• After each swipe through the section, wipe off the comb on the paper towel and continue to comb until you're not getting any bugs or nits.
• Wash and dry hair.
• Section the hair as before and do a strand by strand check using your magnification. When you find a nit or bug, remove it.
• Reapply the lubricant and sleep with it on the hair for 8 hours.
• Repeat the process at least once a week for the next 3 weeks.

House Treatment

As was mentioned, since lice do not live in the home, it is not important to treat the house if the head is properly treated, so a cleaning checklist really isn’t necessary. However, if it gives you peace of mind, here are a few things you can add to your head lice cleaning checklist.

• Run a lint roller on car seats, couches, and pillows.
• Put hair accessories in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer overnight.
• Check coats, scarves, jackets for live bugs.
• Wash sheets and pillowcases.

Combs Treatment

Of course, wash your nit comb between treating people. The same comb can be used to treat multiple people as long as it has been washed. After 24 hours off of the head, head lice will die so it’s not necessary to make a separate head lice checklist for combs. One simple step may give you peace of mind but is not necessary.

• Put combs, hairbrushes, and hair barrettes in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer overnight
• Do not feel it is necessary to replace these items - they can be expensive and the cost will climb unnecessarily if you decide to do this.

Clothes Treatment

Putting extra effort into cleaning the clothes that your family has worn during the lice infestation is not something you should add to your lice checklist, but, once again, if you want that peace of mind there are 2 things you can do:

• Launder clothing worn in the last 2 days; put them in the dryer if possible, but if there is anything delicate, hanging it in a separate part of the closet will ensure any lice on it will die.
• Leave clothes in the hamper for 24-48 hours. Any lice present will be dead.

School and Friends Notification

We understand that deciding whom to contact, and what to say, can be a touchy subject. However, we do recommend letting others know who have been in close contact with your child while he or she had lice. This is something you should consider adding to your lice checklist for parents. It allows the friend to get checked and treated and can help to ensure that your child does not get the lice back from that friend.  We also suggest reaching out to close contacts in these categories:

• Child’s school
• Trusted parents of your child’s friends to let them know
• Relatives
• Coaches
• Anyone else who has come into close contact with your child

LICEDOCTORS IS HAPPY TO HELP

Following the checklist provided, you can increase your chances that you not only gain victory over head lice but also ensure that your family is protected from future infestations, as well. While these checklists don’t replace professional head lice treatment, we are confident that for the majority of cases of head lice, these steps will benefit you and your family and get you on the road to lice elimination.

LiceDoctors has successfully treated almost 600,000 clients. We are here to answer you questions, put your mind at ease, and make a house call to get rid of the lice. Treatment is all-natural and efficacious. Why take chances when LiceDoctors can help you today? Call 800-224-2537 for guaranteed head lice treatment!