Healthy Habits: Head Lice

Head lice affects 6-12 million families every year. Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease, but they are contagious and can be pretty annoying. Their bites may cause the scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching can lead to skin irritation and in some cases, even infection.

Infestation with head lice is most common among preschool children attending child care, elementary school children, and the household members of infested children.  The good news is head lice can be easily treated. However, parents and medical professionals have become very wary of using some shampoos, chemicals, gels and oils to get rid of lice. Many of these treatments use the same pesticides found in household bug killers. There is serious concern about the health effects of putting toxins and chemicals on a child’s head and the negative effects these poisons may have on a developing child's health.

LiceGuard sent me a few products to review. One is the Robi Comb, which detects and destroys lice on contact by combing through dry hair. It uses sound waves to detect lice, then zaps them with low electrical power, killing them. I fortunately haven't had the chance to need it, but I really like this idea of an alternative to shampoos with nasty chemicals. They also sent a repellent hair spray, which can be used as a preventative, especially if you find out that head lice has been discovered on someone else in your child's school. They do also offer a pesticide-free shampoo alternative.

Besides the repellent hair spray, there are a few other things you can do to reduce your risk of having to deal with head lice. Avoid head-to-head contact during sports and play (you probably don't want to be head-butting anyway during sports). Don't share clothing and accessories that go on or near the head, such as hats, scarves, barrettes, and coats. Don't share combs, brushes, or towels. To prevent the spread if you do have an infected person in your house, disinfect combs by soaking in hot water 5-10 minutes. Wash and dry clothing and bedding used by the infected person in the two days prior to being discovered. Clothing and stuffed animals that can't be washed can be sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks. Vacuum floor and furniture (but don't be obsessed about it, as head lice can only survive 1-2 days not on the head, and nits can't hatch and die within a week if they aren't on the scalp).

LiceGuard is the only complete non-toxic lice detection-killing-prevention line on the market. LiceGuard lice killing treatment is non-toxic, pesticide free, reusable and has been proven 100% effective. Over the past decade, more than 20 million LiceGuard products have been sold. Products are available at  Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS, all products sell below $30.  

Disclosure: I received LiceGuard products as a thank-you for this post.