Quick Guide: Head Lice Removal

quick guide to lice removal

Facts and general information about head lice removal: diagnosis, treatment m
methods, and cost.

I.     Basic Lice Facts

Head lice are small insects that live on people’s heads and feed on human blood. Head lice infestation is a widespread problem in children and causes concern among parents and childcare workers. However, they don’t transmit infectious diseases.

II.   Symptoms and spreading

You may get a tickling feeling on your head with itching and sometimes redness. Itchiness does not mean that a person has head lice and head lice don’t always produce symptoms.

Head lice spread through direct contact among children (head-to-head), or indirectly on items such as hats, combs, hairbrushes, headbands, and helmets. The head lice that live on people cannot live on pets or other animals and vice versa.

III. Head Lice Diagnosis

Carefully inspect each person’s hair and scalp. Look for head lice eggs (called nits), which are oval and about the size of a pinhead. You will find them firmly attached to the hair shaft and they cannot be brushed off easily.

A female louse may lay about three to eight nits per day. The louse attaches the nits to the hair fibers within 1.5 cm of the scalp and needs the warmth from the head to hatch. Head lice do not have wings or jumping legs, so they cannot fly or jump from head to head. They can only crawl.

The most effective way to find them is to use the conditioner and remove them with a comb weekly:

Step 1: Comb hair conditioner onto dry, brushed hair to make it easier to comb and slow the lice’s movement.

Step 2: Section the hair and go from root to ends with a fine-tooth head lice comb.

Step 3: Squeeze tightly around the comb and wipe it onto a paper towel.

Step 4: Look through the towel and comb for lice and nits.

Step 5: Comb through every part of the head at least four or five times in different directions.

Step 6: You must treat every person that shows signs infestation to eliminate head lice. That’s at a minimum. If you want to be certain it’s gone, you should treat everyone that has come into head to head contact as that is how lice spread.

IV. Lice Treatment

There are three basic self-treatment options for head lice:

• topical pediculicides

• wet combing, and

• oral medication.

Some lice clinics offer head lice removal services. The only downside is the price. This services will cost you good money (it can cost a few hundred dollars per children), and you’ll have to go there more than once. Rates aren’t fixed, but the price for this service is about $100 per hour.

Another alternative is a head lice treatment specialist, found in some areas of the country.

Topical pediculicides

Head lice products can be divided into four groups based on the active compound:

• pyrethrins

• synthetic pyrethroids

• organophosphates, and

• herbal products.

Effective pediculicides should kill both lice and eggs. The pediculicide should be applied to dry or wet hair, left for the advised time, then rinsed thoroughly with warm water. No treatment kills 100% of eggs. Therefore, the procedure must be repeated 7–10 days after the first treatment to kill any nymphs that have hatched from remaining eggs.

If over-the-counter products containing pyrethroids do not work, it is unlikely that prescription strength (5%) permethrin will either. For children 2–12 years of age, preparations containing permethrin or pyrethrins are safe. All infected members of the patient’s family should be treated simultaneously.

Wet combing

Pediculicides are not recommended for children under two years of age. Therefore, mechanical removal of lice on wet hair with a hair conditioner and a fine-tooth comb is a DIY alternative.

Oral Therapy

 A recent trial of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) in addition to permethrin rinses, only increased the cure rate marginally (89–95%).

Ivermectin has also been investigated for the treatment of lice resistant to conventional pediculicides but is not approved for the treatment of head lice.

Post Lice Treatment

The scalp might become itchy after the lice treatment. This does not mean that the treatment didn’t work. Anti-itch medicine, such as Benadryl or another antihistamine, may help.

Read about the History of Lice Removal

References

Center for Disease Control

Healthline: How to kill head lice

WebMD: Lice Treatment

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kate Weaver
June was amazing. So knowledgeable and kind.
Nicki W
Amazing people and super helpful.
Nicki W
Amazing people and super helpful.
Courtney Jade
Melanie was so wonderful and got me in same morning! She was thorough and really put my mind at ease. After my kids got lice my head won’t stop itching but she did a thorough check and I was completely lice-free! Whew! Thank you! I know where to come if it ever happens again.
Courtney Jade
Melanie was so wonderful and got me in same morning! She was thorough and really put my mind at ease. After my kids got lice my head won’t stop itching but she did a thorough check and I was completely lice-free! Whew! Thank you! I know where to come if it ever happens again.
Julie Strong
Melanie was efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable. If you need to get checked for lice, this is where you want to go!
Julie Strong
Melanie was efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable. If you need to get checked for lice, this is where you want to go!
Sara Weith
Lice. The last thing you want to find or have. Once you do though- there is SO much information out there on what to do. We found Melanie with Lice Charmers and it was INCREDIBLE!
We have three kids and each of them needed treatment. She was so patient, kind, gentle and fast. She was able to work with our neurodiverse kiddo and made the whole experience as simplistic as possible.
Melanie gave us detailed instructions on what to do around the house, bedding etc.
This was worth every second and every penny! If you were thinking about using a service I would highly suggest this group of people!
Sara Weith
Lice. The last thing you want to find or have. Once you do though- there is SO much information out there on what to do. We found Melanie with Lice Charmers and it was INCREDIBLE!
We have three kids and each of them needed treatment. She was so patient, kind, gentle and fast. She was able to work with our neurodiverse kiddo and made the whole experience as simplistic as possible.
Melanie gave us detailed instructions on what to do around the house, bedding etc.
This was worth every second and every penny! If you were thinking about using a service I would highly suggest this group of people!
Sarah LeVesque
They were great! My girls liked the brushing and the braids. They even let them pick their own hair ties for the braids. They had candy treats at the end also.
Stephanie Knobbe
My daughter came home from school with lice she got from a close friend. I had made several calls to get an appointment somewhere local. They squeezed her in at the end of the day and wound up also caring for two of her friends that same evening. June was able to tell us approximately how long they had all had lice and gave us care information to take home. She was very informative and caring. She saved the day! We highly recommend June!
Sadie Kenzler
They got my kid and I in same day, cleaned us up, and gave us great peace of mind. Would highly recommend!
Sadie Kenzler
They got my kid and I in same day, cleaned us up, and gave us great peace of mind. Would highly recommend!
Tracy Johnson
Excellent experience! Friendly, knowledgeable and professional!
Tracy Johnson
Excellent experience! Friendly, knowledgeable and professional!

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No devices, chemicals, products, or aftercare required.

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