Getting Lice is Not Nice

Contrary to popular belief, ALL hair can attract lice!

There is nothing fun about having them visit. They can cause you a lot of itching, discomfort, and hair loss.

Lice generally affect school age children because kids this age are friendly and curious with one another and in close contact. When they play or interact closely, share their combs, brushes, hats, or hoods, the louse spread from one child to another. Lice do not fly, jump, or hop, but can be flung from the hair during manipulation. They will quickly leave one host when the right opportunity presents itself. That's when they make a new home on a friend.

Lice are sneaky, and patient little boogers! If they are trying to move to a new hair home but they don’t quite make it, they can hang out on the hats, stuffed animals, or whatever for 2 days before dying. They are hard to see and move fast. Most times it is easier to identify the nits (their eggs), in the hair than it is to see them.

Although anyone can get Lice, they are not happy in all heads and are less likely to set up shop in some situations. Lice don’t like when the space on their hosts head becomes crowded, when the hair is styled tightly and they can’t move around easily, and they don’t like a lot of products to impede on their parasitic ways. They are essentially lazy. So if you make their life hard they will not want to hang on your scalp.

Continue to moisturize and oil your hair often, remember they don’t like a lot of products. Add a little Tea Tree oil, and/or Peppermint oil to your mixtures of products. This will help repel them. If somebody in your class has Lice, apply a little of the essential oil infused product daily until the threat is gone. Lastly, keeping your hair in protective styles deter the gross boogers from setting up shop too. They do not like tight quarters.

If you ever have Lice feel free to use the over the counter treatments from your local pharmacy. Follow all the directions. Then launder and dry your bedding, hats, scarves, etc. with high heat. Seal up anything they could be hiding in that you can’t launder in an airtight container or bag for at least two days.