Notes On Nit Picking
by MaryLou McRaeIf you have school-aged children, chances are you’ve had a “brush” with lice. If you haven’t yet, well, as my mom used to say, “Your time will come.”
Over the years, I’ve had several near run-ins with lice, but it wasn’t until a letter arrived from the school on a Friday informing parents that head lice had been found in the classroom that, with one look at my child’s scalp to confirm, I had to face the problem, er, head on. Admittedly, I probably over-reacted when I called my partner at work suggesting he sleep at his mom’s house, but as I reasoned, why put one more head at risk?
In retrospect, those earlier scares were useful. I had been volunteering for lice checks at school, and searching more than 300 scalps twice a year taught me the difference between head lice and sparkles, woodchips and other debris. Checking Internet sites, looking at pictures of the life cycle of head lice, reading the various treatment options in health books, and speaking with public health nurses and other parents gave me the background I needed to deal with a genuine infestation.
I had already purchased a good lice comb years earlier—rather sheepishly, considering it was around $20 at the time. The comb has long metal tines, closely spaced, that will pull hair if not for some lubricant in the hair to make the comb glide along the hair shafts. This, along with a big bottle of inexpensive conditioner, is a great tool to get rid of head lice.
Head lice have been around for centuries and are only found on humans. Evidence of lice has been found on the heads of Egyptian mummies, which is further proof that even the wealthiest of our societies have faced this scourge! Lice like to hide out on the hot spots of our scalp: the top of the head, behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. They have a life cycle of seven to 10 days from egg to live louse. Newly hatched, they are tiny little blighters and you might need a magnifying glass to see them. Larger lice, unfortunately, you’ll have no difficulty spotting.
Head lice can’t fly or jump from head to head. In a sense, they’re more like hitchhikers and use objects like hairbrushes, combs, hats, helmets and stuffies to hitch a ride onto another strand of hair. Head lice, according the National Pediculosis Association, a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of head lice, prefer clean hair, which is something my children love to point out whenever they get their hair washed.
The use of chemical, non-prescription shampoos to get rid of head lice is, in my mind, unnecessary and might provide false hope to those who think there is a quick fix. Reading instructions such as “Don’t use on young children,” and “Consult your doctor before use if you’re pregnant or planning on getting pregnant” made me wonder about the toxicity of lice shampoo. And while the shampoo might kill live lice, it doesn’t kill the eggs. I’d still have to go through the hair and scalp to manually pick out the eggs, nits and any lice that might have been successful in evading the shampoo. And if I didn’t do that follow-up within a week or so I’d be dealing with a new batch of bugs.
Whichever treatment I chose—chemical or non-chemical—I would be scrutinizing scalps. Why would I choose something that carries more risk to my child’s health, to my health, and to the lakes and oceans at the other end of the drainpipe when another method works as well but carries none of the risks?
The conditioner method is simple, inexpensive, effective and doesn’t involve the use of chemicals or extraordinary safety precautions. All you do is slather generous amounts of conditioner throughout your child’s hair, especially on the scalp, and comb through with a good lice comb. The conditioner slows down the lice allowing you to capture them with the comb. My old copy of the B.C. HealthGuide suggested using mineral oil. Others have suggested olive oil or mayonnaise as a lubricant. Still others have used essential oils, but exercise caution, since some essential oils are powerful and could cause skin reactions.
To clean the comb after each comb-through, dip it in a bowl of hot water or rubbing alcohol or wipe it on a paper towel. Once you’re satisfied that you’ve combed thoroughly from scalp to the hair’s end, rinse the hair with water and a bit of vinegar. Look over the scalp for eggs, nits or live lice that might have escaped the conditioner and combing and pick them out. Repeat this process within the seven- to 10-day period or, if you’re like me, keep watch and do a daily comb-through for several weeks.
Nit picking is time consuming so don’t forget to have a couple of videos for the kids to watch or a good book to keep them occupied. It took me about two hours per child before I was satisfied I had captured all the eggs, nits and lice that I could. You’ll also need a good light behind you so you can see better. A camping headlamp also works.
Health professionals don’t consider head lice a threat to public health, but it’s certainly a bother. All that itching has got to be uncomfortable. If left untreated, the infestation gets worse. Now, excuse me, while I go comb through my hair.
For information, visit
www.headlice.org.
MaryLou McRae lives on the peninsula and now volunteers for a much more popular program at her children’s school—hot lunch.
