Head Lice - Fact and Fiction

Let me begin by saying, I guarantee by the time this article has been read, 90% of all readers will be scratching their heads and not with confusion.

You see, the topic of the day is head lice. Head lice are persistent little creatures that tend to be passed along from person to person primarily by the sharing of combs, hats, and simply "putting heads together" as children are oft to do on the playground while planning that next football play or in class when working on super secret projects. There is usually nothing wrong with kids getting close with one another. That is, until one of the group shares not a secret but a fully fledged case of head lice with friends.

Head lice have been in society for thousands of years, have been discovered on mummies and are believed by some to have been referred to in the bible. Lice know no socio economic boundaries and will as easily infect someone of a higher social status as well as someone on the lower end. Lice show no prejudice when it comes to infestation and while they are thought to be only associated with "dirty" individuals, it is as common for someone of the working class to acquire them as it is for the homeless. In fact, head lice are the most prevalent with children of school age and it is believed that 25% of all children despite social status will be infested at least once with head lice before they reach their teens (interesting fact: once males get into their teens they are unlikely to be infested with lice, as there is something about their body chemistry that lice do not like).

While not all societies have found lice to be a negative thing, today the mere mention of lice is enough to cause full grown women run screaming into stores looking for remedies such as RID or NIX. But patent shampoos are not the only option for consumers wanting to rid their families of lice without possible chemical side effects.

One such treatment, while chemical in nature, has been used for years with great success and can be found at a fraction of the cost of patent remedies. This is coal tar shampoo. But not all coal tar shampoos are considered equal. For coal tar shampoo to be effective it must be found in higher than average amounts within the shampoo with the average being .5% content. Extra strength coal tar shampoos until recently were prescription only but now strengths as high as 2.5% can be found at any drugstore and usually in generic brands as well as name brands, offering a choice at a much lower price.

The favored treatment is to shampoo the hair with as warm temperature of water as can be stood without scalding. Working shampoo into a thick lather, leave shampoo in the hair for between 15-30 minutes. After this, rinse well with warm water and begin to search for nits.

Nits are, simply said, the eggs of the female louse and must be removed in order to stop the infestation. This can be especially hard to do if the child has longer hair as they are attached to the hair follicle and can be hard to discover not to mention remove. With shorter hair, it is much easier to find the nits and with fair haired children the eggs which have not hatched are easier to spot as they are dark tan to coffee in color. Clear deposits on the hair follicle are those eggs which have hatched and though no longer a threat, are still difficult to remove. The material which attaches the nits to the hair follicle is of cement like substance and resists most attempts of removal. Removal takes time and is best done with a fine tooth comb, separating each section of the hair with care and removing nits as they are discovered. At this stage, disposal of the nits is important as well with some veteran Mom's insisting that all trash be taken out of the house in order not to re-infect the household. Re-infestation due to trash left in the house has not been proven but as many mothers have been heard to declare..."you just never know!"

While it is fiction that lice can "jump" from one host to another, they can be transferred through direct contact with headgear, combs, stuffed animals/toys and even towels. Therefore, if it is suspected that any member of the house has been infested, it is imperative that the entire household take precautionary measures in order to not be infested as well. This includes washing ones hair well with the proper shampoo and washing all bed linens, and headgear as well as combs and brushes to eliminate the nits with hot water and detergent. Thorough vacuuming of the house is also recommended and if possible, deep cleaning of mattress' and pillows as well. If an item cannot be washed in hot water or thoroughly cleaned, many swear by extreme cold, insisting that backpacks and other items that cannot be washed should be left overnight in a very cold area. Since many lice infestations occur in the winter, placing said items in the garage overnight is easily accomplished and does in fact freeze the lice if temperatures are right, effectively killing said parasite. Lice cannot survive more than approximately 24 hours without human blood to sustain them so frequent and diligent attention to cleaning will show results in a short amount of time.

That said; don't panic when it comes to cleaning. It is only necessary to clean those items that the individual has been in contact with in the past 24-48 hours before the lice have been discovered. As lice feed on humans by drawing blood, itching will occur shortly after hatching. Because of this short span, the time frame will be fairly easy to figure out. Nits will hatch between 7-10 days after being deposited on the hair so early elimination is important. Breaking the cycle of life with removal of the nit is the only way to effectively stop infestation. While killing fully grown lice with shampoo is well and good, nits are much harder to eliminate, thus frequent use of your shampoo of choice should be continued for at least 7 days after first discovery of nits. And when it comes to lice and their nits, beginning with the "itchy spot" and thinking backwards is thought by many to be the simplest way to start an attack on these creatures.

When inspecting for head lice begin at the nape of the neck and behind the ears as that is usually the first place nits are located. Eliminate them as described in the paragraph above and continue upwards, slowly parting the hair and removing any other nits as they are located on the scalp. Slow but sure is the key here and while it is definitely a time consuming project, it is one that must be done thoroughly in order for the individual not to be re-infested by nits which will hatch in the days ahead, causing the process of elimination to begin all over again.

Some home remedies which have not proven to be as effective as coal tar shampoo or other patent remedies, are covering the head with vegetable oil, olive oil, mayonnaise or even baby oil in the hopes of smothering the nits. While this may work on fully grown lice, the elimination of nits is much harder. Believe it or not, lice are hardy, oftentimes surviving lengthy dousing of the aforementioned oils. Again, coal tar shampoo while far from nice smelling has proven to be not only a safe but inexpensive treatment for lice and their nits. And while there certainly are stronger remedies for use as well, these are usually prescription in nature, so it is advised that you seek a doctor's advice if these are desired.

And that is the simple fact and fiction of lice and their nits. Infestation while certainly not something one wants to write in a Holiday letter is a common occurrence in most households and while an imposition, is one that, if treated correctly will be short in nature.

That said how many of you reading this got this far without scratching your heads? Very few I imagine. Don't feel badly, just writing this caused me to scratch my head repeatedly too!

NOTE: as I do not have acess to actual pictures of nits or lice at this time, I found these excellent examples online. Check them out if you want a better idea of what these creatures really look like.

Picture of head with nits,

Images of what ARE lice/nits and what ARE NOT lice/nits