Here are 6 things every parent should know about head lice… and how to keep the critters at bay
Nits reap havoc with kids and parents, but these handy facts tell you everything you need to know about head lice
WHILE bringing children up brings a lot of joy, going to battle with head lice certainly isn't one of them.
The tiny critters crawl into little ones' hair and reap havoc with the rest of the household, and parents are forced to spend hours slathering their kids' heads in nit lotion and combing through each individual strand of hair in an attempt to get rid of the problem.
Nits are an age-old nuisance and all kids get them at least once, but this handy list from 's pharmacist Rita Ghelani tells you everything you should know about the little bugs - and how to keep them at bay.
1. Not everyone will itch
An itchy scalp is the most common symptom of head lice, but not everyone who has them will feel like they need to scratch their head. Itching of the scalp is actually caused by an allergy to the saliva of the head lice, and not by the head lice biting the scalp.
Head lice can be hard to spot as they are so tiny, so the best way to detect head lice is to use a detection comb.
2. Head lice can't jump
Head lice cannot fly, jump, hop or swim and are only spread by head-to-head contact.
3. They don't care if hair is dirty or clean
Head lice are not fussy, they like dirty or clean hair. Getting head lice has nothing to do with hair hygiene or hair length – they will live on short or long hair. As long as they can access the scalp, any hair will do.
4. You can repel them
There are products that can prevent head lice from landing on the head. And you can reduce the risk of re-infestation after using a treatment by disrupting the life cycle of the head lice.
Head lice breed very quickly and have a short life cycle (about 30 days). One head lice can lay up to 10 eggs a day, these hatch after 7 days and grow into adult head lice after 10 days. This life cycle can be disrupted by using the wet combing technique.
Wet combing involves applying a large amount of conditioner, which is left in the hair, and then using a detection comb to comb through the hair from root to tip. This is repeated every few days for two weeks.
5. They only care for heads
Head lice cannot be caught by sharing towels or bedding, and they can only survive by sucking blood from the scalp.
6. It doesn't mean no school
Although head lice spread through head-to-head contact, there's really no need to keep children off school if they have had head lice, as long as he/she has used a head lice treatment.
