Head Lice Prevention
If you’ve had a recent infestation of head lice in your family home, or your child has brought home a letter warning of recent head lice cases in your child’s class; it’s reasonable as a parent to find out about head lice prevention techniques. Prevention is often better than the cure; but how can a parent prevent this particular human parasite from infesting every member of the family?
Well, the good news is there are some very simple head lice prevention techniques that will reduce the risk of head lice infestations from becoming a problem at your home. Prevention comes from practical diligence and know-how, as opposed to a chemical out of a bottle.
Check your child for lice or nits daily. Spend time looking closely at the scalp. If you child has head lice, you will either notice them crawling around on the roots of the hair or the scalp, or you will see the nits. Nits are the eggs of head lice. They can stick quite firmly to the hair. Head lice tend to lay nits in particular places; often they choose the hair at the nape of the neck, or hair close to the ears. Checking every day is crucial to proactive head lice prevention; as an infestation can quickly flair up.
Another easy head lice prevention method is to keep girls hair tied back at all times. Informing your children about the dangers of sharing head wear, or even rubbing heads as they get close to friends, will ensure your child observes proactive head lice prevention methods, even when you’re not around.
Some parents like to use tea tree oil as an herbal solution when washing their child’s hair. Although this method has no scientific backing, it is a well known fact that tea tree oil has antiseptic qualities. Using the oil could make it more difficult for head lice to make your child’s head a home. Be very careful when using this oil, making sure it does not get into the eyes, nose or mouth.
Intervention is the next best thing after head lice prevention; and it is crucial that you treat your child immediately for head lice as soon as you spot any signs of activity. Make sure you have the right tools for the job in your home cupboard just in case. This will prevent any delay of treatment. If your child does develop a case of head lice, contact the parents of your child’s friends. This will allow them to take precautions, and will help to eliminate the problem completely.
Although head lice pose no immediate health risks, they are incredibly irritating, and can make the scalp itchy, sore and red, as they bite the skin to feed. The crawling sensation on the scalp is unpleasant, making a person scratch an already sore and itchy scalp. No parent would be happy knowing that a parasite is essentially feeding off of their child, and it is a parent’s responsibility to alleviate and rid their child of head lice, as well as to take active precautions in head lice prevention
