Let’s get real for a minute. You know what would ruin your day – maybe even your year? Head lice. (Whoa, that came right out of left field, didn’t it?) If the mere mention of those words makes you itchy, you’re not alone.
Now imagine the process to get rid of lice. You know, when you’re forced to rip down all your curtains and blankets and pillows and wash them in scalding hot water to kill anything. Then you’ll have to vacuum every single nook and cranny in your home. Twice for good measure. Bag up any stuffed animals and toys with soft surfaces for two weeks to suffocate lice in the kids’ bedrooms. As a matter of fact, every single thing in your home needs to be de-loused in one way or another. Do you have time for that? I sure don’t!
AND THEN….you get to wash your child’s hair with insecticide and pick through it for hours to make sure you got all the little buggers out. See this hair? Looks like a great time, doesn’t it? Don’t forget to wear a shower cap so they don’t decide you’ll make a nice host in the meantime!
Honestly, the best way to get rid of lice is to not get them in the first place. This isn’t the easiest thing in the world when your kids are in school and there are bugs jumping from cubby to cubby, but there are steps you can take to improve your odds.
- Teach your kids not to share hats, coats, brushes, headphones, etc. Sharing is the biggest form of lice transmission.
- Encourage them to keep their heads to themselves. Hugging and other head to head contact makes it really easy for lice to jump from host to host. (Note: this is easier said than done for younger kids. They’re always hugging.)
- Take preventative measures at home. If you’ve got kids in school, this is the only thing you really can control. Use lice-repelling hair products. You can buy products online, in some pharmacies, and sometimes even in your salon. If you’d like to go a more natural route, get a bottle of tea tree oil and put a few drops in your shampoo, conditioner, and detangling spray. I use one drop per ounce. You can get a decent sized bottle on Amazon for around $10 and it will last a really long time. I’ve had our current bottle for about a year and still have plenty.
So far, my little one is clear of head lice. Last week, one of the kids came in with a shaved head and told everyone it was because he had “bugs in it”. I put a few drops of tea tree oil behind her ears for the next few days for extra protection!
Bug free – it’s the way to be! What do you do to prevent head lice?
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