[1]Photo used under Creative Commons from Randen Pederson
I knew it was inevitable. The dread is back. After a long summer with no mention of lice, today I received confirmation that they have made their way back onto the heads of countless children. I can now legitimately wonder if today will be the day that they enter my home for the very first time.
Having three young children in school, I know that if it is not today it will be sometime in the near future. I don’t get bent out of shape about many things, but for some reason I dread the day when I have to personally deal with lice. I have dealt with lice vicariously through many other brave warriors with the knowing that I am destined to someday join their ranks. But I am not ready.
I know that head lice don’t pose any health risks aside from the anxiety they cause those battling their existence. Having lice has nothing to do with poor personal hygiene; lice actually seem to prefer a clean head of hair (yet another reason my kids argue that showering isn’t really necessary). There is just a big “ick” factor along with a potentially itchy, red scalp. There’s an old saying that says “It’s not a shame to catch them, it’s a shame to keep them.”.
How to Avoid Getting Lice
[2]Photo used under Creative Commons from Sunil Basu
Lice spread by direct contact – they can’t jump or fly from head to head since they don’t have hind legs and they are wingless.
- Teach children never to share personal items such as towels, hair brushes, hats, etc.
- Use a tea tree oil shampoo such as California Baby Tea Tree & Lavender Shampoo & Body Wash [3]
as your regular, everyday shampoo-I use it too. Lice don’t like the smell of tea tree oil.
- Spray your hair each morning with a tea tree oil and water solution.
- Keep long hair pulled back.
- Don’t share hooks for hanging winter jackets, sweatshirts and fleeces.
Non-Toxic Treatments for Lice
There are lots of products on the market that claim to make the lice go away, but many of them are full of heavy-duty pesticides and other harmful chemicals. There are also claims that the lice have grown resistant to some of these pesticides.
Fortunately, there are a few safe, effective, alternatives to get rid of head lice. Here are some of the best:
- Removal of lice by nitpicking-removing live eggs with a metal fine-toothed comb. There are commercial nitpicking salons [4] and individuals who charge by the head or hour. This can be quite expensive.
- Safe Trap – Au Revoir Lice & Nits [5]
is the first certified USDA Organic Lice and Nits removal kit in the US. Safe Trap does not contain pesticides or any other chemicals-the ingredients are jojoba, rosemary, lemongrass and clove oils.
- Babo Botanicals–Lice Repel Shampoo [6]
and Lice Repel Conditioning Spray [7]
. Micaela from Mindful Momma [8] reviewed these products and gave them a thumbs up! They received a very low hazard score from the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database [9]. Babo Botanicals claims that their Lice Repel shampoo and conditioning spray used together are clinically proven to be 95% effective at repelling head lice.
- Liceguard Robi Comb Electronic Head Lice Detector and Remover [10]
-do the nitpicking yourself-safely comb out all lice, eggs and nits from your child’s hair using a LiceGuard Combing Kit.
The well known brand Fairy Tales is not on my list of recommended products
I am not recommending the brand Fairy Tales, which is the brand I hear mentioned most often when discussing lice removal and prevention with other parents. Lynn at OrganicMania [11]uncovered that although Fairy Tales claims to be “all natural and organic hair care”, there are no organic ingredients. Their products don’t have the USDA Organic label or the NSF/ANSI305 label –meaning their products are NOT organic.
Fairy Tales is part of greenwashing [12]-taking advantage of the consumer’s vulnerability and misrepresenting a product as having environmental benefits when it doesn’t. Most of us rely on the word “organic” and believe that a product is pure and safe for our use. Make sure when you buy organic it has the USDA Organic label or the NSF/ANSI305 label.
Would you or have you used a nitpicker?
p.s. My head was itching the entire time I spent writing this post.
Disclosure-since we haven’t yet had lice I haven’t tried these products. I would love to hear what those of you in the know have used and what you suggest. Also, if you purchase any of the products through my site I will get a few pennies back from Amazon.