Head Lice Treatment Done Right

While head lice treatment has progressed from the embarrassing days of shaving all body hair, modern day headlice treatment still requires an effort of chemical treatment, manual removal, and preventative measures to negate further infestation.

Some over-the-counter louse treatments are usually an effective means of killing head lice. For the louse treatment to work correctly, it must be administered per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Chemical Head Lice Treatment

The first step in treating head lice is the application of a lice killing chemical, called a pediculicide. Pediculicides are chemicals formulated to kill head lice living and breeding on the human scalp. Over-the-counter Head Louse treatments come in a variety of forms, such as crème rinse, shampoo, mouse, or gel. It is generally required that these head louse treatments be applied while the hair is dry. Applying the louse control treatment to wet hair or while in the shower may dilute the active ingredient and reduce the effectiveness of the head louse treatment. Researchers have found Permethrin to be the most effective active ingredient for killing head lice.

While most chemical head louse treatments kill many of the lice that have infested the scalp, not all will penetrate lice eggs to kill the nymphs inside (Nix kills both lice and eggs). Therefore, it is generally recommended that a second head louse treatment be applied a scheduled number of days after the first head louse treatment to ensure that all head louse (perhaps those newly hatched) are indeed dead. Again, it is important for proper head louse treatment and safe use that the manufacturer’s directions are followed carefully.

Manual Head Lice Treatment

The next step in head lice treatment is to manually remove any eggs or nits attached to the hair shaft. This is typically done by dragging a fine toothed comb slowly through the hair to catch and remove eggs and nits from the hair shaft.

Most head lice treatment manufacturers supply a fine tooth comb with the treatment chemical, and using the comb as part of applying the head lice treatment is a great way to ensure that the treatment is thoroughly distributed throughout the hair. The best type of comb to use is a metal one with fine teeth.

Even after using the comb to remove lice eggs and nits, it is important to do a visual inspection under strong lighting, and remove additional nits by hand. Doing so helps to ensure that the head lice treatment will work as quickly and effectively as possible.

Headlice Prevention

The final step in treating head lice is to prevent re-infestation of either the previously infected person or any other people the previously infected person may come into contact with. While head lice cannot live off of humans for more than two days, it is important that personal belongings such as hats, jackets, stuffed animals and bed linens, which may contain head lice and louse eggs, be washed thoroughly as part of the head lice treatment to prevent further spreading.

Re-infestation can also be prevented by using Nix lice treatment products, which protect the hair shafts up to 14 days after the initial application. Nix head lice treatment products are recognized by the U.S. Government as being “the most effective of the chemical treatments”*. Nix is recommended for killing lice and their eggs by healthcare professionals nationwide.

Perhaps the most effective means of head lice prevention is education and proactive screening of children by parents, particularly in the early months of the school year when head lice prevention is the most warranted.

Visit the Nix head lice prevention page and print off the handy “lice-free home” list. Then you can be sure your lice elimination efforts are thorough.

* http://www.metrokc.gov/health/prevcont/head louse.htm

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