Here are some tips on how to prevent these pests from visiting your home and what to do if they do.
Back to school means back to routines, back to friends—and sometimes, back to head lice.
From reuniting with friends with big hugs, playing sports and attending slumber parties, to sharing hats or hair accessories, fall can be a peak time for head lice. But this year, you can be prepared! Here are some tips to help ensure these little pests don’t visit your home:
Get your child on board
Because lice spread primarily by direct head-to-head contact, it is important to educate your children and let them know to use some caution when hugging and refrain from fixing friends’ hair. Remind them that indirect transmission is possible too. This means not sharing combs, brushes, hats or scrunchies.
Tie back long hair
Hair held in place is far less likely to come into contact with lice when children get close to each other, so, tying back long hair is a good idea.
Check children’s hair carefully
Check your children’s hair for lice or nits (eggs) once a week, or more frequently if lice are known to be an issue in your area. Comb your children’s hair section by section from root to tip using a lice comb.
From reuniting with friends with big hugs, playing sports and attending slumber parties, to sharing hats or hair accessories, fall can be a peak time for head lice. But this year, you can be prepared!
If you do find lice in your child’s hair, check other family members for signs of head lice and avoid hugging or other close contact. You may want to wash hats, pillowcases, bedding and other similar items, but it is not necessary to disinfect the rest of the house, as away from the scalp, head lice survive less than two days.
Treatment should be started quickly, only on family members who have head lice or nits. Nits are oval shaped and firmly attached to the base of the hair. The nit produces a nymph, which is greyish-white and goes through three stages before becoming an adult. Adult head lice are tan-coloured and can be seen moving quickly along the hair or across the scalp. To get rid of lice for good, all three types need to be eliminated.
Look for an effective, safe treatment option
Many head lice treatments are available in pharmacies, but talk to your pharmacist about which are most effective and safe. For example, NYDA is effective at all stages of the lice lifecycle, from eggs to lice. It is also pesticide free. Not only is this safer, but it has been found that pesticides commonly used in treatment are becoming less effective, as head lice are becoming resistant to these compounds.
NYDA is a spray that penetrates deeply into the tiniest parts of the lice, larvae, and the eggs breathing system, replacing the air, causing suffocation of all stages of head lice. It does not contain any pesticide or any neurotoxic chemical. Comb your children’s hair section by section from root to tip using the special NYDA comb. The NYDA comb’s fine teeth are designed to dislodge lice and nits quickly and effectively. So, if despite prevention steps, head lice find their way into your home, don’t worry! Talk to your pharmacist to help you choose the product that meets your needs.
Ask a pharmacist for more information on safe, effective head lice treatment.
To learn more visit nyda.ca.
