Family Health
Head Lice!
How to defeat them the natural way. Nits, cooties, pediculosis humanus capitis, whatever you may know them as, all parents will agree that head lice are THE WORST! Imagine the scenario; you’re lovingly combing out your child’s glorious hair, feeling those silky locks glide between your fingers and daydreaming of your child becoming the next cover star of Families Magazine (see page 31 for details!), when you’re woken from your reverie by a cry of “Mum, my head itches!”
Oh, the horror! Yes, you can hope it’s just dandruff or a mozzie bite, but if your child has recently returned to school there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to see some crawlers – the dreaded lice and nits! How can you get rid of them the natural way? Well, before we get nit-picking over the details, let’s take a look at what we’re dealing with…
What are head lice? Head lice are wingless bugs that crawl through the hair and draw blood from the scalp. The ones you see crawling (about the size of a sesame seed) are the lice, and the little bits glued to the hair are the eggs, otherwise known as nits – light for hatched and darker when the resident is still at home. Head lice are highly contagious and notoriously difficult – but not impossible – to get rid of. Pharmacies and supermarkets sell lots of chemical treatment, and they all claim to work miracles, but harsh chemicals aren’t the ideal choice for everyone. Never fear; there are some scientifically backed – or at least scientifically merited – natural home-based methods of head lice annihilation worth trying.
Combing Tips: • Focus is required! If you have other children, enlist your partner or someone else to look after them while you treat each child. • Distract a small or wriggly child with a favourite movie or TV show. • Have snacks and drinks handy; you could be in it for the long haul! • Get older children to practice their reading and read to you as you comb.
Scientifically merited natural head lice treatments
• Use the time wisely; practice times tables, the alphabet, sing songs – whatever is appropriate for your child’s age group.
Even the earliest humans did battle with lice, but that’s small consolation to the parent tasked with head lice removal. We have less hair nowadays than our cave-dwelling ancestors, and thousands of years of head lice removal experience to learn from, but head lice have also evolved and learned to dodge our attempts to eradicate them. However, there are tried-and-tested methods that, with a little patience and effort, can see you ditch the head lice itch the natural way.
The nit comb method can also be used in conjunction with the following treatments. It’s ALWAYS worth thoroughly combing the hair after every treatment to catch any surviving lice and nits, and to retreat after a week to catch any newly hatched lice that you missed.
Nit Comb If you’re patient enough this one is fool proof and time proven – but you have to be thorough. Head lice combs are available in supermarkets and pharmacies, in metal and plastic, but it’s worth investing in a good metal one with fine teeth close together. The nit comb works by trapping the lice between its teeth and scraping the eggs (nits) from hair strands. If your child has long or curly hair, by all means brush it through first and enlist the help of hair conditioner, detangling spray, or natural food oil (wet or oiled hair is easier to comb and harder for the lice to move through). Work out any knots from the bottom of the hair to the top to make it easier to get the nit comb through, then get yourselves comfortable for a spot of thorough grooming.
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The comb method is quite time consuming and, depending on the length of your child’s hair and your determination to get them all in one go, you may need a couple of hours for a thorough removal. It’s a good idea to have some kitchen towel or tissues handy to wipe the comb between strokes and to drape a cloth around your child’s shoulders to catch any lice you dislodge. Working in sections, comb through your child’s hair as thoroughly as you can, wiping the lice and nits from the comb as you go. Head lice can sense when you’re trying to get rid of them and have a few favourite hiding places; pay very close attention to the nape of the neck and behind the ears.
Your Local Families Magazine February / March 2019