How to Get Rid of Fleas From Your Child's Hair

Although embarrassment might keep you from admitting your child has fleas, don't let embarrassment prevent you from taking actions to rid your child of fleas. Many forms of these bothersome insects can live temporarily in human hair, but only the human flea, which feeds primarily on human blood, can reside there for a long time. To get rid of fleas in your child's hair, you must remove all possible re-infestation sources from your house.

Things You'll Need

• Vacuum
• Flea insecticide
• Pediculicide or flea shampoo
• Flea comb
• Ammonia
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Treat any pets with appropriate flea remedy. Pets can cause your child's hair to become re-infested.

• 2

  Spray all carpeted surfaces with methoprene-based insecticide and vacuum twice a day. Continue until flea infestation is removed.

  While insecticides kill hatched fleas, only vacuuming, especially in corners, can remove eggs. By spraying and vacuuming repeatedly, you kill and remove recently hatched fleas before they can lay new eggs.

• 3

  Wash your child's linens in at least 140-degree water, according to The Pied Piper. Lower temperatures may kill hatched fleas but not eggs. Continue to wash your child's linens daily until you remove the flea infestation.

• 4

  Use a pediculicide -- often marketed for treatment of lice -- or flea shampoo, as directed on the label. This should kill most of the adult fleas and eggs living in the hair.

• 5

  Pull a fine-toothed, metal flea comb through your child's hair to help remove adult fleas. Kill the fleas in a mixture of 1 tbsp. ammonia to 1 quart of water before running the comb through again.