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Tips to Prevent Head Lice

Head lice are tiny insects that embed themselves in the scalp and hair follicles. While they bring no serious health concerns, they are incredibly itchy and can cause scalp inflammation. While treatment can eliminate lice infestation, the best strategy is to prevent it altogether.

  1. Basic Prevention

    • People rarely contract lice from clothing or furniture. The most common manner in which lice are spread is via head-to-head contact. The Centers for Disease Control makes several recommendations for preventing the spread of lice. If you know that someone else is infected, avoid contact with his head and do not share hats or scarves. Avoid sharing combs, towels and pillows with an infected individual. You don't need to use expensive fumigation sprays to kill the lice. These lice are very poor at surviving anywhere other than the human head; treating the affected individual and taking common sense measures to avoid head-to-head contact usually will eliminate the infestation from a household or school.

    Home Prevention Tips

    • If a member of your family has head lice, you can prevent the spread of the infestation to others. Vacuum carpets and furniture regularly; although lice rarely live in these areas, vacuuming should eliminate the possibility. Wash all clothes or linens that the infected individual used recently; the hot water of the wash, as well as the hot drying cycle, will kill any lingering lice. As an extra precaution, you can wash your hair with vinegar or tea tree oil. This creates an inhospitable environment for lice and should discourage them from forming a colony on your scalp.

    Early Treatment

    • If you fear you've been infected and want to be extra careful, try using a lice comb to remove lice from your scalp. If done early enough, this action can eliminate lice before they've planted eggs and begun a reproductive cycle. Lice combs are available at most drug stores or from many online retailers. You can also try using lice shampoo. Apply the shampoo to clean, dry hair; make sure the compound reaches every nook and cranny of the scalp. Let the shampoo sit for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. While this treatment is effective at eliminating adult lice, it may fail to get rid of a few nits (lice eggs). Inspect the hair thoroughly with a comb to identify and remove any remaining nits, which can then be thrown down the drain.

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