Lice Removal Tips

Learning that your child has lice can be a frustrating experience as you determine how to get rid of these insects. While lice cause itchiness and irritation to the scalp, it is important to remember that these insects do not cause serious consequences such as infectious diseases. To get rid of lice, you'll need to treat everyone in the home and the home itself at the same time. Treating one without the other can lead to recurring infestations.

Medicine

• Choose an over-the-counter medication that kills both live lice and their eggs, or nits. The medication should also come with a comb that is used to remove the nits from the hair shaft. If you are not sure which lice-killing medicine to choose, ask a trusted health-care professional, your children's school administration, or parents who have dealt with lice before for a recommendation. They may be able to provide valuable insight as to what medications are effective and which ones did not yield results.

  Prescription-strength medications are available through your doctor but should only be sought if over-the-counter lice removal kits are unsuccessful. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should talk to your physician before handling any type of lice-killing shampoo.

Removal

• Each medication has specific instructions that should be followed closely for best results. Most medications will instruct you to apply the medicated shampoo or conditioner first and leave it in the hair for a set amount of time. For very long or thick hair, you may need to use two doses to fully coat the hair. Do not rinse it out early as this does not give the medication enough time to work. Conversely, do not leave the medication in too long as it can cause irritation to the scalp. Rinse out the shampoo or conditioner thoroughly and have the infected person change into clean clothing.

  Eight to 12 hours after the treatment, use a nit or fine-toothed comb to remove dead or dying lice from the hair. You will also need to remove nits from the hair shaft. Section the hair and start from the back of the scalp, slowly working your way toward the front of the head. Check small sections of hair for nits, which are light-colored, oval eggs that are usually attached toward the base of the hair shaft.

  The Centers for Disease Control recommends applying another treatment nine to 10 days after the initial treatment to kill any lice that may have hatched from remaining nits. If you use two to three treatments of the same medication and continue to find lice, the CDC recommends seeking the advice of a health-care professional. Your doctor can offer advice and alternative medication.

Home

• As you treat the person's hair to kill and remove lice, you will also need to treat certain household items that may also carry lice. The clothing and bedding of the infected person will need to be treated to avoid subsequent infestations. Other items the infected person may have come in contact with--such as carpet, hair brushes and furniture--will also need to be treated. Bedding and clothing should be washed in a hot rinse cycle and hot drying cycle to kill lice. Items that cannot be washed should be placed into plastic bags for about two weeks. This will effectively kill lice since their food supply will be cut off. Combs, brushes and other hair accessories should be soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes. While the chance of being infested with lice from the carpet or furniture is slim, these items should still be vacuumed if the infected person came into contact with them.