Lice Removal From Children

Lice in children is not necessarily the result of bad hygiene. Children can get lice from interacting with children who have lice at school or by borrowing and sharing hats, combs and brushes. The most notable sign your child has lice is itching. However, if the infestation is minimal, itching may not occur. A female louse can lay up to 10 eggs per day that attach themselves to the roots of your child's hair, making it easy for a small lice infestation to quickly turn into a big one. There are several things you have to rid your child of lice.

Things You'll Need

  • Shampoo
  • Towel
  • Anti-lice shampoo treatment
  • Wide-tooth comb
  • Fine-tooth comb
  • Hair clips
  • Petroleum jelly
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use your child's regular shampoo to wash his hair. Dry his hair with a clean towel afterward.

    • 2

      Saturate your child's hair and scalp with an anti-lice shampoo treatment. Leave the treatment on for 10 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Dry his hair with a clean towel.

    • 3

      Sit your child in an empty bath tub and use a wide-tooth comb to comb out and section your child's hair using hair clips.

    • 4

      Pull a fine-tooth metal comb through one section of your child's hair. Start at the root of the hair and work your way down. This will help remove any eggs and lice that were left behind. Check all sections of hair twice to make sure you didn't miss any lice or eggs. According to KidsHealth, lice eggs are very small and will appear as yellowish dots. Hatched lice are grayish in color and are no larger than a sesame seed.

    • 5

      Soak any brushes and combs used on your child's hair in hot water for 10 minutes so any lice and egg residue is removed.

    • 6

      Check your child's hair every night for lice by running the fine-tooth metal comb through his sectioned off hair.

    • 7

      Wait seven to 10 days after the first anti-lice shampoo treatment before repeating it. New eggs that may have not have been removed with the first treatment may have hatched and need to be removed.

    • 8

      Apply petroleum jelly to your child's eyelashes two times per day to kill any lice residing in that area.

    • 9

      Wash your child's bedding, including pillow cases and sheets, in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer. Change your child's bedding every day for an entire week and vacuum your entire house thoroughly.

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