Hello out there moms and dads! Today we are going to cover a few facts about head lice that maybe you did or did not know. Either way, many of us will come away from this little sit down with a little more information that we had when we first went in right?
Before we jump into the nity gritty on head lice, I want to tell you about a cool new program that is being launched to help school moms cope with their lice problems. It’s really good to have something to help you when you have a tough infestation and it keeps coming back.
The All Stop people (makers of the Liceadex Lice Treatment system) have a new program they are working on now for school nurses. They have a page that explains all the details, but in a nutshell the way it works is they provide an education program for children and parents on how to cope with and treat head lice. They have a complete solutions for heads and environment so you don’t keep getting the lice over and over. Go check it out and call your school and tell them about it.
Tell them about my blog while you’re at it. 
Now for the Head Lice Facts:
First of all, we will answer the age old question of just what exactly are these creepy little things we call head lice? Well, we know that head lice are indeed parasites that feed off of and live on the scalps of human beings. There is a scientific name for lice and it goes by Pediculus Humanus Capitis. Which of course is just a nice way of saying that your head has been taken over by blood sucking insects.
Now head lice have three parts to their lives, there are the nits (which are the eggs), the nymphs (which are the babies) and the adults (yes, its that part of your life where you worry about school payments, house payments….need I say more?) These head lice, no matter what form they are in are always difficult to see and are often thought to be dandruff before you start to feel them moving on your head.
The nits will be stuck so tightly to the hair that is closest to the scalp that no matter how much you pick at it or try to shake it off, it won’t come off. These are oval shaped and usually have the colors of yellow or white. These nits take approximately a week to hatch. As mentioned previously the Nits hatch into Nymphs and then they then mature into adults approximately seven days after hatching.
It is nothing to freak out about, as head lice infestation is a world wide occurance and everyone gets them sooner or later in their lifetime. If you dont get them, chances are you will know someone who has or who will get them.
Head lice spred very easily from person to person through direct contact, Head lice can be contracted by:
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Contact with a person who has lice. With kids, the contact is very common because of when they play together, their heads are constantly touching. During classroom activities when the kids have to get into groups and sit close together. Also riding the school bus calls for closeness.
By wearing clothes that have been infested by the head lice, hair ribbons, combs, brushes, towels, hats, scarves, sports uniforms and even coats.
If the child lays on a bed that has been infested with head lice, or cuddles with a stuffed toy that is infested with them, the pillow he or she lays his head on or even the carpet can be hiding the head lice.
Remember that lice can NOT be spread to humans by pets or animals or vice versa, also head lice don’t fly and can NOT jump so there is no need to be afraid of one going kamakaze on you for your blood.
Obviously many of you parents out there would like to know what symptoms to look for in a child that has head lice, the biggest symptom is constant scratching of the head because of the child’s body rejecting or being sensitive to the bite of the head lice and major crankyness. (irritability)
A head lice infestation will be found by examining the child’s scalp and looking through the hair for any noticable adult lice moving around, or nymphs or nits. Now if you are wondering who exactly is in a high risk category for head lice the sad fact is that everyone has to be careful. Mind you head lice love long hair and for some reason they are attracted to the female gender of the human race. This is not a good thing.
Thanks for reading my blog. I have even more stuff on head lice to share next time. It’s so important with school in full swing now.
Take care…
SchoolMom
