Treatments
- Is more than one treatment necessary?
- Are chemical head lice treatments safe?
- What is dangerous?
- Do I need to spring clean the house?
- Do it yourself
- Do It Yourself Head Lice Kit
- Conditioner and Fine Tooth Comb Technique
Is more than one treatment necessary?
Once you have had head lice it is important to keep on top of it on a regular basis. By using the Head Lice Record (pdf) it will help you to take control.
Are chemical head lice treatments safe?
Chemical head lice products contain insecticides and most work by attacking the nervous system of the lice. Chemical products fall into four groups based on the active compound:
- pyrethrins
- synthetic pyrethroids (permethrin and bioallethrin)
- organophosphates (malathion or maldison), and
- herbal and essential oils.
All products licensed and registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia have an Aust L or Aust R number. Check for this to see that the product is licensed for use in Australia. If the product does not have TGA listing, it may be marketed legally in Queensland under sole trader legislation, or it may be being sold as a head lice product without official approval. Be wary of head lice treatment products in Australia that are not officially approved.
The active ingredient of all Aust R products have low acute toxicities for humans. Please note that lindane and carbaryl are not licensed for use in Australia. Lindane as a treatment for head lice has been removed from many developed countries because of concerns about acute toxicity if used too frequently. Carbaryl is available in the UK only by prescription. The chronic toxicities of the active ingredients are less well recognised. The aim should be to keep exposure to insecticides to the minimum required to eradicate head lice.
Contact HLC for a chemical Free Treatment for your Child
What is dangerous?
Some parents and guardians do risky things to get rid of head lice. Treatments that you should not use because they may harm your child include:
- Using insecticidal head lice products to prevent head lice.
- Using other insecticidal products on the head. Using pet flea or tick treatments, fly spray and insecticidal surface sprays is dangerous.
- Using kerosene is dangerous.
The best products to use on head lice are natural based products, however some people can be allergic to some plant oils. If you are unsure of any allergies it’s a good idea to do a patch test prior to treatment.
Do I need to spring clean the house?
Definitely not! Head lice die after 24-48 hours of leaving the head. The only way head lice can get water and food is by sucking blood from the scalp. A head louse not on the head is a head louse in a desperate situation! Head lice will dehydrate when off the head. The rate at which this occurs depends on the amount of water vapour in the air. In an air-conditioned room, head lice will be severely dehydrated after a few hours. When it is wet and raining, head lice may live for up to 48 hours.
Professor Richard Speare searched the floors of 118 primary school classroom carpets for head lice while the pupils were out of the classroom. He also checked the children’s heads. He found no lice (ZERO!) on the floors and 14,033 lice on the heads of the 2000 or so children using those classrooms. To treat head lice concentrate on the head!
A small number of lice do move down to pillow slips at night. So change the pillow slip when you are treating your child, or heat it up (hot wash, iron, hot dryer) to kill any head lice that may have walked across to the pillow slip. However, focus your main efforts on the head, not on the environment. The head is where the action is!
If you are unable to eradicate head lice contact HLC to book a treatment.
Do it yourself
ONCE A WEEK CONTROLS HEAD LICE!
CONDITIONER AND A NITFREE COMB – THE SOLUTION TO REINFECTION
If all children or adults at risk put conditioner on their hair once a week and combed it out with a Nit Free comb, head lice would become a minor problem. Older kids can do this, but will need the encouragement of parents. Younger children will need parents to do this for them.
Conditioner and a Nit Free comb is a cost-effective way to stop head lice reestablishing themselves.
Used once a week it can get rid of that reinvading louse. Apply conditioner to dry hair or even wet hair and comb off all the conditioner with a Nit Free comb. Look for lice and eggs by wiping the combings on paper tissue. If you find less than 5 lice, repeat the conditioner and Nit Free combing every two days until all lice are gone.
Head lice live in the hair and come down to the scalp to feed by sucking blood. So head lice treatments must be applied to all parts of the hair. A complete regime consists of two treatments 7 days apart, the first to kill the climbers, and the second to kill the juvenile lice hatched from the eggs over the intervening 6 days.
Conditioner stuns lice for 20 minutes. So once the hair is properly covered with a layer of conditioner, do not delay in combing those little suckers out!
Do It Yourself Head Lice Kit
Detecting head lice, even on yourself, can be a simple process by applying conditioner to dry hair, combing the hair with the usual plastic fine tooth comb, and looking for lice by wiping the combings on paper tissue.
A head lice kit can be purchased from HLC and consists of:
- A Lice Breaker Nit Free Comb – to remove lice and eggs
- Eco Kids Leave in Conditioner – The leave in conditioner is used after you have treated the hair however it is also useful in the removal of the eggs.
Used together with a normal comb and plain cheap conditioner you will be head lice free before you know it.
Conditioner and Fine Tooth Comb Technique
- Apply conditioner to dry hair aiming to cover each hair from root to tip with a layer of conditioner.
- Detangle the hair using an ordinary comb.
- Immediately comb the hair with a Nit Free comb.
- Wipe the conditioner off the comb onto a paper tissue and look for lice and eggs.
- Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least 5 times.
- Also examine the comb for lice and eggs.
Why the normal comb?
Using a fine tooth comb on tangled hair can be a painful experience for children, apart from being ineffective in detecting lice. By combing the hair with the normal comb while the conditioner is applied, you get rid of those tangles, and the fine tooth comb slides through easily. Makes the job so much easier!
Why use conditioner?
Conditioner stuns head lice! The stunning effect seems to last about 20 minutes. After this time most lice are active again.
Conditioner also makes it hard for the lice to grip the hair shafts. Lice hold onto hairs with their six claws and, when they are alive, they are usually not dislodged by the typical plastic fine tooth comb. However, if the hair is wet, or, better still, coated with conditioner, lice seem unable to hold on as strongly as on dry hair. Conditioner may also block up the spiracles, the opening to the tracheal system, and asphyxiate lice. Use conditioner on hair to increase the rate of detection. Applying conditioner to dry hair is best, but it will work on wet hair also.