Ack! Just the thought of lice gives me the creeps. But with my daughter in school again, and my two little ones playing at the park, I know that it is always a possibility that we will be, ah shall we say "visited" by these creepy bugs? A few facts about head lice I came across that I thought were interesting ...
Human head lice have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. Great. Looks like they have no intentions of becoming extinct, so to speak, anytime soon.
Lice actually prefer clean hair, not dirty hair as the common perception might be. The lice (shiver)prefer frequently washed hair because it is easier for laying eggs on and attaching to the oil-free hair strands (Obnoxious buggers, aren't they?).
Aside from the horrible itching associated with lice, there really is no health dangers (but who cares? We sill want those nasty things gone like yesterday!!) Unlike mosquitos (also very yucky creatures in my book), lice do not carry diseases. But the itching from lice can be so intense that the constant scratching can hurt the scalp and lead to infection. So you do need to start treatment for as soon as you discover this unwelcome visitor.
Coconut oil or olive oil used as a leave-in conditioner, using as much as you can stand without feeling greasy or smelling too much like the kitchen, may help discourage lice from getting in hair, especially if there is an outbreak going on (like at your child's school) that you may be aware of. (Yep-- slather that stuff on if there is a lice epidemic at school!)
Chemical based repellents have not been demonstrated to be effective in clinical study. Special lice-killing shampoos,only kill the adult and newt stage lice, not the eggs. They must be thoroughly combed and picked from the hair. Again --- Shivers!
If you want to learn more about lice (Me...waving my hand like crazy!), there is a truly cool site you can visit and learn more about safe head lice removal. You can even have an in home visit from an expert to help remove lice safely without using toxic chemical treatments, and will give you tips and guides for preventing and treating lice.
