itchy itchy, scratchy scratchy….how to get rid of lice, naturally

don’t you love when you get this email from the school nurse….

Dear parent,

Your child may have been exposed to Pediculosis (head lice).

Sincerely,

The itchy nurse at your kids’ school

but here’s the truth.

EVERYONE’s had lice.

NO ONE talks about it…until you say in the most muted, soft voice ever….”um, my kids have lice!”

then everyone…in a very hushed tone….admits that they’ve had it, too.

i’m not sure why there’s such a stigma. maybe b/c there’s some notion of uncleanliness.

but here’s the truth. lice like clean hair. go figure.

here’s a funny thing….every single mom who admitted to me that they’d suffered through and conquered lice all went to the same amazing place to get rid of the lice.

Once in a Licetime.

how’s that for great branding?!

it’s a cute little salon with shabby decor (she had me at shabby chic), and has plenty for the kiddos to do while they’re getting their lice treatment. they can watch movies, play games, and even get a prize afterward.

so, naturally, i befriended Shannon, the founder of Once in a Licetime, and grilled her with a billion questions.

figured i’d pass along some tips and tricks and let you know that she’s franchising if anyone’s interested. and lemme tell you, you should be interested! this is a serious business with big growth potential in all US markets.

The facts of lice (that’s right Tootie and Blair, that means YOU!):

• reading this post will surely make you itch. it’s called phantom itch. it’s very real. even when you don’t have lice. 🙂
• lice have become resistant to over-the-counter medications, which btw, are super toxic and probably not good for your kiddos…or you. yes, you’ve got a pretty high chance of getting lice if kids have it! read on….
• lice don’t jump, fly, or hop. they crawl around your scalp on their 6 legs
• lice lay 4-6 eggs/day, called nits. these nits have a sticky substance that make them cling to your hair about an inch from your scalp. these nits hatch 6-10 days later and start cruising your scalp laying more eggs. unless you remove the nits with a very fine-toothed metal comb, you’ll never be rid of the problem. fantastic.

• hot soapy water doesn’t kill lice and their eggs, aka nits. however, high heat or freezing temps can, over a period of time. we now have a habit of putting our brushes and combs in a big ziploc and into the freezer for 24 hour cycles.
• lice need a warm, moist scalp where they can feed & grow on a human head; lice DON’T live & breed on your pillows, mattresses, clothing, couch, car seats, carpet, movie theaters, air planes….so don’t get all OCD like i did and wash everything in your home…totally unnecessary and not very eco-friendly during the So Cal droughts! any lice that happened to make it to those items die within hours, so if you’re totally jonesing, toss those stuffed animals and pillows into the dryer on high heat for 20-30 minutes. an alternative is using an all-natural prevention spray as lice don’t like the smell of the all-natural ingredients in it.

• lice likes clean hair. this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give the kids a shower each day, but just don’t beat yourself up if your kids skip a day or two. 🙂

• lice is documented as the 2nd highest reason children miss school
• lice love and thrive in all climates. that’s right…you can get lice all year ’round!
• long hair is the most susceptible for contracting lice. sorry to all those with man buns. 🙂

So, how did we get lice?
well, it’s pretty simple. one of you had direct head-to-head contact with someone who had/has lice! and while it could have been from sharing clothes, it’s pretty uncommon. it’s usually head-to-head contact (hello, selfies?!). head lice have been around since the dawn of time and has been discovered on the heads of 10,000 year old mummies! i don’t think they were taking selfies, but ya never know…

Prevention – protecting yourself and kids from lice

• spray a prevention spray & hair spray or hair gel on the head along with putting hair in buns & braids before entering an environment with other children. i spray the kids’ hair every morning with the detangler. we bust out the shampoo and conditioner as soon as we hear about an outbreak at school. the products are all natural, smell delicious, and aren’t harmful whatsoever.

• avoid selfies…is this even possible?
• DON’T cut or buzz your hair. lice stay on as close to the scalp as they can making a short cut even more challenging to thoroughly remove the eggs. nits (eggs) cannot live farther than an inch or two from the scalp
• inform your friends, school, family. if they don’t get treated, it’s likely you’ll get re-infested. lovely.
• IF you find an infestation, get some products from Shannon and get to work! You start with the mousse, leaving it in for 10-15 minutes to kill the lice. Then you comb and comb and comb in small sections with the metal comb. Ideally, you’d get to one of the cute Once in a Licetime shops in Corona del Mar, CA or Lake Forest, CA or use one of the in-home services in the Long Beach and Brea areas! And no, I’m not getting paid for any of this…this is just a PSA from one formerly freaked out mom dealing with lice to you. 🙂

The good news

• while bothersome and irritating, lice aren’t dangerous to your health. so there’s that. 🙂

lice to know you! heh heh…