Call in professionals to treat lice? New treatment pricey but …
My head has been itching a lot and I’m starting to worry I have lice. There was one class at my kids’ school that had lice recently and I heard they were checking kids at school so now I’m paranoid. (I think my problem is just dry skin but …)
Thank goodness, so far, knock on wood, my kids have never come home with lice. My girlfriend’s school has had multiple cases year after year and her kids have repeatedly picked it up. It is such a nightmare to deal with washing everything in the house and picking through long hair. She’s finally found the treatment that works best for her kids. She kept having to retreat.
I did have lice once when I was a kid, and I just remember the stuff smelling awful and my mom yanking on my head combing it out. (My curly hair doesn’t comb well.)
The new twist on lice is I am hearing more and more about professional services that will come to your house to do the dirty work for you. I found multiple companies in Atlanta with a quick click of the mouse. Although none seemed to list their prices that I could find.
My girlfriend told me about one company where you drop off your kid and then you go home and wash everything while they treat the kid. So it’s all done at once and no chance for re-infection. Most of the companies I saw online come to you. Here were a few I saw:
“Head lice are not known to transmit any disease and therefore are not considered a health hazard.
Head lice infestations can be asymptomatic, particularly with a first infestation or when an infestation is light. Itching (”pruritus”) is the most common symptom of head lice infestation and is caused by an allergic reaction to louse bites. It may take 4-6 weeks for itching to appear the first time a person has head lice.
Other symptoms may include:
- a tickling feeling or a sensation of something moving in the hair;
- irritability and sleeplessness; and
- sores on the head caused by scratching. These sores caused by scratching can sometimes become infected with bacteria normally found on a person’s skin.”
AJC back-to-school story on treating lice
(Total side note: When I used to be the editor for News for Kids at the AJC we did a story on head lice and one of the fantastic artists created a drawing of lice having a party in a kid’s head. They had party hats and a kick line. Just having a big time. I saved the original artwork and framed it when I had Rose. So Rose has a drawing of a lice party in her room.)
Have your kids ever brought lice home from school? Did you treat yourself or have a professional do it? What are your best tips for treating at home? If you used a professional what did you think? How much would you be willing to pay for someone to treat the lice for you?
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62 comments Add your comment
motherjanegoose
January 25th, 2011
6:53 am
@ Misty…you are funny. Does this mean I am totally normal too and not a nut…maybe? I am not sure what normal is anymore. Do you live in the metro area? I meant that I have had lunch with several here who do know me personally now and might claim me as a friend. Yes, have TWG send me your e-mail and I will check in. I have lots of friends, from coast to coast, and am always up for some new ones.
Bill
January 25th, 2011
9:04 am
If your classroom has carpet and you have had repeated cases of lice, you might want to get the either professionally cleaned or replaced.
This had to be done when our girls were in elementary school due to repeated cases.
jane
January 25th, 2011
9:14 am
Yes, i live on the east coast and here we have a company called head lice heroes, they also use heat to kill lice and nits with a wand or flat iron device. It was great my girl though it was the easiest way to get rid of lice without the combing and stress, just finish with great looking straight hair. i found them on http://licecentersofamerica.org
Misty
January 25th, 2011
5:34 pm
@ Motherjainegoose… :-) Yes, you’re totally normal and not a nut. I don’t live in Atlanta but outside. I sent Theresa my address so you’ll have to get it from her.
motherjanegoose
January 25th, 2011
7:38 pm
Misty…thanks….I told my husband about your post today and he laughs that we both grew up in abnormal families so we may not even know what normal is. Mine: OCD His: Alcoholics We do try. I will wait to get your address from TWG. You may have to remind her. I live in Gwinnett but am all over the metro.
GG
January 25th, 2011
8:19 pm
Disgusting!!! My daughters daycare just sent home a note saying a child there had lice. You have to live extremely filthy to attract something so nasty.
JATL
January 25th, 2011
10:46 pm
@Stacey -I’ve always heard that black people or anyone with African-American -ish type hair could not get lice. Some racist family members of mine were saying when I was a kid that blacks were the ones who always had the lice and gave them to everyone else, and another family member who taught in a local elementary school actually spoke up and told them they were completely wrong -that black people never had lice! It seems to be a combination of scalp oils and the type of hair. Evidently lice most love kind of fine, straight hair, so extremely tight, curly or coarser hair isn’t hospitable to them. I’m sure whoever mentioned the chemicals some black people use on their hair may be onto something as well.
Mandi
January 25th, 2011
10:50 pm
1. Actually, clean hair is more likely to attract lice ~ they can’t attach as easily to dirty hair. It has nothing to do with living environment.
2. Using hairspray supposedly makes it harder for them to latch on. They are supposedly repelled by the scent of coconut in your shampoo, conditioner or other product (Suave makes an inexpensive children’s coconut scented line). There is also a floral scented lice repellent, can’t remember the company name but can be found at Rite Aid. Not sure whether any of this works or just makes you feel better. ;-)
3. I am O negative and had lice last year when both my children did (they are both positive).
4. Google Cetaphil lice treatment. Works great without the chemicals. Also wire combs are better than plastic.
5. If your child is scratching his/her head, check it out with a “fine tooth comb”. ;-) A casual run through may not find an early infestation. You need good light, too.
6. I had a friend who told me the same thing about the black children not being checked for lice at school during her growing up years, though the white children were. I was told it had something to do with the texture of African-American hair. Definitely a blessing to count if that is true!
7. I never wanted to think about lice but I had to get over that last year when my daughter brought them home from school. As the pharmacist said: “It’s not cancer.” You’ll get through it. And when my son brought home a letter from preschool today saying that a child in another class had lice I was able to handle it calmly, unlike the first such letter I received when my daughter was in preschool and I broke down in tears! ;-)
Call in professionals to treat lice? New treatment pricey but … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Shampoo Carpet Cleaners
January 26th, 2011
5:40 am
[...] Call in professionals to treat lice? New treatment pricey but … – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) Mу head һаѕ bееח itching a lot аחԁ I’m starting tο worry I һаνе lice. Tһеrе wаѕ one class аt mу kids’ school tһаt һаԁ lice recently аחԁ I heard tһеу wеrе checking kids аt school ѕο now I’m paranoid. (I tһіחk mу problem іѕ јυѕt dry skin bυt …) Thank … rug doctor – Bing News [...]
Never again!
January 26th, 2011
8:23 am
Answering the question: I’d pay $300 for treatment, but here’s my take:
http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com – shampoo/conditioner/treatment for lice available in many kid’s hair cut places. I spray both of my girls with the leave-in conditioner every morning before they leave for school. Smells good, and is all natural. Last year, my pre-K daughter got lice and you would have thought it was AIDS circa 1983 the way I freaked out. I took 3 days off work washing, rewashing, bagging, using RID, blah blah…most important lessons I learned: it’s the HEAT from the dryer that kills the eggs; you MUST re-treat to break the cycle; treat everyone/everything at the same time. It’s a pain in the butt, and I considered getting a company to come in…would pay up to $300 for a service after the nutcase I turned into and time it took. PREVENTATIVE: FAIRY TALES PRODUCTS!!! We’ve yet to get the cooties again!
Never again!
January 26th, 2011
8:27 am
@GG – many people think that, but the way lice spreads from kid to kid, and kid to adult to kid, cleanliness doesn’t have anything to do with it :( It’s a menace!! Like I said, try Fairy Tales Hair Care products to avoid ever having to deal with it!
Never again!
January 26th, 2011
8:38 am
…and don’t forget to treat the car/car seats!