Suppose you've confirmed that you, your child, or someone else has head lice. What do you do now? How do you get rid of the lice? What products should you buy? There are a lot of questions that come up at this point, and this chapter is dedicated to answering them and setting you on the right treatment path!
Doing It Yourself using over-the-counter lice treatment products
The biggest debate in treatment is: do you do it yourself, or do you hire a professional? While hiring a Certified Head Lice Expert can be expensive, there are hidden risks and costs to treating lice yourself and waiting too long to get professional treatment can end up costing you more than twice what you'd pay a professional. When contacting a doctor or scouring the internet for advice, you are likely to receive recommendations for medications that will kill some lice but not nits or for over-the-counter (OTC) pesticide treatments. Pesticides such as Permethrin were once effective in treating head lice, but studies show that over the years, the lice adapted and developed a resistance to these toxins, rendering them useless. Today, these pesticide treatments only work around 20-30% of the time. In addition to being relatively ineffective, Permethrin, Lindane (anti-parasite neurotoxins), and Malathion have been proven to be toxic and hazardous.
Permethrin is a synthetic chemical used to kill insects and parasites. It is widely used, and in cases of head lice, it is typically applied as a cream or a lotion. However, you may be familiar with it for its use in treating mosquitos and other pests. Permethrin is carcinogenic and may cause the following side effects:
Runny or stuffy nose,
Difficulty breathing,
Irritation and Burning of the skin and scalp,
Coughing and Allergic reactions.
Lindane is a harmful chemical that attacks the nervous system and is also carcinogenic. When used to treat head lice, Lindane is absorbed through the scalp, which is quite alarming given the harmfulness of the chemical. In the US, the use of Lindane on animals has been banned, and some other countries maintain an absolute ban on the substance. In addition, the World Health Organization classifies Lindane as a substance "known to cause human cancer." Lindane is also known to cause the following side effects:
Rashes,
Burning skin,
Drowsiness/dizziness
Vomiting, Seizures/shaking of the body,
Allergic reactions,
Brain damage
Malathion is a highly flammable nerve agent found mostly in insect control products. It is believed to be safer than Lindane, but it is still harmful. When Malathion is used on crop fields, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires a waiting period before workers are allowed back in the fields. Yet despite increasing evidence that Malathion can cause cancer, the chemical is still used in head lice treatment. In addition to this link to cancer, Malathion is known to cause the following:
Asthma,
Disruption in regular hormonal activity,
Nausea and dizziness.
To reiterate, these OTC products are ineffective because of the increased resistance of head lice, and on top of that, they can be harmful to humans! However, the risks of OTC pesticides are not the only reason I do not recommend self-treatment. Head lice treatment requires skill that comes from experience. Let me explain. Suppose you find a product that is effective at killing head lice. You will still need to remove the nits, and the most effective way to do this is by using the "Nit Free Terminator" lice comb to comb the hair meticulously in separate sections, from the roots to the tips, until all lice and nits are removed. Depending on the hair type and length, this may take a lot o time. And what happens if you miss a nit? Seven to ten days after being laid, it will hatch, meaning that, in a few short days or weeks, you'll have head lice all over again.
And this doesn't even touch on the hidden costs that come with fighting head lice for an extended period of time. The hours, days, and sometimes months you spend fighting lice, and the emotional toll of fighting them, can be a source of significant stress. Your kids may cry every time you comb their hair out, and you may spend large amounts of money on lice treatment products as well as on washing, drying, and home cleaning (bedding, towels, coats, hairbrushes, combs, and other hair items).
Given all of this, do-it-yourself treatment clearly isn't worth the cost. On the other hand, by hiring a Larger Than Lice Certified Lice Expert, you can say goodbye to lice and nits with our six-week guarantee.
