Cleaning Myths Debunked: Lice in the Home

It’s true, head lice are very annoying to deal with. Not only can they be bothersome to the person who has them, but they can surely wreak havoc on your entire household. However, there are a few simple steps to remove lice from your home without tearing it apart.

Myth #1 You need to toss all your child’s clothes and stuffed animals.

FALSE While lighting your house on fire might be the first impulse when you learn your child has lice, no dire measures are needed! Unlike bed bugs or other infestations, lice don’t leave peoples’ heads on purpose. In fact, lice need living heads from which to constantly eat and drink. They have specialized legs designed to grip super tightly to hair because falling or being itched off is an immediate death sentence. And lice eggs need warmth to hatch, so lice moms literally glue their eggs to the hair. Even better news, lice die in the wash. Just take your child’s bedding, stuffed animals, clothing, towels, coats, hats and anything else that might have come into direct contact with their head, wash the items in hot water, and dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes.

Myth #2 Any items you cannot wash must be thrown out.

FALSE Put down the blow torch and step away from Mr. Picklepants! Your child can keep all his or her beloved possessions, even those that won’t tolerate high-heat laundering. Just take any dry-clean-only garments and brightly colored stuffed animals, tie them tightly in a trash bag, and put them away for a week. Lice unattached to human heads die of dehydration in less than 48 hours — the extra five days are just to make you feel better! Don’t want to wait a whole week? Place small items such as hair brushes into a zip-able bags and chuck them in the freezer for a day. Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, kill both lice and their eggs.

Myth #3 You need to fumigate or deep scrub your entire house to remove lice and their eggs.

FALSE Nope. While we sympathize with your panic and the challenge of persuading a child to sit still for the lice comb, blasting your whole house with pesticides and scrubbing from top to bottom is overkill. Thoroughly vacuuming any furniture or carpets your child’s head might have rubbed against is always a good precaution, but lice cling tightly to hair — a big reason kids hate the lice comb so much! — so it’s highly unlikely that any have been rubbed or itched off. Even if a rare louse does fall, they die quickly and fallen eggs never hatch.

Myth #4 My child and I keep getting re-infected from lice in our home.

FALSE While we at MaidPro certainly love a clean home and could drum up lots of business by telling you otherwise, your home is virtually never the culprit with lice re-infection. Rather, you and your child are likely re-infecting each other when you hug. Smelly lice treatments and combs are no fun, but if you rush through the process or neglect to comb every two days for two weeks (as advised by most docs), re-infection remains a risk. Just take your time with the lice comb and keep constant vigilance for the full two weeks until life returns to normal. When your finish with all that cajoling and combing, pamper yourself with one of our amazing cleans as you’ll have earned it!

Head Lice Are Lurking!

While many insects have become dormant as the cold weather settles in, head lice are now thriving—keeping nice and toasty warm on humans. Head lice are human parasites, spending their entire lives on human heads. Head lice are spread between people from head-to-head contact, or by sharing clothing or grooming items.

From kids piling their hats and coats together at school to those amusing moments when you try on all of the funny holiday hats at the store, head lice are getting many opportunities to travel and spread.

You are probably wondering now what these sneaky little critters look like. The human head louse adult is about the size of a sesame seed and grayish-white to tan in color. Head lice eggs, called nits, look like tiny yellow dots and are often mistaken for dandruff, though you cannot brush them off. Adult lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp.

Once the nits hatch, the lice will feed on very small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Their bites can cause intense itching and small patches of inflammation. Head lice do not transmit disease, but heavy infestations can cause severe scalp irritation. Also, persistent scratching by an infested person can lead to secondary infections.

Nits need to be removed mechanically, using a special comb. Lice cannot survive off their human host for longer than 48 hours, and therefore, do NOT live in the environment! This means that there is no reason to apply pesticides to a home or business in response to a head lice outbreak. Also, head lice are host specific, meaning they prefer to stay on humans, so there is no need to worry about treating the family pet or that the pet can spread head lice.

Research Check: Will using lice insecticides give my children behavioral problems?

Reports of a French study claimed last week that exposure to certain insecticides during pregnancy were linked to “abnormal behaviour” in children.

Called pyrethroids, these chemicals are present in some common treatments for dog ticks and head lice.The Daily Mail zeroed in on this fact with the headline:

“Poor behavior is linked to head lice treatments: Chemicals used to tackle the problem may effect [sic] nerve activity in the brain.”

The study’s lead author, Professor Jean-François Viel, told The Conversation he was surprised media reporting focused on head-lice treatment rather than “the overall exposure to pyrethroid insecticides we attempted to address”. You can view his full response at the end of the article.

Published in the Occupational and Environment Medicine journal, the study suggests an association between exposure to pyrethroids in pregnancy and behavioural issues in six-year-olds. But an association isn’t the same as causation – and as far as associations go, the one in this study was pretty weak.

We asked a chemistry expert to explain, and a toxicologist to review the analysis.

How was this study conducted?

The study had two aims. The first was to test the effect of children’s exposure to pyrethroids in utero; the second tested for exposure to pyrethroids during childhood.

Researchers randomly selected 571 pregnant women from a sample of 3,421 women from an agricultural region of France, who were recruited for a broader study. Of the 571 pregnant women selected, 287 agreed to a neurological (nervous system) and chemical and psychological follow-up when their children were six years old.

Mothers completed a list of 25 questions, drawn from a French version of the International Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, to describe their children’s behaviour over the previous six months. Children’s behaviours were also assessed by visiting psychologists.

Researchers tested mothers’ urine at weeks six to 19 of gestation, and their children’s at age 5.99 to 6.27 years. They analysed the urine samples for pyrethroid metabolites.

Pyrethroid metabolites were absent from the urine of 82 mothers and four of their children. So the study only reported results for the remaining 205 women and 283 children. Metabolite concentrations in these women and children were very low – typically in the region of sub-micrograms per litre.

One metabolite (cis-DCCA) was detected in almost all the women and children. Another (3-phenoxy benzoic acid) was detected in some samples, but its concentrations were very low. And in as many as 36% of the childhood urine samples, its levels were not detectable. 

Different metabolites arise from different pyrethroids, so the presence or absence of a metabolite is likely to be a consequence of exposure to different pyrethroids rather than different metabolism.

Psychologists assessed children for altruism (social behavior), internalizing disorders (inability to share problems and ask for help) and externalising disorders (defiant and disruptive behavior). Mothers also sent in reports on their children’s behavior.

What were the results?

Concentrations of the most commonly observed metabolite (cis-DCCA) in the urine of pregnant mothers in the first trimester was positively correlated with internalising difficulties – such as being anxious or withdrawn – of their six-year-olds.

The variant of cis-DCCA, called trans-DCCA, in the urine of the six-year-olds was associated with reduced externalising behaviors – such as being aggressive or defiant. This is a counter-intuitive finding for which the researchers had no explanation.

Authors also report childhood exposure to the metabolite 3-phenoxy benzoic acid was associated with “increased odds of behavioral disorders”. But this was the metabolite that, in 36% of the urine samples, was below the level of detection.

Head Lice Up Close, And All Too Personal

At the end of spring break, your kids might be bringing back something more than just good memories of that family vacation. Holidays, it turns out, are a time when head lice spread.

Any time kids' noggins are in direct contact with each other, or when parents and children spend time cuddling, lice have a chance to crawl from one head to the next.

Melissa Shilliday, says she often sees an uptick in the lice-combing business after holidays or when popular movies for children come out in theaters. "It's always slow a couple of weeks before a Pixar movie comes out," Shilliday notes.

Head lice on humans can move only by crawling on hair. They glue their eggs to individual strands, close to the scalp, where the heat helps them hatch. They tend to feed on blood several times a day. And although head lice can spread by laying their eggs in sports helmets and baseball caps, the main way they get around is by crawling from one head to another — using relatively large, scythe-shaped claws.

Each claw works in unison with a small and spiky, thumblike part called a spine. With a claw and spine at the end of each of its six legs, a louse is able to tightly grasp a hair strand, or quickly crawl from hair to hair like a speedy acrobat.

The insect's drive to stay on a human head is strong; once it's off the scalp and loses access to a blood meal, it will starve and die within 15 to 24 hours.

Lice that live on other primates and birds are all very different looking and have adapted to their unique circumstances, surviving in their host's hair or feathers. For example, lice that live in pigeon feathers are long and thin, the better to hide in the feathers' barbs, where preening birds can't get to them. On humans and other primates, lice claws have evolved to fit neatly around a single strand of hair.

"The curvature of it is probably pretty close to the average hair diameter that they would come in contact with for a given species of host," says biologist David Reed, who has studied lice and evolution at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The good news is that human head lice can't really move to other parts of our body or onto our pets. They're confined to the head.

"The claw and spine are adapted to hold [onto] a human hair on the scalp," says medical entomologist Kosta Mumcuoglu, who studies lice at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "The other hairs of the body are usually too thick for them," he says, "and they can't hold them."

However, two other types of lice can live elsewhere on the human body: the clothing louse, which lives in the clothes of people who can't change them often enough, and the pubic louse, which spreads during sexual contact.
"[The pubic louse] has stronger claws," Mumcuoglu notes, "to catch the thicker hairs of that region."Between 2013 and 2015, John Clark and colleagues at The University of Massachussets Amherst tested head lice in every state except West Virginia and Alaska. They found that the insects had become overwhelmingly resistant to the chemicals used in the most common over-the-counter lice treatments: natural insecticides called pyrethrins and the analogous synthetic versions, pyrethroids.

However, other products do still work against lice, Clark says. Prescription treatments that contain the insecticides ivermectin and spinosad are effective louse killers — they're useful against louse eggs, as well as the adult insects. Tea tree oil can work both as a repellent and a "pretty good" insecticide, Clark adds. And then there's combing, which can be surprisingly effective.

"It takes time and effort," he says. "You sort of have to know what you're doing. And so most people that comb eventually get tired of it and they want something a little bit more simplistic."

Carefully combing every inch of hair from scalp to tip to remove lice eggs as well as adult insects is, indeed, a laborious, old-fashioned process that has become the last resort for many parents, as lice have become resistant to over-the-counter insecticide shampoos.

Parents are adviced o continue to use the metal comb on their kids daily for at least five days after treatment to remove any remaining eggs. It generally takes eggs six to nine days to hatch.

Itchy Head? Lice May Be to Blame

Unfortunately, at some point in a child’s life, a parent will more than likely have to deal with the dreaded lice infestation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lice infestations are most common among children ages 3–11, with an estimated 6–12 million infestations each year.

Jamie Primosch, said they commonly see infestations in young girls because there is more hair in which the lice can thrive. However, there are a few ways to prevent head lice in children.

Most important in the battle against lice is ensuring that your children do not have head-to-head contact with other children. That means they should be taught to avoid sharing hats, scarves, hair accessories, helmets, combs or brushes with their friends. Children with long hair should try to wear their hair pulled back, preferably in a bun, when possible. Primosch suggested the use of hairspray as a preventive measure against lice. Hairspray can cause the hair to stick together, making it harder for lice to cling to the hair. You may also try using certain essential oils, such as tea tree or peppermint. Although there is little scientific evidence that essential oils truly work, Primosch said that when she sprays them during treatments, she sees the lice run away from the oils.

Finding out if a child has lice can be difficult because louse (singular for lice) are small and move quickly. Parents may need to pull out a magnifying lens and a fine-toothed comb to find live lice. If you discover that your child does have a lice infestation, you should immediately inform your child’s friend’s parents, your child’s school, and any activities your child participates in, such as softball or baseball where the infestation can spread through helmet sharing. Additionally, Primosch said you need to ensure everyone in the household is checked for lice as it can quickly turn into a major problem.

To treat a lice infestation, invest in a quality metal lice comb and carefully comb the entire hair shaft. Primosch said parents can also use essential oils (peppermint, tea tree or rosemary), over-the-counter products or a mineral product, which has a high pH level that kills live bugs and eggs. If a parent chooses to use an over-the-counter method, Primosch recommends buying a separate comb from the one included and continuing to comb meticulously every day or every three days after treatment because many products only kill live lice and not eggs.

“If you miss any eggs, it’s going to start all over again,” Primosch said. Lice lay five to 10 eggs a day, eggs take 10 days to mature, and the life cycle of an adult is 30 days. Such a quick life cycle means that a case of lice can escalate quickly if not caught early.

Once a child and everyone in the family has been checked and treated, the next step is to clean other items that have been in contact with an infested person. Primosch said all bedding should be washed and dried on high heat (at least 120 F) to kill possible live bugs. Car seats, furniture and floors should be thoroughly vacuumed, and stuffed animals, pillows and hair accessories should be put away in a bag and isolated for two days.

According to the Alachua County Public Schools Parent Guide, children found to have live head lice will be sent home with instructions for treatment. A student may return to school following treatment and after all lice and eggs have been treated and removed.

lFinding and treating lice can be a daunting task, but by being vigilant with prevention, inspection and treatment, you can rid yourself and your family of this pesky infestation.

Fighting the Good Fight

The Nitty-Gritty on Lice and Your Family

When they take up lodging on our kids’ heads, lice don’t just gross us out. They wage an all-out assault on our confidence as parents.

Because I had been informed about lice in various kindergarten classrooms at our neighborhood school, I was vigilant about checking my little one’s head daily. However, when I took him and his brother for a haircut, I was shocked to learn that they both had lice. I felt like I had failed as a parent since I hadn’t discovered these tiny, creepy, crawly bugs on my own. Then I armed myself with information. I started talking to people about these pests that frankly, are just as likely to have a place in your homelife as ants or mosquitoes.

What Are We Up Against?

You’ll find lice (not that you’re looking for them!) Anywhere there are groups of children – public schools, private schools, camps, on sports teams, you name it. They have been around for thousands of years and are found worldwide and in all socioeconomic groups. People may not be shouting it from the rooftops, but chances are very good that you know someone who has dealt with these critters.

The adult louse is approximately the size of a sesame seed, and is usually beige to grayish-white. These egg-laying-machines can live for two to three weeks, and since new eggs are constantly being laid, the bothersome cycle potentially repeats itself. Although they do not jump or fly, they crawl very quickly and avoid light, making them difficult to locate. After prolonged exposure and sensitivity to saliva (about four to six weeks), the scalp may itch. Only about half of people dealing with lice will experience this reaction. Around here, one of my boys reported that his head didn’t itch, while the other scratched vigorously, and non-stop.

Eggs are even smaller than lice (about the size of a comma on this page), and are camouflaged when they blend in with hair color, which means finding these tiny pests is even more challenging. Empty egg casings, called nits, may be more visible, since they often appear white on darker hair. Unlike dandruff, they are firmly attached to the hair shaft. Hot spots for nits are around the ears and at the nape of the neck.

Comb-outs are time-consuming, but with short-haired boys we probably lucked out. Another plus for lice prevention? Your guys are more likely to wear a hat and less likely to share it with a friend. Trading hats, headbands, and the like is much more common with girls.

Jenny, a Richmond mother of two girls, ages seven and twelve and both with long hair, says that although no parent wants to admit it while chatting on the sidelines at a soccer game or over coffee, it’s hard to find a family who hasn’t dealt with lice at some point. She shared that at first, she tried the standard over-the-counter treatment, but “at the end of the day, I had to use a prescription topical treatment to get rid of it for good.”

Jenny warned, “You do not get rid of them with one treatment. It was very time-consuming, since it can take hours of combing through over days – or weeks – to get those blasted nits out. I just wanted it done with.” Depending on the treatment and stage of infestation, multiple treatments and comb-outs are typical, and will vary, based on the type of treatment and the life cycle of the louse. Add to this the extra laundry to clean bedding, and the logistics required for one more comb-out before school, and these measures can be labor intensive.

Then there’s that confidence factor and the thoughts that race through your mind. “I hated thinking about my children having bugs in their hair. I was very concerned about letting the parents of their friends know and notifying the schools immediately, so that precautions could be taken,” Jenny explained. “I wanted other parents to be as diligent as I was about prevention, like not sharing hats, hair accessories, combs, or brushes. But it is also a fine line when informing others, because you have to do it in a way that doesn’t freak people out!”

And as parents, we do freak out. Remember that haircut visit? In the parking lot, I texted my husband one word: LICE! Although I tried my best to calmly discuss the situation with my sons in the car, the scene was anything but. Before I knew it, the boys were complaining of itching, and scratching all over. I had barely pulled into the driveway when they ran into the house yelling to my husband, “WE HAVE LICE!” After a few minutes, I collected myself and the treatment regimen began. Once it became routine, it wasn’t such a big deal.

What the Experts Say

Richmond pediatrician Charles V. Terry, MD, usually recommends over-the-counter remedies as the first line of treatment. “Although there has been some resistance to these treatments in recent years, they can still be effective,” says Dr. Terry. If the note comes home with your child that head lice is present in the classroom, according to Dr. Terry, the first course of action is to check your child’s scalp in good light. It can be helpful to use a lice/nit comb to accomplish this. “Even if your child has been exposed, it is not necessary to treat them, as long as they have a negative exam. Instead, keep checking them regularly for a few weeks.” Dr. Terry explains, “If you do see lice or nits, then treat it by following the directions on over-the-counter packaging.”

Dr. Terry says there are certain instances when a doctor may recommend a prescription treatment first. “Prescription treatment is usually used in cases of a particularly severe infestation, or if the other children who they have been exposed to [in the class or group] have experienced frequent reoccurrences.” The pediatrician says to talk with your child’s doctor about next steps if you find yourself in one of these situations. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), if your child is under two, check with your doctor first before using an over-the-counter treatment.

Suzie Trotter, RN, public health nurse supervisor for school health services for Chesterfield County Health Department, explains that part of the challenge parents face is the confusing array of products on the market. “Products that are labeled ‘lice repel’ or ‘lice shield’ are not actually designed to kill lice. The choices can be overwhelming. If you have any questions about which products actually kill lice, talk to your pharmacist,” advises Trotter.

Clinic assistants and school nurses (if your school has one), are a good resource for families and can help answer questions you may have about your child’s lice and help break the cycle. Trotter explains, “These professionals are an excellent resource. The nurses value confidentiality of all students and provide assessments in schools utilizing space that is available for privacy, while still being sensitive to preserving the student’s self-esteem. The individual student is screened and counseled by the nurse.” Trotter adds that counseling includes encouraging the student not to speak about the assessment with other students. Additionally, the nurse also talks with the parent and school staff individually reassuring each of the process and the importance of not singling any one student out for an infestation. Finally, Trotter says, “The nurse then follows up with the particular student in need, to evaluate the treatment success and support the student’s emotional needs.”

Echoing Beverly Man’s sentiments, Trotter said, “Although lice are icky and a nuisance, they do not carry disease and won’t adversely affect the health of children.” The Health Department official cautions adults not to get wrapped up in the blame mindset. “It’s best to put all of your energy into treatment and prevention for reoccurrence.” In fact, according to the AAP, a child with an active head lice infestation likely has had the infestation for a month or more by the time it’s discovered – making it very difficult, if not impossible to track back to the original source.

An additional emotional toll on kids and their caregivers comes with the stigma often associated with having lice. Despite the fact that lice actually prefer clean hair (it is more difficult for lice to grab on to oily hair), the perception that only kids with dirty hair get lice is still common – and inaccurate.

Finally, in addition to avoiding the blame game, a positive attitude and a sense of humor are essential. My husband and I found ourselves singing “It’s a small world, after all!” as we were nitpicking with visions of a tiny flea circus in action.

Saying that lice are a nuisance is, well, an understatement. We all know treatment is time-consuming, expensive, and it takes an emotional toll. Not to mention the paranoia it can induce with itching at the mere mention of the word (one glance at the first note from school left me scratching to no end)! But all in all, there is no pain and there is no spread of disease. If your family gets lice, consider it a rite of passage. And if you haven’t had to cross this bridge yet, cross your fingers, knock on wood, and tuck this article away for reference, just in case.

Why You Shouldn’t Listen to Advice When Dealing with Head Lice

When a child comes home with head lice, most parents are, sadly, unprepared and go into panic mode. They rush to the drug store or doctor’s office (or Internet) and do whatever they are told because they don’t know any better. For many, many parents, the result is weeks or months of frustration.

Why?

Well, for a number of reasons, the advice that parents are given about how to treat head lice is misguided at best, and harmful at worst. Here are some examples of what you shouldn’t do.

1. Use home remedies. The Internet is crowded with people that will tell you to use mayonnaise, petroleum jelly, tea tree oil—even kerosene—on your child’s head overnight to suffocate lice. There are two problems with these ideas. First, they are medically unsound. The CDC, American Academy of Pediatricians, and most other medical professionals advise against these practices. Secondly, they can be dangerous. Also, there have been reports of children suffocating on plastic used to wrap their hair while sleeping.

2. Use over-the-counter pesticide products. The most popular drugstore lice products are increasingly ineffective, according to multiple scientific studies. After decades of overuse, head lice in the United States and many other countries have developed a genetic mutation that makes them resistant to the active ingredients in these products—pyrethroids (which is in fact an insecticide). Dubbed “super lice,” most lice don’t respond to over-the-counter treatments anymore. Also, these products—insecticides—have recently been linked to behavioral problems in children.

Instead, just avoid all the trouble and book an appointment with us at Larger Than Lice, we will be more than happy to help you and your family be lice free and stress free in no time!

7 Clear Signs Your Child Has Head Lice

While they might give you the creepy crawlies, head lice shouldn’t be cause for panic. Still, you’ll want to spot them early. Here’s how.

You got a warning letter from their school

Most schools and childcare centers will send a note home to parents as soon as a fellow student has been discovered with head lice. Don’t panic: Experts say lice are virtually harmless. They don’t carry disease or indicate poor housekeeping; they’re simply a parasite transmitted via head-to-head contact. Lice can’t jump, hop, or fly (though they can become projectiles through static electricity), and altering your child’s routine to avoid them is unnecessary. Instead, discourage your kid from sharing hair supplies and hats, and from touching heads with others.

They’re constantly scratching

One of the most obvious head lice symptoms is an itchy scalp. The tickling sensation is the result of an allergic reaction to louse saliva, and is most common around the top of the head, neck, and ears. Itching may not occur for two to six weeks after an infection. Children might also report feeling a moving sensation, which occurs as a result of the tiny insects crawling through their hair.

They’ve had trouble sleeping

This head lice symptom goes hand-in-hand with itchiness: Because lice are most active at night, children might experience more itchiness in the evening and have trouble falling asleep. If you notice your child twisting and turning at night, or acting irritable from a lack of sleep, you might want to check his or her scalp. 

They’ve got dandruff that just won’t let up

Lice eggs (or nits) can often take on the appearance of dandruff (and vice versa, so make sure you’ve diagnosed your child correctly by taking them to a professional before starting treatment). Nits are oval in shape and about the size of a knot in thread; they’re usually yellow or white in color and latch onto hair shafts about a quarter-inch from the scalp. So how can you tell them apart from dandruff, hair-product residue, dirt, and other harmless lookalikes? They won’t budge. “They can look just like a grain of sand, and they’re not easily removed from the hair,” Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, told Parents.

You see small red bumps on their neckline

Another one of the many head lice symptoms are any signs of irritation around the neck, scalp, ears, and shoulders. Red bumps in these areas can hint at intense scratching, which can occasionally lead to infection. 

They’ve got swollen lymph nodes

If broken skin from frequent scratching results in infection, you might notice the lymph nodes behind your child’s ears and on his or her neck become tender and swollen. Consult your doctor on this one. Your child might need a round of antibiotics.

You see physical evidence

Because lice are tiny (about the size of a sesame seed) and their eggs even tinier, physical evidence can be hard to spot. Pick up a lice comp (or a very fine-toothed comb) and wet your child’s hair. Slide the comb from scalp to end, checking its teeth after each swipe. A magnifying glass might be necessary. If you do find lice, don’t panic. Once you notice that your child has head lice symptoms contact your doctor, who will give you medication and treatment instructions.