Head lice and back to school
The return to school in September is a busy often anxious time – getting the uniform and stationary together; your child either worried about going back or desperate to return to see all their friends; new timetables to get to grips with, and often a mad dash back from holiday to cope with. Once you have done all your prep and got them there for their first day back the worry about head lice begins.
Why is September such a flash point for head lice?
If a family haven’t cleared a head lice infestation during the summer holiday, then their child or children will be taking it back into school and spreading it when school reopens in September. Some children return with very heavy infestations if it hasn’t been tackled at all. Other parents try everything but are unsuccessful in clearing it. Some children are cooperative with their parent in working on an infestation, other children aren’t especially if it has gone on for a long time.
How do you protect your child from catching head lice at school?
You need to ensure that your child’s long hair is tied back – ponytail and then plaited. Clips to hold down the hairs around the hair line – this is a great first line of defence. Hair that is flowing everywhere is vulnerable. If your child’s hair touches someone else’s hair and they have lice, then it gives the lice easy access onto your child’s head. They have 6 legs with a serious claw at the end of each leg to lock onto the hair. Once on they move quickly up the hair shaft and onto the scalp where they are then safe to cause their havoc.
The other thing you should do is check your child’s hair regularly – once a week is the recommended frequency. Then if you find something you can remove it quickly before it causes a lot of damage.
Talk to the other mums and share – tell them if you have found lice on your child and ask them to check theirs. If everyone is vigilant and nit combs their child then you reduce the risk of passing head lice around in the class, and then a major problem at the end of September.
What to do if you find head lice?
You need to get clearing them as soon as you find them. Don’t rely on the products to do the work for you. Apply some conditioner and get nit combing.
If you are struggling with this problem and need help you can get professional assistance from The Hairforce. They can clear an infestation for you and stop the endless cycle of infestation.