Many people ask themselves if there are times of the year when head lice are more prevalent and therefore if their children are more at risk then. The fact is head lice are prevalent all year round. If there is any pattern at all it is driven by the school term timetable. So, if your children are at school, you should be checking them regularly to ensure they stay clear.
Using this logic – that children are vulnerable to catching head lice when they are with other children – it is important to note that camps, clubs, holidays with other families, sleepovers, and school away trips, are all high points of contact where they can pick up head lice.
Exhausting right? Let’s examine these high points.
Half-Term Holiday Head Lice?
Autumn Half-Term has just finished, and many parents would have found evidence of an infestation during this latest break from school. The head lice being found are the result of the September back to school surge. Any child who wasn’t cleared during the summer holidays brought them into school in September and they have made their way around the class. Your child may have caught them this term or been one of those whose summer infestation wasn’t quite cleared and has reasserted itself during this term.
If you have been using products religiously and you are still finding lice and eggs, consider whether the products are really working for you. Get a good quality long-toothed nit comb and nit comb very thoroughly and 2 or 3 times a week until it is all out and shut down. Protect your child’s hair by tying it back into a neat ponytail and then plait or braid it if the hair is long enough. Clips for the curly stray hairs. Keep it back and away from others.
Summer Holiday Camp Head Lice?
If your child does any holiday camps then check then you must do 2 key things – firstly, ensure that your child’s hair is tied back in a neat ponytail then plait or a bun, and if the hair is short get them to wear a hat to protect the hair. Secondly, check their hair for head lice. If they are on an away camp check it as soon as they get back. If it is a day camp, then check it at hair wash time through the week. If they catch anything you want to pick it up early before it takes hold and it is passed around the family.
Sleepover Head Lice?
Sleepovers are dangerous for head lice because they are so intimate. The advice is to make sure your child wears their hair back and keep it back throughout if they have hair that can be put back. When they come back from the sleepover you need to check them to ensure you catch the problem immediately before it proliferates and passes around the family.
This constant vigilance is necessary but once in the family routine, it pays great dividends.
If you want help checking and clearing check out The Hairforce’s head lice removal services.
Find your nearest clinic in London and the South East here.
For enquiries in Scotland, please contact the Hairforce Glasgow Clinic here.