Science / Health

Steps to Controlling a Lice Outbreak at Home

Lice outbreaks are never easy to get rid of. If your child comes home with lice, here’s what you should do.

When your child gets lice, it’s hard not to be disgusted. However, just like the dirty nappies and the days of sickness, you have to step up and parent the situation… even if you are scared of bugs.

The truth is that a lice infestation can be effectively controlled in a few easy steps. Remember, if your child repeatedly comes home with lice, lice doctors are the best option. Otherwise, try the following steps to get control.

The Steps to Getting Rid of Lice at Home

Try these steps to rid your children and home of lice.

1 – Buy and use a Delousing Shampoo

You can find one of these at your local pharmacy. A delousing shampoo kills both the bugs and the eggs in your child’s hair. You should use it, following the instructions strictly. Some shampoos want you to use it twice, which is the most effective method. They may want you to allow the hair to air dry before you rewash it, so do read and follow those instructions.

We recommend Nix, Schooltime Lice and Nit Shampoo, or HeadHunters.

2 – Use a Nit Comb

After you have used the shampoo as instructed and preferably twice, you should comb through the hair to remove the dead Before a delousing treatment, you can use a nit comb, but it will only reduce their number, and lice breed fast.

Comb through all of the hair and keep tissue paper handy to clean the comb between uses. Once finished, you should repeat the process the next time the hair is washed. If you are still seeing live lice the second time, you need another dose of delousing shampoo.

3 – Sanitization

Once you have removed the lice from the hair, it is time to work on your house. You can use a delousing powder or other products on the soft furnishings, such as the bed and carpet. But first, you must clean the removable and washable soft furnishings. This means your towels, your bedsheets, and pillowcases, and any areas of the house that have been exposed will need to be sprayed or cleaned.

A steam cleaner works best for this. However, you can also hire a professional company to come and do the cleaning for you.

4 – Keep the Kids at Home

Don’t let your kids go to school since it could spread the infestation around. Instead, keep them home to avoid dealing with a repeat outbreak in a few days.

Where to get Help Treating a Lice Problem?

Need a lice doctor? We’ve got you covered. You will find that your child’s school can give you information on the nearest lice doctor.

However, if everyone in your kid’s school has lice, they will be swamped, so it’s worth trying to find one of your own. Try a Google search for “find a lice doctor near me” or check out these popular locations: Chicago, Boston, Houston, San Antonio. There are chances kids at a different school have another lice doctor.

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