Your child has finally started school and it’s an amazing milestone to celebrate — then one day, they come home with creepy crawlies in their hair.
Head lice is very common and appears in young kids’ hair and of course this can lead to the whole family getting it if you don’t act fast.
It’s a common misconception that having head lice means you have dirty hair, however it has nothing to do with that, it’s something that is picked up through head to head contact.
In fact, there isn’t really anything you can do to prevent your child from getting lice. So, what do you do next?
Should I send my child to school with lice?
Though it’s uncomfortable and annoying to pick up, lice is not a reason to stay off school. Your child doesn’t have to miss any classes.
The NHS says that you also don’t have to worry about washing laundry in a hot wash, instead there are other ways of getting rid of lice.
How can I get rid of my child’s lice?
The good thing is, you don’t need to see a GP in order to treat head lice. There are plenty of at-home remedies you can try, you just need to make sure to check everyone in the family and then decide what the best course of action is for you.
There are a few ways to treat the lice – firstly the NHS recommends you try wet combing. For this you need to buy a fine-toothed comb you can get from your local pharmacy.
When the hair is washed with normal shampoo, add a conditioner and then start combing through from top to bottom while the conditioner is in the hair.
This will ensure your hair isn’t knotted and it’s easy to comb out.
Secondly, you can try medicated lotions and sprays.
You can find these at your local pharmacy, or online. Some of these may come with a comb so you can comb out the lice once the medicine is in.
It usually takes a few hours for the lice to die, but you should repeat the medication a week later to make sure new lice has not hatched.
If all else fails, speak with your pharmacist to ask about the next steps, they may offer an electric comb or another medication.
For more information, check out the NHS website.