Is That a Louse Crawling in Your Child’s Hair?

If you’re the parent of a school-going child, then you’ll be quite familiar with the concept of head lice infestations. These are the pesky parasites that latch themselves onto our scalps, living comfortably within the cover of hair as they steadily increase in population as the days go by.

An estimated 6 to 12 million infestations occur in the United States in children between the ages of 3 to 11, per year. While adults can get lice infestations as well, the frequency is substantial in young children of school-going age.

Not only is the idea of finding head lice in your child’s hair a fairly unappealing notion, the dread that sets in is also courtesy the fact that head lice are notoriously difficult to get rid of.

If you spot a little critter crawling around in your child’s hair—don’t panic! Perhaps give yourself a few minutes to panic, and then go into problem-solving mode. A head lice infestation may not be easy to deal with, but there are ways to make the process as efficient and effective as possible.

Symptoms

If your child has head lice, the most noticeable symptom will indeed be the itching. This is due to an allergic reaction to lice bites, and is a symptom that indicates that a lice infestation is quite far along.

Due to this itching, the child may also have trouble getting to sleep, and may have sores on the scalp due to all the scratching.

Diagnosis

If you spot head lice crawling about in your kid’s hair, or your young one complains about excessive itchiness, then it’s time to make a proper diagnosis.

Head lice can be difficult to spot, so you need to be in a well-lit area, and use a comb to sift through the hair in sections. They are likely to stick close to the scalp, the size of sesame seeds, and light brown, dark brown, or grey in color.

Nits, which are lice eggs, are a little more difficult to identify. They are usually attached to strands close to the root, and are seemingly transparent or slightly yellow in color.

If you’re still unsure about whether your child has a lice infestation, go to a professional for a screening.

Treatment

As a busy parent with little to no time to spare, treating head lice will likely to be a frustrating and time-consuming affair. If you find yourself turning towards DIY lice removal remedies or over the counter chemical treatments, take a step back.

These are not the solution—not only will they fail to get rid of the head lice entirely, they may also have damaging effects on the hair and the overall well-being of your young child. There’s also the fact that lice have become more and more resistant to some of the active ingredients in head lice shampoos and lotions, so it’s essentially a waste of time, effort, and money to make use of such products.

Your best bet? A professional lice removal service.

At Lice Removal Pros, we provide all our clients with organic, safe lice removal treatment. Based in Miami, Coral Gables, and other locations in Florida, we are committed to offering parents a family friendly environment where they can get their child’s lice infestation treated safely and effectively.

Our lice specialists are equipped to quickly and successfully pick out the adult lice and nits from your child’s hair, and we even provide you with a certificate to allow your child to return to school with ease.

Have a lice problem at hand? Give us a call at (800) 763-4026 to book an appointment!