Albanvale Primary School Newsletter

Head Lice / Nits

More catchy than a 90s trend, head lice love to hide in luscious locks.

 

These little, wingless insects live, breed and feed on your scalp. They have been around for millions of years (even before humans, the persistent little things). Though they don't usually carry disease, they do like to hop around when given the chance, jumping from head to head when the opportunity presents.

 

Head lice are most common around children and families, transmitting through head to head contact. Not everyone who has head lice presents with an itchy head. The best way to know if you have head lice is to do a thorough check. 

 

What are you looking for? 

Lice eggs are oval and about the size of a pin head. They are firmly attached to the hair shaft and can't be brushed off. If the egg is live it will make a 'pop' sound when you crush it between your fingernails. 

 

 

If your child has head lice they are not permitted to attend school until treatment has started. A visit to the chemist will provide you with treatment options. The most common treatments are lotions or shampoos which need to be applied to all parts of the hair.

 

The easiest and most effective way to find head lice is to use the conditioner and comb treatment weekly. This includes:

  • Step 1. Comb hair conditioner onto dry, brushed (detangled) hair. This makes it difficult for lice to grip the hair or run around.
  • Step 2. Thoroughly comb sections of the hair with a fine tooth head lice comb.
  • Step 3. Wipe the conditioner from the comb onto a paper towel or tissue.
  • Step 4. Look on the tissue and on the comb for lice and eggs.
  • Step 5. Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least 4 or 5 times.
  • Step 6. If lice or eggs are found, the person should be treated.

Note: If the person has been treated recently and only hatched eggs are found, you may not have to treat them again, since the eggs could be from the old infection. A hatched egg looks like an egg with its top cut off:

 

For more information on head lice and nits, and how to treat them, visit Better Health.