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Halloween and Head Lice

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It’s a spooky time of year! For most parents, the threat of head lice is the scariest thing around. School has been back in session for long enough that people are discovering lice, and the holiday season is right around the corner.

Halloween presents it’s own set of issues. How many of you took your kids (or yourself!) out to try on Halloween costumes? Those outfits, hats, and masks get put on many different people every day. When someone with lice pulls a costume over their head, they can knock a louse off their hair and onto the fabric where it lies in wait for the next unsuspecting customer to put it on and find a new home. Trying on masks and hats is the same. We all remember not to share hats until we see the latest Jack Skellington or unicorn bobble head hat at Wal-Mart. I’ve been tempted to put one on for a picture with a friend myself, and I know the dangers well.

There are a few ways to prevent lice this holiday season. One option is to visually check things before you put them on. Hats, wigs, masks (full face and masquerade), and hair accessories can hide a louse who will be more than happy to make your head their new home. As always, keep your hair in tight buns and braids, and use peppermint to discourage lice from picking your head to land on.

When you bring a costume home, try to keep it in a bag for 48 hours. Putting things in the freezer for 8 hours will also kill lice.

Have a happy and (not too terrifying) Halloween!

Lice Prevention

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There are many old wives tales concerning lice prevention, but we have your best options! We work with lice every day, and have some tips and tricks to avoid catching it yourself.

Wear your hair up! It takes THREE SECONDS for a louse to crawl from someone’s head to yours. This means a hug, picking up a child, selfies, or even standing close to people on public transportation is enough to catch lice. Every loose hair is an opportunity to a louse. Buns and braids will keep your hair tight to your head and prevent flyaways. If you have crazy curly or frizzy hair like me, some gel, mousse, or hairspray will help eliminate those escaping fuzzies.

Pinterest or YouTube are your friends. You can learn to do many simple hairstyles in only a few minutes!

While they don’t have to be this elaborate, any type of tight braid will reduce your chances of getting lice.

 

Peppermint is your new signature scent. Lice avoid peppermint, so we use our Peppermint Spritz to keep them away. Simply spray this on your hair before you leave the house to encourage lice to find a different place to live. Tea Tree Oil has been talked about a lot, but it doesn’t work anymore. Maybe at one time it helped, but now it will only cost an arm and a leg and leave your hair soft for the lice to happily cavort around in.

Hair cuts are important! Everybody thinks they should cut their hair, but you don’t have to go that route. In fact, for women, hair should be at least shoulder length so you can pin it up appropriately. For men, a buzz cut is not enough. Lice can live in an eighth of an inch of hair! If you want to be lice free, you need to shave your head to the scalp and rock that Mr. Clean shiny head bald.

My personal favorite trick is simple: hoodies. I wear a jacket with a hood almost everywhere, so when I sit on an upholstered seat, I can flip the hood up to cover my hair. Lice can fall off heads and cling to fabric while they wait for an unsuspecting victim. Movies theaters, classrooms, and airplanes are my most feared seating right now. The hood over my hair gives me peace of mind that I am protecting myself.

 

I hope this has educated you on lice prevention! If you got itchy reading this, that’s normal. If you think you need a head check, please give us a call or email! We love telling people they’re lice free and sending them back into the sunshine. If you do have lice, we can get you lice free quickly and completely. Our goal is to get and keep our community lice free, and we are more than happy to answer any questions you might have.

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