How to Get Rid of your Child’s Head Lice – A Mom’s Testimony

Head lice is apparently a common problem among kids, but I was one of those moms who thought that my kids would never have them as I thought it only happened to people who had poor hygiene. I was humbled and corrected when my own children’s scalps were infested by lice just a few weeks ago.

This is what the Kidshealth.org website has to say about head lice:

“The bane of many parents, the head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for kids ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys).

Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites may cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.”

Needless to say, I immediately took action when I saw those tiny crawling critters on the kids’ scalps (at first I thought that they kept scratching their heads because of dandruff). This is what I did:

•    After my initial shock and disbelief, I started researching on the internet for possible cures for head lice in children, especially small kids (our youngest is only 22 months old). I wanted to use natural methods of treatment as much as possible.

•    After reading other Filipino parents’ tips on Smart Parenting’s Parent Forums section, I decided to use Oilganics all natural head lice treatment versus Kwell shampoo, which eliminates head lice and their eggs (nits) after only one treatment but is likened to a “pesticide” of sorts.  I also tried No Lice shampoo and conditioner, which we had already previously bought at the Drugstore when I was in panic mode after discovering the kids’ lice. (I should have done my research first!) It helped too that I found out that Kuya Kim had previously done a feature on the Oilganics head lice shampoo last year on ABS-CBN’s show Matanglawin.

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•    I bought a suyod or fine-toothed comb to get the dead lice and nits out after each shampoo treatment (this took quite a while, around 1 week!). I usually combed the kids’ hair when they were asleep, and massaged virgin coconut oil on their scalps before doing so. Nits are usually tan or light brown in color before hatching, while the remaining shells are white or clear once the lice have come out. Needless to say I ended up removing lots of nits both tan and white from our kids’ hair.

•    I changed all our bedsheets and pillow-cases and soaked all hairbrushes in hot water and vinegar. I made sure that after washing the beddings (and towels that all of us had been using) were hung under the sun. Sunlight is known to be quite effective in killing all sorts of organisms, including head lice, and even some forms of bacteria and fungi.

•    Incidentally, I also ended up using the Oilganics shampoo for myself, and let the kids’ former yaya (she is no longer with us now) use the No Lice shampoo so that it wouldn’t go to waste. I treated myself for lice too because my head had started to feel itchy as well, and yaya was also complaining of scalp itchiness.

Most of the websites that I checked out for head lice treatment and prevention recommended that all members undergo treatment too to prevent re-infestation, as head lice usually can become a recurring problem.

As of this writing, my kids are now 100% head lice- and nit-free. However, to stay on the safe side, I still use the Oilganics shampoo on them every day and occasionally check their scalps for nits. Sometimes I still massage virgin coconut oil onto their heads, and we are planning to bring them for a long overdue haircut (not just because of the head lice scare, but also because it so hot nowadays!). So far, so good! Goodbye head lice! We hope you never come to visit again!

Photo from flickr.com