Head Lice Prevention and Intervention Advice

Has your child come home with a warning letter about head lice? Before you start looking into prevention or removal techniques, you first need to establish whether or not your child actually has an infestation. The best way to do this is with a nit comb. Use the nit comb to thoroughly check your child’s hair for the insects or the eggs (the nits). Use your fingertips to feel for any nits attached to hair strands. You will find suitable combs in your local pharmacy.

If your child has the all clear, then you know that you need to acquire preventative products, rather than removal treatments. However, there are not that many products available to help you prevent an infestation from entering your home. Don’t be alarmed, as there are some simple techniques that you can use to stop the blood sucking insects from making your family their most recent home.

Head Lice Prevention Techniques

• By purchasing a suitable nit comb (look for one with metallic, rather than plastic teeth), you can use the comb to check your child’s hair every day. YES, every day! By being uncompromising in your routine, you will be giving your family the best chances of effective head lice prevention.
• Inform your children about the problem. They need to know how the insects move to and from hosts. By knowing how the insects transmit, they can avoid engaging in situations that could lead to a fresh case of infestation.
• If you have daughters, keep their hair tied back at all times. Boys are prone to the parasites too, so keep their hair short.
• Spraying diluted tea tree oil onto hair after washing could help keep an infestation at bay. The oil is renowned for its antiseptic properties, and many parents report it as an effective method for protecting your family against parasites.

When Prevention Fails, Implement Immediate Intervention

Try as you might, you could still find that blood sucking parasites have managed to invade your home. At the first sign of an infestation, you must treat the entire family immediately. Don’t forget to treat the home too, otherwise the parasites will be making a very quick comeback.

• Decide in advance what kind of removal products and techniques you will use if your family contracts the parasites, and make sure you keep your cupboards stocked with enough treatments for the family, just in case! This will allow you to quickly intercept any possible parasitic invasion, and prevent it from becoming a full blown infestation.


• Contact your child’s school, and the parents of your child’s friend. This will allow the local community to take proactive measures. It’s only when individuals make a group effort can the persistent parasites be completely eradicated from a community, like a school.
To prevent an infestation is not something that can be achieved with minimal effort; and unfortunately, the parasites are persistent little critters to say the very least. Although they are not dangerous to humans as they do not spread diseases or infections, head lice can still be very hard on a family, especially the children. The process of preventing and removing them can be frustrating, it is critical that you create a regimented method for proactive prevention and protection, and that you have back up plans when your first line of defense fails.

Nancy Williams is a regular mom who has written a number of articles relating to head lice prevention and treatments. For more information about Head Lice Prevention, Visit Head Lice Information.