Head lice are a topic that isn’t often talked about. However, being unaware and uninformed about this issue can put your child at risk. Because head lice occur commonly among school age children it is important for all parents to know how to protect their children or find the best treatments in the event that they end up suffering from head lice.

Head lice tend to be such a problem because they are parasites that make their home in a person’s scalp. While there they quickly begin to lay eggs, known as nits. Because of the amount of hair on our heads this creates a barrier between us and the lice, making it difficult and annoying to deal with. So why does head lice target younger children? The answer is pretty simple: head lice are able to spread among close head to head contact. Children ages 4-10 tend to spend a good majority of their time among friends at school, on the playground, daycare facility, playgroups and at parties where other children are. It only takes one infected child to spread the parasites.

The best ways to prevent your child from getting head lice is to check their scalp periodically for any signs of lice. This is especially important to do if your child is between ages 4-10 and has had a recent infestation of head lice among his/her classmates. Make sure your child doesn’t share any personal items with classmates such as towels, combs, brushes, shirts with hoods, earphones, hats and pillows. Head lice can easily transfer between any of these items.

The quickest way to identify if your child has head lice is if your son or daughter is constantly scratching their scalp. A common area of the most persistent itchiness happens around the ear area. Additionally, you can take a comb and create vertical sections to part the hair. This will allow you to see the scalp better. Other areas to check for the presence of lice include the nape of the neck. If your child does indeed have head lice you must quickly inform the school and teachers so they can alert other parents to check their children.

The most effective form of treatment is to purchase a special shampoo made just for the treatment of head lice. These types of items are designed specifically to eliminate existing head lice and kill their eggs. Regular shampoo will not work. There are a number of products on the market to deal with this issue and they all work differently so be sure to read the instructions carefully for whichever type of product you end up buying to guarantee the best results. Head lice products should only be used on those suffering from head lice so parents of children with this issue do not need to use the products to treat their own scalps. In addition to using products, it is important to remove every trace of the lice - namely through the removal of their eggs. In order to get rid of the nits, you will have to sit your child down and use a special fine tooth comb to part the scalp, identify the nits and remove them by hand. This is the most tedious part of the process but it is the only way to completely rid your child of the lice and prevent a re-infestation.

The good news is that head lice are merely a nuisance and not a health threat.

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