When to Stop Treating Head Lice
Head lice removal can be a highly stressful event in which parents become over-zealous in their efforts to eradicate the awful pests. This tendency to over-do it can lead to countless unnecessary lice treatments, which in turn can cause more unpleasant symptoms such as: dry, flaky, or itchy scalp, tenderness, and even hair damage. The root cause of this behavior is the ever-present fear of a reinfestation. Horrified by the experience, parents tend to continue treatments long past necessity.
First, know the signs of head lice infestation:
- Excessive itching of the scalp
- Irritability
- Sleeplessness
- Head lice (tiny bugs the size of a sesame seed) or nits (head lice eggs, the size of a poppy seed) in the hair and scalp.
Next, after the following steps are complete, there is no need to continue treatments:
- Each person infested in the home (remember, just because one person has lice at home, doesn’t mean everyone is/will become infested) has been treated with an effective treatment that kills both lice and nits (head lice eggs).
- The house has been thoroughly cleaned. Read our tips for cleaning the home after head lice infestation.
- Don’t forget to clean the car! Vacuuming is recommended, however, a lint roller works too. Tip: be sure to focus on the head rests.
- Complete daily head checks for at least two weeks. If you do not find live lice, or new nits, it is safe to say you are officially lice free!
Dealing with lice and how to treat them doesn’t have to be difficult! Familiarize yourself with head lice, and what they look like, follow the steps above, and you’ll be lice free in no time!
