Three steps to combat head-lice

You might squirm at the thought but the fact is that 1 in ten primary children could have head lice at any one time.

We know how frustrating it is to see your child coming home scratching their head, just another worry to add to the list of things we are all dealing with in our busy day to day lives.

But there is an answer and it involves checking your child’s or children’s hair once a week.

If you find a live head-lice that is when you know you will need to treat it.

And before you think that any stresses about head-lice do not apply to you, ensure you educate yourself on the facts which are as follows; Head-lice are common among young children and their families. Head lice don’t spread disease. Head lice can be spread from adults to children and back again.

There’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about having head lice. Having head lice has nothing to do with good or bad personal hygiene.

Lice eggs hatch after around 7 days so two applications are always needed to make sure all lice have been killed. There are pesticide, non-pesticide, combing and alternative treatments on the market. Your pharmacist will be able to help you work out which is best for you and your family.

In short, the three steps to combatting head lice are:

• Conventional pesticide-based treatments need to be applied at least twice, a week apart, to kill the lice.
• Non-pesticide lotions like Hedrin work in a different way. They coat the outside of
  the lice so they suffocate and die. This means there’s no chance for the lice to build up a resistance to the treatment.
•  Go to your local pharmacy for information and advice on which treatment is right for you.

Parents are advised to check children’s heads at least once a week to ensure there aren’t any nasty visitors lurking, Hedrin have a handy information website that can help with any queries just check out www.onceaweektakeapeek.ie.