A couple weeks ago, I got an email from my daughters school: her class had a case of lice, and they were asking parents to check their kids. Wait, what? For some reason, I’d forgotten about lice. I guess that little global pandemic temporarily erased lice from our list of worries. Not that you should worry, but bookmark this in case you get a similar email in the months or years to come.

Myths About Lice

First let’s get some lice myths out of the way. Lice doesn’t cling to cleaner hair more easily, and it has nothing to do with hygiene. You also won’t avoid lice by keeping hair short or by wearing hair up in a ponytail. Black people can also get lice, people of color are not immune from it. Lice are most common among children 3-11 years old.

Symptoms

Doctors say you should do a quick check of your kids’ hair once a week. Here’s a TikTok showing you how to do one. 

Beyond the weekly check, look out for the following symptoms:

• Intense itching and tickling.

• Lice eggs, nits, or adults on scalp, body, or clothes. Adults can be the size of a sesame seed but the eggs may look like dandruff.You’ll spot them most easily along the hairline or parts.

• Scores or small red bumps on the scalp.

Treatment

Shampoos

There are both prescription and OTC shampoos for lice. Never use more than recommended, combine treatments (unless directed by a doctor), or use one treatment more than three times. Also, the AAP recommends doing the wash in a sink instead of a shower or bath to reduce skin exposure. If the lice doesn’t go away, contact a doctor. 

Manual Removal

You can do this yourself, or go to a lice removal salons or experts (yes, it’s a thing). If you this yourself, you’ll need a fine tooth comb and experts recommend adding olive oil to the hair which will make the lice cling to the comb. You’ll need to repeat this at least every 2-3 days until you consistently stop seeing lice and eggs.

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