Most school-aged children are no strangers to the head louse. A head louse is a tiny insect about one millimeter in length that lives exclusively on the human head. However, when you have one louse living on your head, you are sure to have many.
Head lice are easily transmitted through direct contact with an infested person or sometimes through sharing brushes and combs. Most children who attend school or day care contract head lice at some point because of the constant contact with other children. Even those with immaculate hygiene are susceptible–the head louse does not discriminate against the well groomed.
Lice multiply rapidly by laying eggs, or nits, near the scalp. Nits are usually found around the ears and at the nape of the neck. They are whitish in color and cling to the hair shaft.
Head Louse Treatment
Treatment for head lice usually involves rinsing the head with an over-the-counter solution that contains pesticide to kill the live insects, then manually picking out the nits with a specially designed comb. Since the eggs cannot be killed with the pesticide, nit-picking is necessary. If the idea of soaking your childs head with toxic chemicals sounds unappealing, there are also a few natural treatments on the market that purport to get rid of lice without the use of poisons.
