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How can you tell if your child has head lice? You probably have seen your child scratching his or her head more frequently, or seen some white particles on their hair. So how do you determine if it is really lice?
Head lice are a form of human parasite that survives by sucking and feeding on human blood drawn from human scalp. Kids between the ages of three to twelve are most likely to get head lice infestation, with girls having higher chances than boys to get it. Adults can also get head lice too. Spotting of head lice on the head is not an easy task because they are very tiny and it can be hard to detect them. If you see a tan or brown colored insect about the size of a sesame seed crawling on your child's head, chances are that it is a louse. Nits are also known as lice eggs and can be tough to differentiate, as it is often confused with hair spray residue or dandruff flakes. How then are we able to tell if the particle is not a nit? If the particle falls off your hair easily when you give it a shake, then there's a high probability that it is dandruff. If it's hard to remove, then it can be a nit. Live nits are also dark brown in color. Once the eggs hatched, they will look clear or white in color.
Once you detect nits or lice in your hair, you have to remove them fast. A common for most people is to use a medicated head lice removal shampoo to wash hair, followed by dividing the hair into several sections and start combing section by section from the scalp to hair ends with a metal lice comb while hair is still wet. This alone could take up to several hours but it is a crucial step in successful lice removal and thus cannot be skipped. You need to be aware that using lice shampoo alone will not be able to remove nits completely, because some of them will still remain and then go on to get hatched.
Another method you can use to remove head lice is using a pair of tweezers to pluck the nits and lice out of the hair. Same thing here, you will need to divide hair in several sections again and then work on it. It is advisable to check on your hair again after the combing and use the tweezers to pluck out any remaining lice or nits. Once you have removed the nits, stick them on a masking tape and roll it up and dump it in the garbage bin after you are done. This will ensure that the nits will have no chance to crawl around.
Besides tending to the hair, you also have to pay attention to your bedding, carpets, furniture and clothing at home. Place machine washable items like bed sheets and covers in the washer on hot water. As for things that are non-machine washable like soft toys and pillows, you can put them into the dryer on hot cycle for about 20 minutes. The heat will kill any head lice on it. Remember to vacuum all your carpets and upholstered furniture thoroughly, not forgetting your car seats and interior as well.
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Want to get more tips on head lice removal? Visit my website at http://www.headliceinformationcenter.com for more help and advice on how to get rid of head lice successfully.
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