Children who are in school are prime targets of head lice.  These things are easy to prevent but hard to treat.  Kids between the ages of three and twelve are most likely to get these pesky critters because of the exposure to many other children in daycare, camp, sports groups, and school.  These kids also love to share personal things like hairbrushes, hair clips, caps, jackets and other things.  This makes it easy for lice to spread, although they do not fly or jump.

Lice are also not characteristic of bad ,hygiene as is popularly believed.  In fact, the cleaner the hair, the better off the louse is.  He can grip the strand more easily.  They also do not spread disease.  They do, however, make you itchy and annoyed, and can even cause inflammation or infection from scratching skin.

Here are some helpful tips for child head-louse treatment that will help clear your kids of these annoying pests:

1.  There are three major steps in effectively getting rid of lice.  These include killing the adult lice, removing the eggs from the hair, and treating the belongings and environment of the person with head lice.
2.  Butter, petroleum jelly, olive oil, and even whole-fat mayo are great because they smother the lice.  The nits will still need to be removed from the hair.  Out of these, olive oil comes out of the hair easier; however, you may still have to shampoo several times.

3.  When your kid’s hair is wet, the lice stop moving.  This makes it easier to get them out.  Using a flea or lice comb with teeth that are close together is a great idea.  Although a flea comb will work, never place any flea-killing product on a human.  Three-tenths of a millimeter is as far apart as the comb’s teeth should be.

4.  For child head-louse treatment to work, you must not only clear the child, but also the environment of lice.  This includes other people in the family who may have lice.  All bed linens, blankets, terry towels, clothing, and other things that lice may be on should be washed in water that exceeds 130 degrees Fahrenheit.  Also, you will want to dry them on the highest temperature for at least half an hour.  Throw pillows, rugs, toys, or other things that cannot be washed should be sealed into an air-tight bag for at least 14 days.

5.  Shampoo, cream, or lotion that contains medicine to kill the lice may be suggested or prescribed by your pediatrician.  You can also purchase items over-the-counter if home remedies do not work or if there are too many lice to kill in this way.  Experts do agree that lice are becoming resistant to the chemicals in over-the-counter medications, so you may have to utilize a different method of treating them.  Do not use a blow dryer after applying treatments that may be flammable!

Asking your doctor for children that are under two years old is a good idea.  Over-the-counter medications are too strong for their skin and scalps.  Also, it is not a good idea to shave the hair of your child in order to get rid of head lice.  Short hair may, however, prevent lice infestations more easily.