Real Talk: Kids Are Gross - Lice Edition

This is a repost as we've learned some tips and tricks after our fourth round of lice in five years. 

How do I prevent lice?

Our babysitter Gen, who we've given lice to at least once, said she treats all little kids as if they have lice. If you're unwilling, or unable, to forgo head to head snuggles then there are a few scents that the internet says lice don't like - mint, tea tree oil, and willow bark. We've been forking out money for this shampoo per a pharmacist's suggestion. These bottles make great babysitter gifts. 

Another friend swears by wearing a head wrap while also keeping her hair up in a bun when working with kids. If you're lucky to have curly hair - coconut oil does double duty taming frizz and keeping away lice. Lots of product has kept Paul safe all these years. Also, prayer? 

How to know if your kid has them?

The first time I got lice I thought an itchy scalp was my body's way of telling me that I shouldn't have tried for a third child. jokes! I saw the sign at Kita announcing lice but I didn't make the connection. Long story short, a louse jumped out of Gen's former boyfriends' hair while Gen was at our house watching the kids. She looked down at the current little Biggs in her lap and yup, he was the culprit. 

The second round I had an infant Carmen, I don't remember how we found lice. The third round Paul saw a louse jump out of Hugo's hair and exclaimed "is this what I think it is?" The most recent round Carmen was scratching and sleeping-in longer than usual. 

How to treat?

Well, as this is not our first rodeo, we already had a healthy supply of lice shampoo in our medicine cabinet. Some lice shampoos include a comb, others do not. Double check when you buy the bottle. I prefer Mosquito brand to Nyda because it's less greasy. The lice comb is key. Apparently there are two kinds of shampoo, one is more preventative and another is to treat. I don't know if there are big differences in efficacy but we have all the things.

The good news is that our friends who were visiting on round three were really good sports about spending their wedding anniversary at our house like this:

"It's kind of like a spa." Liz

The bad news - in retrospect - is we'd spent the previous couple days doing this:

Dex's funcle skills in action.

Sharing helmets

The internets say that most transmission is hair to hair. However, this is our more conservative plan of attack:

1. Pharmacy run for lice shampoo and lice comb.

2. Place all hats and helmets in a bag for two weeks.

3. Soak all brushes in hot water for 5-10 minutes. Only use one brush so you don't have to do this process over again if you find lice later.

4. Wash all hair ties or put in a bag for two weeks.

5. Wash all the pillow cases.

6. Use lice shampoo per instructions. Spend 1-1.5 hours a person with the lice comb.

The bad news is we found the first bug at 7 pm. As such, Paul and I were up until 2:30 am on Friday night brushing hair. Likely we could have gone faster but Paul is much, much better at lice combing than me. But the good news is we could do another check today, Sunday, before hopefully sending the kids back to school and Kita. So two days later:

7. Drug store run:

• Tea tree oil
• Spray bottle
  
• Alcohol for personal consumption 

8. Lice comb with tea tree oil spray diluted with water every two days until you don't find any nits or bugs.

Good lighting is key. Any low quality screen-time will do.

9. Get shorter haircuts. You can tell lice has visited casa Biggs when the boys have short hair again and/or Carmen has a bob.

10.  Do another shampoo per the instructions of our lice shampoo 8-10 days after the first wash.

It's a jungle out there. Stay parasite free my friends. 

(I recently separated this post from my original pinworm post from September...sadly the rounds of that parasite also continues at Casa Biggs. Sigh)