Get Ahead: 5 Ways To Protect Your Children From Head Lice

Head lice can be a common occurence in young children, aged between 4 and 11 years old, particulary those that socialise with other children regularly. They are never anything to be too concerned about, but they can be unpleasant and irritating for those suffering. 

As it's National Bug Busting day, we've decided to take a look at ways you can protect your children from nits and head lice.

1. Check hair regularly with a nit comb

If your child's school has mentioned an onset of head lice, be sure to check your child's hair regularly with a nit comb. Trying to spot lice isn't always an easy job, as new lice are quite translucent, so the best way to look is by seperating the hair into small sections, from front to back. 

After combing through each section of hair, wipe the contents on a piece of tissue to see if you can see any moving lice. Pay attention to behind the ears and the back of the neck too.

2. Don't share head-touching items

Items such as towels, hair brushes or hats should avoid being shared, especially if your child's school may have mentioned an outbreak. Sharing head-touching items can be one of the ways that head lice may be spread between children, so try to encourage them to not share such personal items.

3. Avoid head-to-head contact

Head-to-head contact is one of the most common ways that head lice gets passed from child to child. 

It can be difficult to avoid this with younger children, as you can't always discourage them from games and activities which might lead to closer contact. But if you know that head lice might be going around your child's school, ask them to steer clear of any games where head-to-head contact may be involved.

4. Tie children's hair up when in school

As we've mentioned, trying to deter a child from playing closely with friends is practically impossible! So, if your child has longer hair, tie it up into a pony tail or a plait, to try and keep the loose hair to a minimum.

5. Keep things clean

This is second nature to most, but it's important to keep bed sheets, pillowcases and clothes as clean as possible to get rid of any lingering lice eggs. If your child has had a sleepover recently, be sure to wash whatever might have come into contact with other childrens hair/heads.

If you believe that you or your child might have head lice, don't panic! Take a look at our head lice treatment range and get back to normal as quickly as possible.