Tips on How to Survive Head Lice

Managing stress

Head lice is often mistakenly associated with lack of cleanliness, poverty and/or poor parenting. Children may feel left out or stressed when others learn they have experienced head lice.

If you are facing stress or emotional strain because you find head lice, contacting a provider can help. Healthcare providers can share treatment information and provide confidential support.

Making the time to treat head lice (keeping kids home, nit picking or not)

Children with head lice may miss school during treatment, especially if the school has a "no-nit" policy prohibiting children from returning until they are nit-free. There are options to treat head lice available that do not require nit picking but you may want or need to remove nits for aesthetic reasons. If your child has head lice, your child's school nurse can be a good resource for information about school policies, while maintaining confidentiality and providing ongoing support.

Quick advice on how to clean your home after you find lice

Spending a lot of time, effort and money on home cleaning after you find lice is not necessary because head lice can only live for a day or two once they fall off of a person's head. Although nits and lice do not infest the house, basic precautions include:

• Vacuuming floors and furniture
• Using hot water (130°F) and high heat to wash and dry family bed linens and recently used clothes, hats and towels (and anything else someone with head lice used in the two days before treatment)
• Sealing non-washable items in a plastic bag for two weeks
• Soaking combs and brushes in hot water (130°F) for five to 10 minutes