When a child comes home with head lice, most parents are, sadly, unprepared and go into panic mode. They rush to the drug store or doctor’s office (or Internet) and do whatever they are told because they don’t know any better. For many, many parents, the result is weeks or months of frustration.
Well, for a number of reasons, the advice that parents are given about how to treat head lice is misguided at best, and harmful at worst. Here are some examples of what you shouldn’t do.
Use home remedies. The Internet is crowded with people that will tell you to use mayonnaise, petroleum jelly, tea tree oil—even kerosene—on your child’s head overnight to suffocate lice. There are two problems with these ideas. First, they are medically unsound. The CDC, American Academy of Pediatricians, and most other medical professionals advise against these practices. Secondly, they can be dangerous. Also, there have been reports of children suffocating on plastic used to wrap their hair while sleeping.
Use over-the-counter pesticide products. The most popular drugstore lice products are increasingly ineffective, according to multiple scientific studies. After decades of overuse, head lice in the United States and many other countries have developed a genetic mutation that makes them resistant to the active ingredients in these products—pyrethroids (which is in fact an insecticide). Dubbed “super lice,” most lice don’t respond to over-the-counter treatments anymore. Also, these products—insecticides—have recently been linked to behavioral problems in children.
Instead, just avoid all the trouble and book an appointment with us at Larger Than Lice, we will be more than happy to help you and your family be lice free and stress free in no time!