The start of the new school year can leave your child scratching their head for more than one reason – once flashy backpacks and carefully packed lunch boxes make their return to the schoolyard, so do lice, the unwelcome pests that most parents have had to encounter at some point.
Whilst finding as much as a stray louse in your child’s hair can be a distressing experience, this is as inevitable as it is vexing. We have prepared a quick guide to help you deal with this common problem and efficiently get rid of these unwanted yearly visitors.
Getting to the root of the problem
Before beginning, make sure your child is comfortable and relaxed; you want to make sure that they’re not moving and bouncing about during the treatment (this might be the perfect time to strategically distract them with their favourite show on telly). Hold a towel over your child’s face to ensure that the product does not get near their eyes. Then, carefully spray Frezyderm’s Lice Free Lotion all over the hair, paying particular attention to the roots.
Gently rub in the lotion (this can double up as a head massage for your child!) and don’t be surprised if you see lice falling out of the hair at this stage. Leave the lotion in for about 30-40 minutes. After that, thoroughly comb your child’s hair with the included comb. Start from the roots and carefully draw the comb down to the ends of the hair, making sure to check the comb for lice after every stroke. Remove lice by rinsing or wiping the comb. Divide the hair into sections, to ensure that no strand of hair is left out and repeat this procedure until every single section has been thoroughly combed.
Next, apply the Lice Free Shampoo and leave it on for 3 minutes before carefully rinsing. You should repeat the treatment for 4-5 consecutive days, whilst checking your child’s scalp regularly for lice and nits (tiny white lice eggs). Remember that nits are generally easier to feel than to see; they will have the texture of tiny grains of sand. Finally, make sure that you do not wash your child’s hair for 2 days after the treatment and wash all the used combs with hot water and soap.
Treating lice means treating the household
Whilst it might seem like your child’s scalp is the main protagonist of this unfortunate story, the household is not to be neglected either. Treating your child for lice will probably mean that a makeover is due for your household as well. You should change your child’s pillowcase every night for the duration of the treatment and thoroughly clean the house (think of it as spring cleaning, only in autumn).
Vacuuming the carpets and the furniture is an integral part of the household ‘disinfestation’ process, as is checking up on every member of the household-that recent cuddle between siblings might well have ensured that the lice have found a new home; before considering this a closed case, make sure that everyone else in the household is completely lice-free.
No need to panic
Discovering lice in your child’s hair or getting that dreaded phone call from school is undeniably an unpleasant experience and every parent’s fear-nevertheless, it is also incredibly common and usually no more than a mild annoyance.
Remember to be patient with your child-their irritability might be worse during this time; after all, that constant itching is hardly pleasant.Frezyderm’s Lice Free Set a Special treatment to get rid of lice: it’s Free of insecticides.Effective-Safe and Quick-Easy to use (Medical device, 2803).
