{"id":175,"date":"2024-03-26T13:05:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T13:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=175"},"modified":"2024-03-26T13:05:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T13:05:58","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-lice-from-an-expert-tips-from-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/?p=175","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About Lice from an Expert \u2013 Tips From Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We just received our\u00a0third\u00a0letter home from the school nurse letting us know that lice has been reported in several grades at our school. So if you clicked here, you\u2019re probably feeling pretty lousy\u2026literally. (Guess we all know the origins of the word \u201clousy\u201d now.) Try not to freak out. Stay calm. You\u2019re not the\u00a0first<\/em>\u00a0and surely not the\u00a0last<\/em>\u00a0person that has had to deal with lice. And if you ask around, everyone that has had it will tell you, that this too shall pass! Try to have a sense of humor. It will go a long way during the next two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked\u00a0lice expert,<\/strong>\u00a0Lena Gorelik\u00a0<\/strong>of\u00a0Lice Free Noggins,<\/strong>\u00a0what we need to know about these lousy critters. We had a lot of questions. Here\u2019s what we learned\u2026starting with what exactly lice are:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Lice?<\/strong>
\u201cHead lice are tiny wingless parasites that feed off human blood,\u201d Lena explained. \u201cThey develop in three stages, nit to nymph to full-grown louse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Nits?<\/strong>
Nits are head lice eggs. Female lice lay nits on hair shafts and a cement-like substance holds them in place. They take about 8 to 9 days to hatch. Once nits hatch, they leave their shells behind. These shells are also called nits. \u201cNow you can see why nits are sometimes misidentified as dandruff!\u201d Lena said.What Do They Look Like?<\/strong>
The average size of a grown louse is 2-3mm, about the size of a sesame seed.\u00a0Lena pointed out, \u201cAdult lice and nymphs (baby lice) are grayish white or tan in color and are pretty camouflaged in the hair.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0After a feeding, a louse\u2019s abdomen fills with blood, giving them a brownish tinge in color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Get Lice\u2026Can They Jump Onto Your Head from Someone Else\u2019s Head?<\/strong>
\u201cNo,\u201d Lena smiled, \u201chead lice do NOT jump, hop, or fly; they crawl. They spread mostly through direct head to head contact. It\u2019s also possible, although unlikely, to get lice from sharing hair accessories like brushes, hair clips, hats, scarves, pillows, blankets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Do They Appear?<\/strong>
The nits (lice eggs) appear as tiny brown, tan, yellow or white tear-drops firmly attached to the hair shaft. The eggs are about the size of a knot in a piece of thread, and if are unhatched are usually found within a 1\/4 inch from the scalp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA healthy louse likes its home,\u201d Lena explained, \u201cit clings on to an individual\u2019s hair as this is where their home is, and will not willingly leave to go onto an inanimate object. When a louse is found on an object, it is likely in the process of dying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A louse. Notice its big belly filled with eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Lice Always Make Your Head Itchy?<\/strong>
\u201cWhile most people associate head lice with an itchy scalp,\u201d Lena told us, \u201csometimes head lice produce no symptoms at all. The itching associated with lice is actually caused by an allergic reaction to the parasites saliva. Only about 60% of people will develop an itchy scalp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ok, How Can We Get Rid of Them\u2026Quickly?!<\/strong>
\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d she said, \u201cthere are no shortcuts to treating head lice. Get a professional grade nit comb and comb hair meticulously. And a conscientious follow-up is a must.You have to comb meticulously using a professional stainless steel nit comb and a non-toxic, pesticide-free product. If you choose to go the chemical route, read the instructions carefully, as they may pose a health risk in some individuals, especially children with asthma. Many of these products involve multiple treatments and still require thorough combings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the counter medications, such as Nix and Rid do not kill nits (eggs). As a matter of fact, there is no product on the market which is strong enough (toxic enough) to penetrate through the shell of a nit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t comb out properly,\u201d Lena pointed out, \u201cthe remaining nits start to hatch shortly after and the infestation continues.\u201d Which can leave parents frustrated and confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is when we choose to turn the baton over to a lice professional like Lice-Free Noggins.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you tried unsuccessfully to treat your family \u2013or of the whole process sounds entirely too daunting, professional lice removal is probably not as expensive as you think. Prices for a head check start at only $35 and treatments start at $150. Plus, you can have it done in the comfort of your home while you enjoy a glass of wine and turn on a movie for the kids while someone else does that hard work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We just received our\u00a0third\u00a0letter home from the school nurse letting us know that lice has been reported in several grades at our school. So if you clicked… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions\/176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinenews92.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}