Schools have opened, temperatures have risen and although we are keeping our distance and wearing masks… hair is exposed, making it easier for lice to come and go.
Many children especially in primary school, but also adults, suffer from these little black bugs, which makes them feel ashamed as they are considered dirt. But how far is this true?
Not at all, because lice in fact, prefer clean hair.
Read this text to debunk several myths you knew about lice. As hairdressers, experienced or not, you should be ready to answer any question that has to do with this topic. How many times have you had to deal with a client, big or small, who, knowing or not knowing, had lice? You need your customers to feel comfortable and learn everything about this problem of theirs, because lice is not a taboo but something normal, which can happen to anyone and especially to our children.
Learn truths
Usually lice, we got them when we went to school, in the middle of September.
That never got us thinking about whether it was their season…not that there is a specific season, but it has been proven that the higher the temperature the faster they move and I say move because lice don’t have wings and they can’t fly or jump, but they walk from head to head. Lice can even spread through hats, scarves, clothes, caps and from our brushes and combs. Pets play no part in their transport.
Be aware that, adult lice cannot survive outside the human head for more than one, two days and their life cycle is 30-40 days. Their eggs (conidia) take 7-10 days to hatch. They live next to the scalp to keep them warm. If you haven’t noticed initially they have a whitish color that after ingesting blood, it changes to a reddish, brownish color. Also their nails are specially adapted to hold onto the hair, especially when the hair is wet.
In the past, even I used to feel secure that if I dyed my hair I wouldn’t get lice, which is not necessarily true, although it does make it harder. Passing a dye can kill lice but not nits, which have a very hard shell. So after painting you will have to remove the nails with the special comb!
Conidia or dandruff?
Because of color, white on dark hair , it is easier to notice nits instead of lice. Usually because they are located a short distance from the base of the root, they often give the impression that the person has dry skin or dandruff, since the nits look like white or brownish-yellow flakes and are stuck to the hair. Trying to pull them off by hand, we will find that they do not come off as easily as dust or dry skin. When looking for lice, a good idea is to use a magnifying glass, checking the scalp closely. Remember that starting to scratch means that you have already had lice for some weeks. In particular, there can be hundreds of viable, dead and hatching nits in one head. When they suck blood, lice secrete small amounts of saliva, which causes irritation and hypersensitivity of the scalp, which cause the familiar itching. Many times itching causes redness and eczema, which is understandable and needs special cream and care.
“Put some oil in it”
I remember as a little girl trying for hours to get the lice out of my hair with special shampoos, specific sprays and the best of all? Oil. “Put oil on the child,” my grandmother would shout. This, it was a life-shattering experience for me, because then I smelled for hours and days that smell so bad. In 2021, there is an even wider range of lice and nits treatment products, such as shampoos, creams, sprays, foams and lotions.
Read carefully and strictly follow the instructions and time of action on whatever you choose to use for more immediate results. Finally, do not neglect to methodically remove all lice and nits from the hair. This is perhaps the most important and tedious part of the process.
