"Mom, I think I see bugs in my hair." Words that strike fear in the heart of any mother! I heard them while enjoying the Thanksgiving holidays with my parents and sister and her family. I won't say exactly which one of my children said these words, because I have to protect their privacy, at least a little.
My first thought was, "Have butterflies begun fluttering around your head?" You know, like in cartoons when a character gets bonked on the head? But, alas, it was my worst fear.... head lice! Talk about ruining a whole day of our long weekend!
I handled the child while my mom and dad took action on the "environment..." anywhere where the head in question had been... beds, pillows, blankets, mattress covers, all had to be washed in hot water. Also all clothes worn by the child, all chair backs, etc. had to be sprayed with insecticide. Larger items like comforters, stuffed animals and big, bed reclining pillows all had to be put in large, black, trash bags and sealed up for two weeks. My dad vacuumed the whole house and then took out the vacuum bag and threw it away. A lot of work!
In the meantime, I helped the child wash their hair with special lice shampoo. Then began the tedious process of preening through the hair. The box of the lice erradicating materials advised to use a special gel that came in the kit. It helped the tight-toothed comb make its way through the tangled hair, from root to tip. I also found some information online that said to use vinegar to help with the preening process.
After all that, we all sat around looking at each other and scratching our heads. Every little itch made you wonder if you had lice too! Good news for grownups, according to the internet. They rarely get head lice because of all the products we put in our hair. Apparently, lice like clean, virgin hair.
My first thought was, "Have butterflies begun fluttering around your head?" You know, like in cartoons when a character gets bonked on the head? But, alas, it was my worst fear.... head lice! Talk about ruining a whole day of our long weekend!
I handled the child while my mom and dad took action on the "environment..." anywhere where the head in question had been... beds, pillows, blankets, mattress covers, all had to be washed in hot water. Also all clothes worn by the child, all chair backs, etc. had to be sprayed with insecticide. Larger items like comforters, stuffed animals and big, bed reclining pillows all had to be put in large, black, trash bags and sealed up for two weeks. My dad vacuumed the whole house and then took out the vacuum bag and threw it away. A lot of work!
In the meantime, I helped the child wash their hair with special lice shampoo. Then began the tedious process of preening through the hair. The box of the lice erradicating materials advised to use a special gel that came in the kit. It helped the tight-toothed comb make its way through the tangled hair, from root to tip. I also found some information online that said to use vinegar to help with the preening process.
After all that, we all sat around looking at each other and scratching our heads. Every little itch made you wonder if you had lice too! Good news for grownups, according to the internet. They rarely get head lice because of all the products we put in our hair. Apparently, lice like clean, virgin hair.