Many parents have hit their breaking point by the time they call on a professional lice treatment service. With many families trying everything from home remedy lice treatments to OTC products, then to the doctors for prescription medications for lice that have all rendered ineffective.
Part of our treatment process is educating families on what their lice treatment options are. You can check out our lice treatment options for a list of prescription medications available and the associated cost and possible side effects. Your physician will be able to talk with you concerning the best option for your family.
In short here are your options:
Home Remedies
Over the Counter Lice Killing Products
Prescription Medication
Professional Lice Service
The nicest part about a lice treatment service is that they not only offer a guarantee, but are there as your friend and advocate and absolutely know what you are going through.
Did you know that 3 percent of the kids at most schools have lice at any given time? And that’s when there isn’t a major outbreak.
Most parents don’t want to talk about it but lice is a nationwide epidemic that gets a little worse every year. There is no way to completely protect your family against lice, but you can take some common steps to educate yourself and be proactive against the problem. Particularly going back to school. It’s head lice season (Get 10 Tips to Lice Prevention) August thru October.
Trying to avoid head lice would be like trying to avoid catching a cold. The best thing you can do in the prevention of head lice is to check your child’s head regularly, because early detection is key.
Didn’t receive a notice from school that there is an outbreak? Check anyway! At least every two weeks & weekly head check would be better. What about cleaning? We can’t emphasize enough to spend time on the head not the home. This is to all what we like to call the “cleaning Ninja Moms” (you know who you are, you go into a crazed cleaning mode, Spring cleaning on speed) Yes, if there is a confirmed infestation, wash the linens and recent clothes and soak the hair brushes (we know – Ninja Moms already threw those out!). Vacuuming is another safe alternative if you must spend time cleaning your home.
Remember lice isn’t hazardous to your family’s health it’s just a big nuisance. Certainly staying informed is another key to prevention. Ask after school programs if they notify parents and what their protocol for head lice is and what your children’s school policy is concerning lice. Discussing precautionary steps with your children are important like no sharing of hats, hair brushes etc.
There are a variety of product treatments available. Read about Best Lice Treatment & The Truth about Lice Pesticide Treatments or many Natural Head Lice Treatments are available. In all cases whether you choose a pesticide treatment (that lice are becoming increasingly resistant to) or an all natural treatment its important to understand that nits (lice eggs) need to be manually removed.
Families who have experienced lice know that it can sometimes interfere with the families fun time or other planned activities. Being proactive & diligent is the key to prevention. If you work and don’t have time, call in a professional service. Virginia Beach Lice Treatment – Let’s Be PALS offers head checks and a neat Pay It Forward plan for your circles (to help keep lice away) & Lice Doctors also serves Virginia Beach & many cities & states. Google Lice Treatment for a professional lice treatment & removal service in your area.
Did you know?
Head lice is one of the top three reasons why children miss school.
80 percent of the time kids pass on a lice infestation to their siblings.
80 percent of the time mothers contract head lice from their children.
20 percent of the time fathers contract head lice from their children.
My Sister has Lice so she can’t go swimming right?
That was a response from a 7 year old wishful brother during a head lice treatment for his sister.
A Virginia beach Mom asked inquisitively and always in a concerned voice “can the kids still go swimming?” And the resounding answer to that is yes. She responded “oh, the chlorine kills them?” No, chlorine won’t kill head lice and it won’t drown them either – that was the other question from the 7 year old brother (but not about the lice). Oh brothers, you’ve got to love them. Thank goodness they usually grow up and actually like their sisters (as soon as their friends start liking their sister) Ok, back to lice and swimming pools.
We went searching online to find some studies to reference and we came across this Q. “Can you catch lice in a swimming pool?” A. “Not if it’s oxidized” Oh boy! Let’s get this out of the way first. I’m not sure what oxidizing a swimming pool means but it doesn’t have anything to do with head lice or their transmission in a swimming pool. So Mom’s please don’t go buy an oxidizer for your swimming pool if you found that answer online.
Data shows that head lice can survive under water for several hours (some studies say up to 16 hours) but are unlikely to be spread by the water in a swimming pool. Head lice have been seen to hold tightly to human hair and not let go when submerged under water. Chlorine levels found in pool water do not kill head lice.
Swimming with someone who has lice carries no greater risk of transmission than any other activity, nor will the water affect the infestation. When lice are in water they go into a state of suspended animation but remain firmly locked onto the hair – literally hanging on for their lives.
We did find research study information that says ” In the field trial, four naturally infected individuals swam in a chlorinated pool for 30 min. No loss of lice or head to head transfer was observed. These results indicated that although head lice survive immersion, head lice transmission is unlikely to occur via the water of swimming pools” You can read the full article US National Library of Medicine.
So, with so many fun swimming options in Virginia Beach, you don’t need to worry about catching or sharing head lice in the water. If you suspect head lice be sure to call for a head lice check or learn how to do an at home lice head check.
Best Lice Combs – A $15 Comb Can Save you Some Big Lice Headaches.
Early detection of head lice is the best prevention. Most experts agree that nit, or lice egg, removal is the single most important part of every head lice control treatment and using the proper lice comb is at the heart of the whole process. Removing nits from hairs by whatever means is called “nit-picking”.
Lice combs are made from either metal or plastic. Metal combs, with stiff tines, or teeth, and narrow slots between tines, will effectively remove or crush nits while plastic combs tend to “skip over” nits and are not as effective. Plastic combs can be used to untangle long hair before nit-combing with a metal comb. You’ll find the combs provided in the OTC boxes inefficient.
A lice comb is a great diagnostic device. Studies have found that a lice comb is the best tool for finding live lice.
Do a wet head check with a professional lice comb like the Nit Terminator for early detection.
Simply get the entire head wet and comb through the hair with a professional nit comb swiping on a damp paper towel after each section of hair is combed. If your child has lice you will see nits or live lice come out onto the paper towel. Don’t know what your looking at? Send an email to look@virginiabeachlicetreatment.com and they’ll access the situation for free!
How to find a good lice-removal comb
A high-quality lice comb has long, fine, metal teeth that are very close together. Most experts will advise not to bother with plastic combs or the ones that come in the lice medicine packages (and we agree). Just because it’s a metal comb it doesn’t mean its the best and a professional lice removal comb.
This comb is purchased by many families because it’s metal, but its not the best as the teeth are not long enough.
There are only two professional lice combs on the market The Nit Terminator and the Lice Miester
You may see or hear about electronic combs, but according to Richard Pollack, a lice expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, the electronic versions probably offer no advantage over a traditional, well-designed lice comb and we find that the electronic combs tend to identify anything in the hair, lint, dirt, or any type of particles not necessarily lice.
A good professional nit comb is imperative to getting rid of lice. We feel like you really can’t do the job without the proper tools. If you have questions or need other tips and tricks if you’re going it alone, Let’s Be PALS lice treatment of Virginia Beach offers free advice or you can purchase our lice eliminating products online for half the price of other big name brand lice product companies.
Lice Removal. Once you’ve found out you or your child has lice – most Moms will do anything to get rid of it. We often hear “I don’t care how much it cost” So that brought us to how much does it really cost for head lice removal and are the rates fair and reasonable across the board for lice treatment companies serving Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area.
There are by the hour rates and flat rates, which one is better? Well, if you do the math they basically come out the same (usually) WITH the exception that a a flat rate company is definitely going to be worried about the time they spend on your hair and this in effect could affect their performance?
There is a flat rate company in the area that charges by short and long hair (this could be a problem – because what is the definition of short and long hair? If my hair were below my ears but not quit yet to my shoulder is it short or long? If you or your family member has lice – you don’t have time to think or worry about what category the length of your hair falls in. There are other lice companies like Kidz Lidz Salon that charge by the person (or flat rate) that identify the hair length and this seems to be very helpful.
Ok, back to flat vs hourly rates. So, let’s use an analogy. If you brought your car to an auto mechanic and it was a $200 flat rate to get your transmission replaced (yes, this is a fictitious amount) , how good of a job and how much time do you think they would spend on replacing your transmission?
That’s right, as little time as possible and certainly aren’t going to do the best job they can – why would they? They are only getting paid $200 no matter what they do and in a flat rate situation the provider is always going to work in their own favor just getting the job done at as little effort as possible. As for the hourly rate you could argue that a person may take much longer than needed to vamp up the costs. So flat rate or hourly? Take the poll below and let us know what you think?
Other things to consider when researching a lice removal company, are they bonded? Are they licensed to do business in your area? Just ask, they can provide you with a bond and license number.
Two of the lice companies do their marketing around the medical industry “doctors & nurses” And that’s exactly what it is – marketing.
In fact, most of the technicians that work for these companies are just sub contractors. They aren’t medically licensed at all. It takes a unique person to take on this job. You must be patient, compassionate, have a desire to truly help others, have the experience and the right tools.
We have to ask the question if an RN’s average salary is $67,000/year – or a Doctors who’s is much more why would they aspire to be a nit-picker? It’s tricky business advertising.
Ahhhhh, the glamour of marketing and advertisement.
We’d like to give a shout out to Wendy at Lice Doctors, she’s very knowledgeable and has 20 years experience with the Lice business – true lice professionals and they do good marketing too!
Other lice companies serving the area: Nit Nurses, Nit Fairies & Lickety Nit (they toote the super duper louse buster machine – more on that later)
Take our poll and tell us what you think? http://wp.me/p3Ht6o-2 Do you have a question about head lice or something you’d like to add?
We’d love to hear from you just fill out the contact form below or contact us
Head louse nits on human hair (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some other helpful information about Lice Removal:
Head Lice Treatment Virginia Beach 