Liz Solovay

Full Head Lice Treatment: Not Just Treating the Hair

If you've used multiple different methods of head lice treatment options out there you may possibly be surprised that there's more to head lice treatment than just focussing on the hair. Find out how you can increase the effectiveness of your treatment by focussing on the rest of your home as well.

If you've already been using head lice treatment products for quite a few days, or some weeks, you may have tried nearly every spray, shampoo, and household remedy out there for your child's hair. But unfortunately, head lice treatment products alone won't do the job. As soon as head lice are brought into the home, they can get into bedding, carpets, draperies, furniture, stuffed animals and most other fabric surfaces. In addition to using head lice treatment products and lice removal techniques, it is critical to make sure those surfaces are washed or cleaned before you can finally say good bye to the Lice!

The child's bedding will need to be washed while using head lice treatment products and until treatment is no longer considered necessary and no lice are present. A thorough washing in very hot water and followed by drying in high heat for a minimum of 20 minutes will be enough to make sure any lingering lice in the linen are killed. Draperies and other fabric items that can be washed should also be treated in the same way.But, what can be done about those materials that you simply cannot throw in the washing machine?

Larger materials that can't be thrown in the washing machine should be placed in a big, plastic sealed bag. Next, if you have sufficient room in a chest freezer, place the bag in there. This will freeze the lice to death. If you don't have sufficient space, you can simply leave the bag sealed for at least 2 weeks. After you remove the items from the bag, place them in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet to ensure all of the lice are killed. You can also do this when you initially begin head lice treatment, so when you're complete, everything is ready to go!

It's important to make sure you thoroughly wash anything that comes into contact with your child's head during the period in which you are using head lice treatment products. Wash all hats, fabric hair bands, and hoods regularly. Also, make sure that any plastic head bands, hair accessories, combs and brushes are always soaked in alcohol for at least an hour. This will kill the lice, so that they won't linger on the item and jump back into your child's hair.

Don't set yourself up for more bad news after finding out that your child has head lice. By taking the time to go through these procedures, you can block a recurrence of lice infestations and prevent yourself and your family from having to go through the whole process again.

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