Lice removal and why duct tape is important

If lice removal is at the top of your to-do list, then trust me when I say I can empathize. I have had more than my fair share of lice removal episodes, but experience has given me a bit of an edge when it comes to thoroughly treating this problem. If you have seen your children complain of itchy heads, then it is very likely that they picked up head lice at school, church, or other social settings with children. The main goal, after making sure it’s lice, is to figure out the best method to get rid of head lice.

While a number of “bugs” can end up in your hair, few things actually choose to stay there like lice do. If you notice that the head is populated with tiny critters that are about the size of a sesame seed and appear to be a light tan color, then they are probably head lice. Nits can be more difficult to spot or identify since they don’t move like lice. The eggshells of hatching lice are often white in color and can be mistaken for other objects.

So, here are some tips for differentiating nits from something else, which is the important first step in getting rid of head lice. For all you know, you could be looking at dandruff. It turns out that dandruff will separate from the hair quite easily. So if it brushes off easily, it’s probably dandruff. If the objects do not easily separate from the hair, it is probably a nit. This is especially true if you look closely and notice that the color is a light tan.

Here are some general tips for getting rid of head lice that can better ensure a complete eradication of these critters. One of the first things most people will do is use a medicated shampoo. After shampooing, which is designed to kill lice, the actual elimination of lice begins. You can work through small sections of wet hair with a fine-toothed lice comb to remove the now-dead lice from the hair. My personal advice is to clean the comb after each pass. It will take more time and seem like the proverbial endless task, but if not, you may redeposit the lice you just removed on sections of hair. Another thing to keep in mind is that shampoo doesn’t always kill nits. So be prepared that these may hatch later if they are not removed.

For this reason, and others, some people choose to use tweezers as their preferred method of removing head lice. To do this thoroughly, you really want to take the same approach as when using a lice comb. Take smaller sections of hair and gradually work through it. Keep in mind how things will be different, depending on whether or not you have used a lice shampoo. If the lice are dead, that’s one thing. However, if you are removing lice that are still alive, you need to make sure you have an effective way to get rid of them once they are removed from the hair. Some people will just have a small dish of alcohol that they can put them in. Others have used a piece of duct tape to stick them together. If you go this route, it’s best to be safe by putting the tape in an airtight bag when you’re done, just in case.