Is There a Season for Head Lice?

When I opened my lice treatment franchise in Clark three years ago, people would always ask me, "Is there a season for head lice?" It's the most common question the NJ Lice Lady hears.  The answer? "No." Sure, there are times when identification of head lice is more common: back-to-school, summer camp, after breaks from school, but this doesn't mean that more people have lice at those times than at any others during the year.

Lice live on people. They don't live on things or in places. Sadly, most people fail to understand this basic fact of human head louse biology. What it means is that it doesn't matter how cold it gets outside...it's always 98.6 degrees on the human head. Cold winters mean nothing to head lice. Unlike fleas, lice overwinter on our warm, humid heads. Depending on where you fetch your statistics, at any given time somewhere between 1-3% of school-aged children have head lice.

If your child is going to camp this summer, there's a chance they will come in contact with someone in that 1-3% in the course of a group hug, a fun-filled photo op or that they might be the next kid in line for the helmet that just came off little-mister/miss-1-3%'s head. Your best chances for avoiding a lice problem in your family? A product containing peppermint, like KaPOW! Lice Defense Spray,  which acts as a repellent and regular weekly head checks. THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE WAYS OF PREVENTING LICE. Anyone who claims to have a magic bullet is peddling snake oil and you should run quickly in the other direction. The bottom line? Even if one person in your family acquires these pesky buggers, you can keep the problem from spreading by finding it early.

Regardless of the time of year, parents of school-aged children should be checking regularly for lice. Like strep and the flu, it's just something many kids get and that may eventually find its way to your home. If you find it quickly, you will likely eliminate any opportunity for the rest of your family too become infested.

Want to learn how to check effectively and properly for lice in your own home? Contact me for more information at (908) 548-4480 or njlicelady@gmail.com

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