A Local Expert's Tips for Those at Their Nit's End

Don't bring plastic combs anywhere near Dale Longworth.

 "A plastic comb doesn't do anything," said Longworth, who calls herself the Lice & Nit Expert of Dobbs Ferry and who runs Lice Off, Inc. "Not all eggs and bugs die from pesticides, especially now that we have super lice.A metal comb is essential."

If Longworth sounds a little zealous about lice, well, she is. And has been for the past 14 years, ever since her now-grown daughter came down with head lice that long ago summer.

"I didn't know what I was looking for," admitted Longworth.

Lucky for other families plagued by the tiny parasites, now she does—and has made a business removing and treating lice that afflict others. She's also made it her business to educate people about how to look for lice and what to do once they've been detected.

Longworth recalled that, until her daughter came down with them, lice had "never crossed my path. When I was notified by a friend, I should have looked at my daughter's head longer." In her eagerness to decontaminate her home, Longworth threw out mattresses and pillows, but neglected careful and intense scrutiny of her daughter's head.

Longworth learned from her mistake. "The main thing is the head," insisted Longworth. "It has to be clean of all the eggs and bugs."

Her focus, whether she treats clients in their own homes or in her salon, remains the head.

She uses a line of natural products, from the Lice Logic company, which includes an all-natural lice shampoo. A treatment, which can range from one to three hours, depending on the degree of infestation, includes a check under a lighted magnification lamp, shampooing, a complete comb-out using Longworth's special conditioner paste, and a re-check after the head is cleaned. She sends clients home with the products, and requests that they return for a follow-up visit within a week.

"Patience and perseverance are the way to go with lice," said Longworth, who was born in California and grew up in the Dobbs Ferry home where she now lives. "It go away in one day."

She cautions that lice can spread in ways that may not be so apparent.

 "It doesn't have to be head-to-head contact," said Longworth. "You can have two kids sitting on the couch, watching TV."

Longworth has other recommendations to avoid lice.

"Don't wash your hair every day," she said. "Lice love super-clean hair."

Another trick Longworth deploys is spraying hair with plenty of hairspray or gel. "The bug doesn't like certain smells, and will be kept away."

 She's convinced that fragrances like rosemary, tea tree and lavender keep away the annoying critter, and urges clients to spray furniture as well as heads.
Longworth, who sports short hair, has never gotten lice.

"If hair is down, bugs travel up the hair like a ladder," she said. "We tell the girls to wear their hair up in a bun, in a high ponytail, or in braids."

Reducing contact with others' heads is key.

 "Don't share helmets, hats, scarves, hairbrushes and combs," said Longworth, who also recommends that people be careful with headphones and headgear, as well as dress-up clothes.

While lice are more prevalent among children, no one is immune, said Longworth, who is also the mother of a 17-year-old son. She's seen grandparents who pick up the bugs from their grandchildren

Longworth and her staff of eight technicians travel around the metro area, from Rockland, Connecticut and New Jersey to Long Island and Pennsylvania, with an hourly rate of $70 for visits to her Dobbs Ferry salon , or $ 90 an hour for house calls.. She also does presentations for schools and PTAs.

For more information, check out liceoffinc.com