Meet Anna Krosche, Westchester's 'Lice Lady'

While September marks a welcome return to routine for parents and children, with the familiar school schedule and after-school activities, it also marks the start of the fall head lice season.

Finding a notice from the school nurse that there's a case of lice in the class can make any parent sick to his/her stomach. Those annoying poppy seed-size insects cause an amount of distress disproportionate to their size.

And that's where Anna Krosche—a k a the "Lice Lady of Westchester"—comes to the rescue.

"I'm not a nurse; I'm just a  mom," said Krosche, who's been meticulously removing head lice—and their eggs, known as nits—for the past 14 years.

Part therapist, part clinician, Krosche understands her clients' distress because she's been there. When her older daughter was in kindergarten, Krosche was horrified to receive a notice about head lice in the class. And when her younger daughter was in third grade and got head lice, Kosche admitted, "I was checking, but I didn't know what I was looking for. It took eight weeks to get rid of it."

When Krosche herself came down with head lice later that school year, after her younger daughter was infected again, Krosche practically broke down. "I lost all control," she recalled.

That experience led to the launch of a business partnership with a friend to provide a lice removal service. Now working on her own, with the help of an assistant as needed, Krosche relies on the Happyheads Bye-Bye chemical-free lice fighting and prevention products, a special metal comb, and her painstaking examination of each client's head under an intense magnifying light.

While she will make house calls on request, most of her clients come to her home office, which resembles a cross between a children's hair-cutting salon—complete with a selection of Disney videos for children to watch while they're being treated—and a quasi-dentist's office, with Krosche's special lighted magnifying glass and stool. Depending on the degree of the infestation, a session can last between an hour and an hour and a half; at the end, children receive small favors like lollypops and Silly Bandz.

Her services include post-camp head lice checks—some parents collect their children from the drop-off location and drive straight to Krosche's home—comb-out services for those who are anxious that they won't find all the lice or nits (or simply can't cope), and free presentations to schools, camps and other organizations. While most of her clients come from the Rivertowns and Westchester, Krosche has clients from Manhattan, the Albany area, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

 "I never say no," said Krosche, a native of Mount Vernon who's lived in the Ardsley school district for the past 18 years. "I've had people call at 9 p.m. in tears. I'm compassionate. People come to me crying."

While it's good to know there's a remedy near by, what can be done to prevent an infestation?

 Krosche believes that "lice are more prevalent because the way kids learn today is very different," she said. "They're called to the rug, there are lessons on the SmartBoard, they have reading buddies, there are a lot more small groups," which in turn, means lots more opportunities for children to have their heads next to one another.

And, added Krosche, "Kids are taught to share," which is generally a good idea, except when it comes to head lice.

 Still, Krosche said, "You can't make them live in a bubble."

 She recommended, among other suggestions, making sure your child has her own helmet for sports, reminding your children not to share combs, brushes, headphones, keeping hats and scarves in backpacks, and using a lice prevention spray.

Ultimately, however, perhaps what Krosche –the mother of two college-age young adults—provides to harried parents and their children is relief.

 "I hug everyone when they leave, when I know they're de-loused," said Krosche. "I'm trying to calm them down. I don't want to make kids afraid, or ashamed. This, too, shall pass."

For more information and helpful hints about how to deal with the dreaded lice, check out :www.TheLiceLadyofWestchester.com