Two weeks ago I received an e-mail from the principal of my daughter’s school that there were several cases of lice in the school, across grade levels. However none was in my daughter’s class. A few friends and I were talking about the e-mail the following day and one of the moms mentioned that it had been in her son’s class a few times and that she had used Rapunzel’s Lice Boutique and recommended their products. I had also knew someone else who had used their services a few years ago and recommended them.
Based on these recommendations I contacted Rapunzel’s and we agreed that they would give my daughter a complimentary head check and I could interview them about their services and lice in general for my blog. Well, I got a lot more than I bargained for – my daughter had lice. It only took a few combs for them to find lice in my daughter’s hair. Then they checked mine…I had it too.
Part of the problem with the spread of lice is that 60% of people show no symptoms of itching with lice. Unfortunately, both my daughter and I fall into that 60%. The only time I itched was when my friends and I were talking about lice (and so was everyone else). In their experiences, mothers contract lice about 80% of the time that their children have it. Father’s are more fortunate with only a 20% contraction rate…sure enough, my husband was lice free when I checked him. They are not sure why father’s have a lower contraction rate, but I am sure it is a combination of generalizations – fathers have shorter hair, children tend to cuddle more with their mother, more mothers are stay at home parents.
Fortunately, Rapunzel’s offers lice removal services. They use their LouseBuster™ which dehydrates the live lice and then comb out the nits. In clinical trials as an FDA approved medical device, the LouseBuster™ was found to be 99.2% effective. Finally, they treat your hair with an all-natural oil which will kill any remaining live lice. You leave the oil on for at least 10 minutes and then wash it out at home. 10 days later you reapply oil at home to kill any remaining lice or nits. They also provide a head check at 14 days to confirm that you are lice free. Their service is expensive ($145/person), but for our first experience and with my thick hair it was worth it. I had enough work to do making sure the house was lice free.
During treatment, they have a television with DVD player, iPads, and access to Netflix to keep the kids occupied. While we were there, I observed mostly mothers with their children, some of whom were quite a bit younger than my daughter.
While we were being treated, I had the opportunity to ask a few questions.
- Lice are a human exo parasite with three different types – head, body, and pubic – that can only live in that environment. Body lice are not typically found in developed countries.
- Human head lice do not live on animals, so you should not need to worry about your pets.
- They have not noticed a strong seasonality to lice. Although, they do seem to be busier during the summer and after school breaks. My theory on this is that children are exposed to a wider circle of children during breaks – new camps each week in the summer, more playground or play place visits, etc.
To sanitize your house, they recommend 30 minutes in the dryer on hot for bedding (including pillows), clothing, towels, etc. Stuffed animals and soft toys can either go in the dryer on high for 30 minutes or be bagged for 2 weeks. Items like hairbrushes and barrettes can be frozen for 24 hours, boiled, or run through a sanitize cycle on the dishwasher. Carpets should be vacuumed and a lint roller works great on car seats, sofas, and other large soft items.
They also offer their Lice-Sense products for home treatment. You apply Lice-Sense Nit Glue Dissolver ($14.99), then comb out the nits and live bugs with the Fairy Lice Mother’s Magic Wand ($13.99), then you treat with Lice-Sense Extra Strength Lice Killer ($14.99 for 4 oz, $24.99 for 8 oz). The lice killer is a silicone-based oil that clogs the lungs of the louse so they cannot breathe.
Traditional treatments (such as Rid or Nix) are neuro-toxic pesticides that were over 95% effective 20 years ago. Unfortunately, lice have built up a resistance and they are now 45-60% effective. There are prescription treatments, but they are no more than 90% effective and are often not covered by insurance.
Lice are transmitted directly from hair strand to hair strand, so short hair and wearing hair up in pony tails/braids are good deterrents.
