5 Tips To Fight 'Super Lice' as Kids Go Back To School

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You may have heard about ‘super lice,’ a strain of the harmful head bugs that studies have shown to be resistant to over-the-counter treatments. They’ve appeared in at least 25 states, including California, right as kids are going back to school, ramping up the threat of spreading the infestation.

 

Here are five ways to fight these creatures, both before and after an infestation occurs:

 

1. Avoid head-to-head contact. Lice spread most frequently from direct contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Your children should avoid direct contact with other kids’ heads and, specifically, their hair: headbutting playing sports, hugging, having sleepovers or staying in close quarters at camp. If they don’t make direct contact, it’s tougher for the lice to jump on board.

 

2. Don’t share clothes, especially jackets and hats. This is the other most common way lice spread, the CDC says. Make sure your child has their own shirts, hats, hair ribbons/barrettes, sports uniforms and—especially as the weather cools down—jackets and scarves. Bulky clothes are more likely to be in contact with a person’s head or hair, giving lice a free ride to hop on board and find a new host. If possible, have them hang their jackets etc on the back of their school chair instead of intermingled on a coat rack.

 

And if for some reason they need to share clothes...

 

3. Wash clothes and sheets regularly. Lice can’t live off of their host for more than a day or so, but to make sure they’re completely dead, wash clothes, sheets and pillowcases regularly in hot water to completely neutralize them and their eggs. If you know your child shared his or her jacket, give it a good, hard wash to make sure any possible critters won’t survive.

 

4. Try specialized shampoo and combs. If you know lice have made a home on your child’s head, your first step should be a special lice shampoo and comb that is available at most pharmacies. The shampoo has special chemicals designed to fight off the pests, and fine combs have been made to weed out the lice and nits, their eggs. If this doesn't work effectively you may be dealing with some of the ‘super lice’ mentioned in the above study.

 

In that case...

 

5. See your doctor for stronger medicine. There are still treatments out there that these so-called super lice aren’t yet resistant to, but many of them are only available via prescription.