Everyone knows them; everyone fears them. Lice are one of the most annoying creatures out there, second only to maybe bed bugs and fleas when it comes to household pests. While not technically dangerous to humans, lice are irritating, causing itchiness and pain. They can even lead to infection if you scratch too much.
Even worse, a new variety of lice has emerged in the last few years, which experts have dubbed “Super Lice.” These creatures are basically the same as lice, just stronger and more stubborn — because they’ve evolved to be resistant to traditional treatments.
It’s thought that 98.3% of lice are now Super Lice, and that number could reach 100% as lice continue to get more resistant to traditional treatment methods.
The Facts
Lice carry a false stigma, namely that anyone with lice has lousy hygiene. But anyone can get lice! That’s why they’re so common. In fact, they prefer clean hair.
The best way to keep lice out of your children’s hair, then, is by making sure they understand what the insects are and the dangers of sharing hats or combs.
However, even the most prepared children aren’t immune to Super Lice. If this seems scary, don’t worry. We’re here to help. In this article, we’ll talk about various treatments that don’t work (some of which are even dangerous) as well as the best possible way to treat your lice.
Ineffective Home Remedies
Anyone can get Super Lice, but the most common victims are children, especially those in childcare, elementary schools and camps.
Why?
Once one child has them, it’s difficult to stop them from spreading. Every year, between 6 and 12 million infestations occur among children ages 3 to 11.
Because lice have been a problem in children for, well, centuries, there has been plenty of time for rumors to develop about household remedies. Most of these remedies are ineffective, however. And some are downright ridiculous!
For example, some believe that mayonnaise, olive oil or other dense fats rubbed on the scalp can kill the pesky bugs by drowning/suffocating them. These treatments require the lotion or fat to be on your head for at least 8-12 hours. (Think you can get your child to sit still with mayo on their head for a whole day?)
And, the worst part? They don’t actually get rid of the eggs, just the lice themselves.
Toxic Techniques
Over-the-counter treatments are even worse than some of the sillier at-home methods. Many of these treatments are harmful and dangerous for adults and children alike. These over-the-counter treatments include the ingredients permethrin and pyrethrin, both of which are toxic. They’ve been shown to cause redness, swelling, even more itching and respiratory distress.
Many other shampoos and lotions, even if they don’t contain these chemicals, can cause side effects that no one wants, and some of them are even flammable. (If there’s one thing you don’t want on your head even more than lice, it’s fire…)
You don’t need to panic; just be smart when deciding how to get rid of the pesky bugs. Lice are annoying, but remember, people deal with them every day. Being patient and smart about your treatment will go a long way.
Effective Treatments
Even before Super Lice, these toxic treatments were a bad idea. But they worked, so no one really considered the side effects.
While Super Lice’s immunity towards many common treatments is frustrating, it has had one benefit: we’re reconsidering which treatments we should be using.
There are plenty of treatments your doctor might prescribe to your children, but the unfortunate truth is that, even though many of these are effective against Super Lice, they still have some irritating and even painful side effects.
And the longer we use these treatments, the more immune Super Lice get.
The Best Way
If at-home remedies only solve part of the problem, over-the-counter treatments are toxic and prescription solutions are sometimes flammable and itchy, what are we supposed to do? Give up and let the lice take over our kids’ heads? Absolutely not.
The best way to defeat lice once and for all is by using an electric lice comb, such as the RobiComb. The RobiComb uses MicroCharge technology to electrocute and eliminate the lice with such a small charge that you and your children can barely feel it. It’s painless, you won’t have to worry about any toxic shampoos or itchy lotions and it simultaneously kills the lice and removes the nits that stick to hair follicles.
As a bonus, there’s no odor or mess to clean up once you’re done; simply rinse your hair to make sure you get all the remains out, and you’re home free. The RobiComb even includes a guard so that your scalp remains unblemished. Use RobiComb for a safe, effective treatment so your scalp can be lice-free in a matter of hours.
Inbal Gabrieli has 20 years of management experience in project management and operations. She’s passionate about business execution, innovations and making things happen. Inbal holds an MBA with honors and a bachelor’s degree in statistics and human resources. Inbal is currently running Operations for LiceGuard LLC. When not working, Inbal enjoys cooking international food and spending time with her family.
Leave a Reply