A nit-witted resource for parents and caretakers
An Excerpt from Let's Shave Our Heads and Sell the House: The Step-by-Step Guide for Parents Panicked Over Lice
Introduction
If you’re reading this, there’s either a lice infestation in your family or the threat of one in your community. And if that’s the case you may have been tempted to take drastic measures. The good news is that they are unnecessary; you can keep your hair and the house and still get rid of the head lice.
If you’re panicked about head lice, or if you’re just itching to get rid of them, ASAP, you probably won’t find the situation funny until later. But there’s more good news: if you’ve been charged with dispatching the lice in your life quickly, safely, and effectively, you’ve found one of the few resources available that explains exactly how in simple, small steps. (Please note that these instructions are not intended to replace your physician’s advice or treatment plan.)
Just the Facts
There are as many as 12 million cases of lice per year in the United States alone.
Head lice is the second most contagious childhood condition there is.
Because head lice are not responsible for spreading disease, they are not considered a health hazard.
Lice infestations are most common in children between 3 and 10 years old, but can occur at any age.
The US economic burden of head lice is up to $240 million per year for pharmacotherapy alone, and up to $1 billion per year for combined direct and indirect costs.
There’s no question lice are bothersome, however there’s no need to panic. That’s because I have already done enough panicking for all of us. When my daughter came home from preschool with lice, I spent lots of time, money, and energy discovering that there is a lot of generalized information about head lice, but most of it is impractical to parents who are interested in enjoying a relatively parasite-free lifestyle.
Although there are scads of products sold in stores and on the Internet, there was no way to know if they were safe or effective, despite most of them claiming to deliver miracles. I had no idea how long we would have to live with our lot of lice, and how long it would take or how much it would cost to really get them out of our hair, so to speak. Because my daughter would not be allowed to return to school until she was nit-free, I was desperate, and also a little embarrassed. Although lice infestations have nothing to do with hygiene or cleanliness, I feared we would become known as “that family with lice,” and the thought of insects crawling around on my little girl’s head, poking holes in her scalp was more than I could tolerate. I noticed during my hours of research that there was no single regimen, no “recipe,” no field guide or set of step-by-step instructions a parent or any other adult could follow to reliably and safely defeat this very loathsome problem in a timely manner. Now there is.
Hairsay
“Some parents would rather be faced with polio than lice.”
“At least there’s no extra laundry with polio.”
—Two parents in Colorado discussing an outbreak
How to Use This Guide
The instructions assembled here are divided into three phases:
Phase I—Comb Out
Phase II—Clean Up
Phase II—Maintenance
Do them in order, and then read the prologue, Life After Lice: The Debriefing. You’ll also find special tidbits of information scattered throughout. They are:
Questions and Answers—Commonly asked questions by parents and lice sufferers of all kinds.
First Things First—Particularly important things to know before you begin the next step.
No!—What not to do when eradicating lice.
”Hairsay”—Things people say about lice.
Just the Facts—Helpful tidbits for keeping you informed along the way.
Say Ahhh—When you should call your doctor for more information or for treatment.
Bright Ideas—Helpful hints that can make your work easier or (a little) more tolerable.
Wrap Up—A summary of what’s been covered in the section, besides your head.
Look Online—Reliable resources on the Internet where you’ll find more information.
Take Note—Reminders and things you may want to jot down for future reference.
Vocabulary—Definitions and frequently used terms.
If you’re reading this, there’s either a lice infestation in your family or the threat of one in your community. And if that’s the case you may have been tempted to take drastic measures. The good news is that they are unnecessary; you can keep your hair and the house and still get rid of the head lice.
If you’re panicked about head lice, or if you’re just itching to get rid of them, ASAP, you probably won’t find the situation funny until later. But there’s more good news: if you’ve been charged with dispatching the lice in your life quickly, safely, and effectively, you’ve found one of the few resources available that explains exactly how in simple, small steps. (Please note that these instructions are not intended to replace your physician’s advice or treatment plan.)
Just the Facts
There are as many as 12 million cases of lice per year in the United States alone.
Head lice is the second most contagious childhood condition there is.
Because head lice are not responsible for spreading disease, they are not considered a health hazard.
Lice infestations are most common in children between 3 and 10 years old, but can occur at any age.
The US economic burden of head lice is up to $240 million per year for pharmacotherapy alone, and up to $1 billion per year for combined direct and indirect costs.
There’s no question lice are bothersome, however there’s no need to panic. That’s because I have already done enough panicking for all of us. When my daughter came home from preschool with lice, I spent lots of time, money, and energy discovering that there is a lot of generalized information about head lice, but most of it is impractical to parents who are interested in enjoying a relatively parasite-free lifestyle.
Although there are scads of products sold in stores and on the Internet, there was no way to know if they were safe or effective, despite most of them claiming to deliver miracles. I had no idea how long we would have to live with our lot of lice, and how long it would take or how much it would cost to really get them out of our hair, so to speak. Because my daughter would not be allowed to return to school until she was nit-free, I was desperate, and also a little embarrassed. Although lice infestations have nothing to do with hygiene or cleanliness, I feared we would become known as “that family with lice,” and the thought of insects crawling around on my little girl’s head, poking holes in her scalp was more than I could tolerate. I noticed during my hours of research that there was no single regimen, no “recipe,” no field guide or set of step-by-step instructions a parent or any other adult could follow to reliably and safely defeat this very loathsome problem in a timely manner. Now there is.
Hairsay
“Some parents would rather be faced with polio than lice.”
“At least there’s no extra laundry with polio.”
—Two parents in Colorado discussing an outbreak
How to Use This Guide
The instructions assembled here are divided into three phases:
Phase I—Comb Out
Phase II—Clean Up
Phase II—Maintenance
Do them in order, and then read the prologue, Life After Lice: The Debriefing. You’ll also find special tidbits of information scattered throughout. They are:
Questions and Answers—Commonly asked questions by parents and lice sufferers of all kinds.
First Things First—Particularly important things to know before you begin the next step.
No!—What not to do when eradicating lice.
”Hairsay”—Things people say about lice.
Just the Facts—Helpful tidbits for keeping you informed along the way.
Say Ahhh—When you should call your doctor for more information or for treatment.
Bright Ideas—Helpful hints that can make your work easier or (a little) more tolerable.
Wrap Up—A summary of what’s been covered in the section, besides your head.
Look Online—Reliable resources on the Internet where you’ll find more information.
Take Note—Reminders and things you may want to jot down for future reference.
Vocabulary—Definitions and frequently used terms.
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