Nothing to Fear From Camping

[Jody Reale]

Parents often claim they or their children came home from a camping trip with head lice. They assume that the creatures crawled onto them from the dirt, and because they went without showering for a few days, the lice stayed.

False.

The only way to get head lice from camping is to go camping with others who are infested. Since tents often mean close sleeping quarters, sharing pillows and clothing make it easy for those critters to crawl from their original host to everyone else.

So instead of worrying about getting lice from the great outdoors, you're best off making sure that the rest of your party is lice-free. Not sure how to ask gracefully? Wear a hat--don't share--and keep long hair up. Don't share brushes, combs, pillows, sleeping bags, or other personal items. And check yourself when you return. The instructions for performing a simple procedure on yourself and your family is outlined in the book.

And don't forget to remove food from your tent. Not because of the lice, of course. For the bears. They're a lot harder to get rid of than head lice.

Happy camping!