*Super Moms vs. Super Lice: What you Need to Know is a sponsored guest post. Lice Guard provided me with this content, and I added my thoughts at the end.*
Head lice are one of the most annoying pests for a household, not only because they’re gross but also because they often require intensive and repetitive treatment. Not to mention, they can be itchy and can cause allergic reactions from the constant scratching.
But did you know there is something even worse than regular lice? As humans have fought lice with various chemical shampoos and treatments over the past 20 years, lice have evolved into Super Lice – a form of lice that have evolved and become resistant to pesticides.
And these Super Lice? They’ve made most over-the-counter treatments a waste of time.
Like regular lice, Super Lice thrive on blood from the human scalp. They lay eggs called nits on the hair shaft and begin multiplying on the scalp. Like any pest, their goal is to feed and multiply.
Once you have Super Lice, it’s up to you – Super Mom! – to try to stop them from succeeding.
While Super Lice are immune to many over-the-counter solutions, the truth is that many of those solutions are harmful and not worth using because of their side effects, and it’s probably time to start weeding them out of treatment plans. Today, we’ll discuss myths of Super Lice as well as how to get rid of them in an effective, efficient and safe way.
Common Myths of Lice and Super Lice
The first step to treating your Super Lice is learning the common myths and debunking them. For example, some believe that lice can fly – they cannot and neither can Super Lice. All types of lice are spread through physical contact.
Another myth that sometimes incites panic in victims of lice and Super Lice is that they spread disease or infection. The truth is that lice and Super Lice aren’t inherently unhealthy nor are they dangerous. This is because, unlike some other pests, they don’t carry disease. More than anything, they’re irritating, leading to lots of itching. The scratching is what leads to infection, not the lice themselves.
What Not To Do
Speaking of myths, there are also a lot of myths going around concerning ways to get rid of lice. There are many at-home remedies that people have read about online or heard about from friends, which range from pointless to just plain silly.
For example, people have tried covering their head with mayonnaise and olive oil in an attempt to smother the insects. This may actually work to kill the pests, but they do little in the way of clearing out the nits, or eggs.
One of the biggest ways people are trying to get rid of lice is by using special shampoos and ointments, 60% of which, when bought over the counter, contain the – toxic ingredient Permethrin.
Not only does this pesticide have harmful side effects, ranging from skin rashes to nausea to even breathing problems, but research has shown that head lice in 48 states are completely resistant to these treatments. So there’s really no reason to attempt to use them. Permethrin is one of the two most commonly used ingredients in many name-brand treatments.
Harmful Household Cures
As mentioned above, Permethrin is a harmful ingredient found in many household, over-the-counter lice treatments, and so is Pyrethrin. When going up against Super Lice, many doctors and specialists will refer you a handful of various treatments, such as Ulesfia, Ovide or Natroba. All three of these are effective against Super Lice, to some degree. However, all three have side effects. Each of them carry a risk of irritating the skin, and Ovide even warns that their lotion is flammable and shouldn’t be used near any electric heat, which isn’t what you want to hear when putting something on your child’s scalp.
When choosing a treatment for Super Lice in your home, it’s best to seek out a solution that won’t end up harming you or your kiddos more than the pests.
The Right Treatment for Super Lice
With all that in mind, we recommend looking for and using an electric comb, such as Robicomb, which helps get rid of lice and Super Lice in safe, effective ways, without harmful chemicals or pesticides. The last thing you want when treating your children (or yourself) for Super Lice is to end up more itchy and irritable than you were before.
An electric comb uses technology to zap and kill lice on contact without harming the scalp, while also effectively pulling out nits. When you use one, there’s no messy, toxic shampoo or lotion to apply afterward; simply run the comb through clean and dry hair, and eliminate lice and nits on contact.
Once your child is clean and Super Lice-free, it’s a good idea to talk with them about the importance of not sharing hats and hair brushes. You should also make sure to check your shampoo labels for pyrethroid ingredients from now on, now that you know how harmful they can be.
This post is sponsored by Lice Guard.
My personal experience
We have had head lice many times in my household. Nit-picking is a pain, and incredibly time consuming, especially as my daughters have LONG hair. There is nothing that substitutes for it, though this comb may be a close second. Getting every last nit out is the only way to be certain you’re clean. Washing or segregating everything the kids have touched is also key. If you can’t clean it, store it in a plastic bag for at least two weeks to ensure the lice are dead before reintroducing it to your child.
Head lice are awful. But they are also manageable. I have written a post on ways we have dealt with them in the past: Head lice – Every parent’s nightmare. Take a look at that post, and let me know if you have any tried and true tips on ways to deal with an infestation.
Jess