Long Hair and Lice

Your daughter’s beautiful long hair may mean it is even more difficult to get rid of head lice. It is not necessary to cut the hair short or shave the head! It will take more patience, more conditioner or lice shampoo and tons of loving care but you can control and rid long hair of head lice.

If you are using the condition and comb method of lice control, try sectioning the long hair before applying the conditioner. It may save a mess of tangled hair, excessive pulling, and loss of patience by both the child and the parent. Part the hair in the middle of the scalp and use hair clips to pull each section back and separate. Apply the conditioner at the part line. This will stop the lice from traveling from one section to another during treatment. Saturate the section of hair you will be working on first. Treat the part line again too. Massage the conditioner into the section you will be working on, preferably at the nape of the neck. Using the nit comb, start at the base of the hair shaft and comb down the length of the hair in one stroke.

Look for lice or nits after wiping the comb on a paper towel or tissue. Continue combing this section until you no longer find any lice or nits on the paper towel then go on to another section. Each section will need to be combed through several times to get all the lice and nits in each section.

Start on a new section applying conditioner to the part line as you did before. A good lice comb is an important accessory when using the condition and comb method for long hair. Head lice will congregate near the crown of the head so it may not be until you reach that section that you will find anything but eggs or nymphs. If the infestation is severe, you will find head lice everywhere on the head. This method should also remove any nymphs, the second stage in the life of a head louse. They may be hard to see without a magnifying glass but can be seen on the paper towel when you wipe the comb.

Long hair can successfully be treated for head lice. You may want to snip individual hairs at the scalp if they have an egg attached but a good nit comb or your fingernail will also work to remove the nit. If your child has long hair, it is important to educate them about head lice and how they are passed from one head to another. Little girls think it is fun to share personal items with their friends but this is not a good idea! They should not share hats, scarves, combs, brushes, coats, sweaters, or hair accessories.

Another way of protecting your child’s long hair is to keep it tightly braided. If it is braided it will be easier to see any problems before they have a chance to develop into a severe infestation.