When times are tight around the home front, I occasionally moonlight as a substitute teacher. As luck would have it, during my two month stint as a first grade teacher, there was a lice outbreak at the school. One notoriously unhygienic little boy — we’ll call him Johnny — came off of the school bush scratching his head with both hands. By noon, we called his mother to come get him and sent home a pamphlet in his backpack.
Lucky me, I also periodically babysit Johnny. The night I came over, he’d been back at school for two days. As his mother gave out kisses and walked out the door, he and his kid sister had both hands in their hair and were scratching like terriers.
The Supplies
As soon as their mother’s headlights pulled out of the driveway we got in my car and drove to the nearest drug store. Everyone gave me and my two scratching monkeys an excessively wide berth as I combed the aisles for my weapons of choice: lice shampoo and a nit comb. Most people know about washing out lice, but I’ve dealt with enough school infestations to know that you’ve got to get the babies to break the cycle. A nit comb is a fine comb that breaks the nits’ (nits are lice eggs) bond with the hair.
Wash out the Lice
Tackling two little kids at once is a task I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I recommend singing songs. Trying to remember the words will keep them distracted while the lice shampoo sits and kills the lice. Keep a towel in one hand to tackle any dripping shampoo. Be sure to read the shampoo’s label beforehand. Take your eyes off of those little angels and they’ll manage to get soap in each other’s eyes during the five seconds you looked away. Have them cover their eyes and rinse well, then towel them down and tackle the nits.
Entertainment
Ratatouille makes a great lice removing movie. It’s long and entertaining and has few of the kind of action scenes that send kids bouncing out of their seats. Whatever movie you choose, make sure it’s engaging enough to keep them still for the duration. Keep juice boxes and snacks on hand for the inevitable “I’m huuungry” breakdown.
Salad Hair
To help the nit comb slide through hair, you need lubrication. I call this step “salad hair” because making it a game means less confusion and tears. If you happen to be watching Ratatouille, you can make a paper chef’s hat and pretend your making little kid entrees. Once you’ve massaged the olive oil into their hair and it’s like stringy pasta salid, put it into a loose pony tail if you can. Keep hair clips nearby to keep the sections in order.
The Nit Comb
You need bright light to spot the little buggers. If the room is poorly lit, stand a lamp near you. Pull out a section at the nape of the neck that’s about as wide as the nit comb itself. Hold the tail end of the hair section with one hand so that it sticks out straight and fairly taught. Place the nit comb at the very base of the hair at the scalp. Comb forward slowly to the tips of the hair.
Look for nits on the comb and back in the section of the hair. They look like white or brown specs clinging to the hair. Dip the nit comb in a bowl of soapy water to rinse off and kill the nits. No, they can’t look at the nits, they can see them when you’re all done if they sit very quietly. Re-comb that section of hair if you still see nits. If not, move on to the next, thin section. Work section by section until you’ve gone through an entire head of hair.
Wash Your Hair Again
It’s time for a second wash. Let them finish the movie if they complain. This time, use their normal brand of shampoo. The lice and the nits are gone. Now you’re just trying to remove the olive oil and any lice or nit debris. After you towel dry your hair, have your partner check for nits again. Work section by section as before. This time, if you spot the odd nit, snip off the strand of hair with a pair of nail scissors.
Clean the Nit Comb
Fill a bowl with boiling water. Pop the nit comb in and let it soak for 15 minutes. This will kill any nits that may be hiding in it’s tines. Scrub the nit comb with soapy water and rinse it thoroughly before putting it away.