Back to school is one of the peak head lice spreading seasons, and when the weather gets cold children wear hats and scarfs allowing for easier contamination. However, there are things you can do to help!

**Preventative Measures:
-Keep hair short and pulled back  (lice mainly spread from hair-to-hair contact)
-Discourage sharing of clothing or hair products (lice can only live up to 15 hours without feeding on human blood)
– Using ingredients from this list will to help deter them. Add a few drops to shampoo and bottle to spray fabrics such as backpacks and clothes:

• Coconut
• Tea tree
• Lavender
• Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• Lemon grass
• Peppermint

**Location:
Keep an eye at the base of the hair shaft nearest the scalp. Lice are usually hiding more at the nape of the neck or behind the ears.

**Treatment:-
-Over the counter kits can be purchased, follow instructions and don’t use more than once a week
-Carefully remove nits with specialized comb
-Wash clothes, bedding, stuffed animals…anything touched that can spread

Help your little ones enjoy the snowy season without all the itching!

 -Alexa, Hair Stylist