Declaring War On Lice

Lice is a four-letter word that you don't want to hear about, let alone experience as a mother. When my phone rang last week and my friend told me that her daughter had lice, I had two things run through my head:

First: Were we exposed? Should I be checking my boys' scalps? Should I be at right now emptying the shelves of RID? 

Second: I don't have time for this. No one does. It's one of those nightmares that parents fear.

I quickly snapped out of my selfish thoughts and came back to offer her support and advice. I haven't been through it with my kids, but my niece had a grueling three-week battle earlier in the summer. I know how difficult it is to defeat the mighty nit. This wasn't going to be easy. When it comes to lice, it's a full-blown war.

With my niece, it took three weeks and prescription shampoo to finally win the battle. There were nitpicking sessions every morning and again before bed. There were tears, from both adult and child, as they tried desperately to get rid of the lice. Eventually the lice were defeated, but it was exhausting, time-consuming, and gross.

So, now I'm talking to my friend and I'm telling her about what I know lies ahead for her. She told me she called all the parents of kids who had been exposed to her daughter. She sounded miserable and beaten. She didn't sound ready for war at all.

We ended the call and I didn't feel like I helped her. I felt like a bad friend, especially since I was so grateful it wasn't happening to me.

The next day I called her to get an update on the battle and to check on her sanity. I was surprised when she answered the phone in a lively voice. She sounded like she had won the lottery. I'm pretty sure that if she did win the lottery, she would still be suffering from lice, so what gives?

It turned out that she was referred to the Lice Doctors, a semi-national lice removal service. She called the day before and that evening a trained lice warrior from Bryn Mawr showed up on her doorstep, ready to eliminate lice from their lives.

The Lice Doctor checked everyone's hair, five heads in total. She discovered that another child was also carrying lice and then treated both kids. She was there for two hours, cost $200 and, according to my friend, the Lice Doctor was worth every penny.

I decided to check out the Lice Doctor for myself, just in case my luck runs out and lice heads our way. I called the Philadelphia-metro phone number on their website and talked to Karen Messenger, a trained lice “doctor.” Karen walked me through the steps.

Lice Doctors will send a trained specialist to your home, have them check everyone's heads, and then those with lice present receive an olive oil-based plan they have been using successfully for 15 years. First, they apply the olive oil, comb it out, wash the hair, and hand pick out all nits.

Karen shared a few key facts about lice that are important to know when fighting this war:

• Lice have become resistent to chemical solutions.

Lice Doctors is a guaranteed service, so if the lice don't go away, they will come back and repeat their treatment plan again. It might seem like a lot of money, but after comparing my niece's experience– multiple bottles of RID, a $120 bottle of prescription shampoo, the twice, daily nitpicking sessions, and losing three weeks of summer fun with her friends, the Lice Doctors seem like a logical, cost- and time-efficient solution.

Meanwhile, my friend's daughter and her sibling are lice- and nit-free. They continue to do olive oil treatments and combing sessions, but there have been no signs of nits or lice since the Lice Doctors came to the rescue.

I felt great after talking to Karen at Lice Doctors. Recalling my own childhood infestations, I'm not sure that I have the stamina to fight lice myself. I heard somewhere that lice don't like dirty or greasy hair, so I am hoping that my children's resistance to showering will actually turn out to be a positive thing when it comes to avoiding a lice war in my house.

Check back with Marple Newtown Patch on Wednesday for Moms Talk, where I ask other local moms about their solutions for lice removal and avoidance.

For more information about lice, refer to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website.