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Safely screen, detect, and remove head lice and nits.

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10 Steps To Staying Ahead of Lice

You are here: Home / What Are Head Lice and Nits? / Frequently Asked Questions / 10 Steps To Staying Ahead of Lice
  1. Watch for signs of head lice, such as frequent head scratching. Anyone can get head lice… mainly by head-to-head contact but also from sharing hats, brushes and headrests. Lice do not jump or fly.
  2. Check all family members for lice and nits (lice eggs) at least once a week. Only those infested should be treated. Lice are reddish-brown wingless insects, nits are grayish-white, always oval shaped, and are glued at an angle to the side of the hair shaft.
  3. Be sure not to confuse nits with hair debris such as bright irregularly shaped clumps of dandruff stuck to the hair shaft or elongated segments of dandruff encircling the hair shaft and easily dislodged. Lice treatment is not appropriate for hair debris.
  4. Consult your pharmacist or physician before applying or using lice treatment pesticides when the person involved is pregnant, nursing, has allergies, asthma, epilepsy, has pre-existing medical conditions, or has lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes. Never use a pesticide on or near the eyes.
  5. Remember, all lice-killing products are pesticides. If you choose to purchase an over-the-counter treatment, follow the directions carefully and use with caution. If the product fails, do not switch to other over-the-counter treatments or use any prescription products as a “last resort”. This can be potentially harmful. Manual Removal is the safe alternative and a necessary component to any head lice treatment regimen.
  6. Follow package directions carefully. Use the product over the sink, not in the tub or shower. Always keep the eyes covered.
  7. Remove all nits. This assures total lice treatment. Separate hair in sections and remove all attached nits with the NPA’s LiceMeister® comb, baby safety scissors, or your fingernails.
  8. Wash bedding and recently worn clothing in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. Combs and brushes may be soaked in hot water (not boiling) for 10 minutes.
  9. Avoid lice sprays! Vacuuming is the safest and best way to remove lice or fallen hairs with attached nits from upholstered furniture, rugs, stuffed animals and car seats.
  10. Notify your child’s school, camp, child care provider, neighborhood parents, or click here to report a lice outbreak to the NPA. Check for lice on a regular basis. This is the best way to protect your family and community.

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National Pediculosis Association,® Inc.

National Pediculosis Association Mission Statement

The NPA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated since 1983 to protecting children, their families and their environment from the misuse and abuse of prescription and over-the-counter pesticide treatments for lice and scabies.

Pediculosis (the medical term for an infestation of lice) provides a public health opportunity to teach important lessons about communicable disease preparedness, responsible personal behaviors, environmental health, and the importance of learning about pharmaceutical remedies before using them on our children and ourselves.

NPA is committed to setting the highest possible public health standards for children as they relate to the communicability and treatment of head lice. NPA has been the leader in raising pediculosis as a public health priority and a pioneer in public health education and research on pediculosis.

The National Pediculosis Association,® Inc. (NPA)
1005 Boylston Street / STE 343
Newton, MA 02461
617-905-0176 / npa@headlice.org

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About LiceMeister® Comb

The NPA developed the LiceMeister® comb in 1997 to accomplish its mission by providing a higher standard for lice combing tools and a safe, cost-effective treatment alternative to pesticides. All proceeds from sales of the LiceMeister comb allow the NPA to be self-sustaining and independent from product manufacturers while accomplishing its mission of protecting children from the misuse and abuse of pesticide treatments for lice.

Since 1997, the LiceMeister comb has been the preferred choice of many health professionals and the gold standard in combing tools for lice and nits (lice eggs). It is an FDA cleared medical device (510K) for the purposes of routine screening, early detection and removal of lice and nits, and it is the only comb to carry the name of the National Pediculosis Association.

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