Head lice expert Dani Knapp sounds the alarm on the impending surge of “super lice” as schools reopen post-summer break, potentially rendering regular treatments ineffective.
Each year, the end of summer holidays signals a sharp 30% uptick in children coming home with head lice, sending parents into a panic buying frenzy for remedies at local shops.
Nitty Gritty‘s own lice authority, Dani Knapp, reveals this season’s challenge might be tougher than before, with conventional over-the-counter treatments potentially failing against these treatment-resistant critters.
With head lice encountering a battery of treatments over time, they’ve evolved resilience, leading to the emergence of “super lice”, as commonly referred to by frustrated parents and experts alike.
Many of the traditional treatment options stocked in supermarket aisles might not cut it any longer.
Knapp advises: “This is why you may have heard the term ‘Super Lice’ in recent years, which is simply what regular lice have been renamed to as they are becoming more and more difficult to eradicate.”
She warns that many popular products only kill the live bugs while neglecting the eggs, causing the cycle to replay after a seemingly successful treatment.
To combat this, Dani offers her wisdom on the effective elimination of head lice, candidly stating: “There is no ‘quick fix’ when it comes to head lice, it is all about breaking the life cycle and eradicating both the live lice and those pesky unhatched eggs.”
Doubling down on advice the NHS offers, Dani recommended wet combing, using fine-toothed lice combs on wet hair, to eliminate both live, dead and unhatched lice, specifically promoting some of Nitty Gritty’s product range.
For proper technique, she detailed: “You simply saturate the hair with ordinary hair conditioner and comb from roots to tips. Continue combing until you are no longer finding any live lice or eggs are coming out.”
Like with many parasites, prevention is often the cure, and while parents can’t completely shield their children from it, Dani suggested tying children’s hair back when possible as it’s easier for lice to transfer onto loose hair strands, as well as utilising defence sprays that repel lice.
She also implored parents to regularly inspect their children’s hair regardless of the presence of symptoms.
The expert clarified: “Not everyone feels itchy when head lice are present and in fact less than 50% of people have this reaction. So do not assume that your child does not have head lice just because they are not itchy.”