When treating head lice
• Do not use extra amounts of any lice medication unless
instructed to do so by your physician or pharmacist. The
drugs used to treat lice are insecticides and can be
dangerous if they are misused or overused.
• All the medications listed above should be kept out of the
eyes. If they get onto the eyes, they should be immediately
flushed away.
• Do not treat someone more than 2–3 times with the same
medication if it does not seem to be working. This may be
caused by using the medicine incorrectly or by resistance to
the medicine. Always seek the advice of your health care
provider if this should happen. He/she may recommend an
alternative medication.
• Do not use different head lice drugs at the same time unless
instructed to do so by your physician or pharmacist.
Getting rid of lice in the home
 Hats, scarves, pillow cases, bedding, clothing, and towels
worn or used by the infested person in the 2-day period
just before treatment is started can be machine washed
and dried using the hot water and hot air cycles because
lice and eggs are killed by exposure for 5 minutes to
temperatures greater than 130°F.
 Soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°F)
for 5–10 minutes.
 Items that cannot be laundered may be dry-cleaned or
sealed in a plastic bag for two weeks.
 Vacuuming furniture and floors can remove hairs that
might have viable nits attached.
o The risk of getting infested by a louse that has
fallen onto a rug/carpet or furniture is very low.
Spending much time and money on house
cleaning activities is not necessary to avoid
re-infestation by lice or nits that may have fallen
off the head or crawled onto furniture or
clothing.
Preventing head lice from coming back
 Continue to check for 2–3 weeks to be sure all lice
and nits are gone.
 Inspect household items that can get infested with
lice and nits — towels, rugs, and bedding.
 Look carefully at the clothes your child has worn during
the past 2 days for lice and their eggs.
 Reinforce the message to
stop sharing anything that touches the head.
 Tell your child to
stop head-to-head contact with other kids.
 All people in the same home, and other close
“head-to-head” contacts of the previous 4-6 weeks
should be contacted. Tell them to look for lice and
treat if they find any. All people with head lice in the same
home should be treated at the same time. This stops lice
from being passed around again and again.
Removing head lice from hair
NEEDED: over-the-counter head lice medication and detection
comb (lice comb)
RID, NIX, and Vamousse are name brands, but generic/store
brands are available (HealthMart, Smart Sense, GoodSense,
LiceFree, Equaline).
Bottles of medication or complete kits can be found at several
area locations, including Stone Drugs, Albertson’s SavOn
Pharmacy, Kmart, and Smith’s. More “organic” treatments are
available at Jackson Whole Grocer (QuitNits) and Lucky’s.
 Before applying treatment, it may be helpful to
remove clothing that can become wet or stained
during treatment.
 Apply lice medicine, also called pediculicide,
according to the instructions contained in the box or
printed on the label. If the infested person has very
long hair (longer than shoulder length), it may be
necessary to use a second bottle. Pay special
attention to instructions on the label or in the box
regarding how long the medication should be left on
the hair and how it should be washed out.
 Do not use a combination shampoo/conditioner, or
conditioner before using lice medicine. Do not wash
the hair for 1–2 days after the lice medicine is rinsed
out. These measures may reduce the effectiveness of
the lice medications.
 Pull the detection comb through from the scalp to
the end the hair gently and slowly before rinsing.
KNOW HOW TO PREVENT…
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR…
KNOW WHAT TO DO…
KNOW HOW TO PREVENT IT
FROM HAPPENING AGAIN!
The eggs are yellow, brown, or tan and about the
size of a pinhead. These seem glued to the hair. If
the eggs have hatched, you will see clear shells.
Magnified picture of head lice
on a fine tooth comb.
460 East Pearl P.O. Box 937
Jackson, WY 83001
(307) 733-6401
HEAD L
ICE