When you hear “Mom! My head is itchy” don’t burn down the house, yet. Breathe and turn here for tips on how to get rid of lice without losing your mind!

How to get rid of lice without losing your mind

I am proud to work with Vamousse on this post. They provided samples of Vamousse lice treatments and lice prevention products, in addition to other compensation, in return for my honest review. Every opinion stated in this post is 100% mine.

If you are the parent of school-aged children and have yet to experience the excitement of a lice infestation, rest assured, it’s merely a matter of time before you hear “mom, my head is itchy!”

We have four boys, all with relatively short hair, yet we have not been exempt from our fair share of lice. Over the years, I have learned a great deal about what to do and ESPECIALLY what NOT to do when lice move in.

It was just a few months ago, one of our kids absentmindedly said “mom… mom, my hair is super itchy” (as he continuously scratched his head). I gave him the “are you KIDDING ME” look of someone previously traumatized by lice.

Back in the day, I would have had a total freak-out moment, but not this time. I kept my cool, relatively speaking, and simply implemented my 8 step lice-eradication program, (which sounds really official, doesn’t it?!) Well, I am about to share it with you!

The tips and old wives-tales of our youth are outdated and most of them are no longer accurate. This post will give you the latest tips and science-based information about how to get rid of lice – and I promise, it’s possible to do so without losing your mind.

How to rid your family of lice and prevent future lice infestations

What to do when your kid says “mom… my hair is itchy!”

Breathe and pour yourself a glass of wine, if you are so inclined.
Keep things in perspective. It’s JUST lice, it’s not the plague.
1. And at least it’s not pinworms.
Confirm whether it’s actually lice or something else. Yes, your kid could have a dry and itchy scalp – it happens. But lice also happen, so let’s just assume the “worst” for the sake of this blog post.
1. Perform a “wet-comb check”!
  - Spray hair with a water/ conditioner solution (this makes it easier to get the lice comb through the hair).
  - Use a metal flea/ lice comb.
  - Start at the neck and comb small sections at a time.
    - Lice congregate around the nape of the neck and behind the ears. However, they can be found anywhere on the head.
    - Don’t expect to catch a live louse – they are fast buggers.
    - Pull the comb through from the scalp all the way down the length of the hair.
    - Wipe the comb off in a WHITE damp paper towel.
      - If you see small GRAY specs you are the lucky winner of nits: lice eggs.
      - If you see gray/ black lines about 1/8” long, you have yourself a new pet: a young louse.
      - If you see a fatter, faster version of the aforementioned you have an adult louse.
      - If your child just has dandruff, it will be white and therefore not appear on the white paper towel.
2. Visually examine your child’s scalp. Remember, a dry scalp can be red and irritated, but so can a lice infected scalp.
Complete a wet-comb check on every family member once lice have been confirmed.
TREAT your lice-infested family member(s) with Vamousse Lice Treatment Mousse. The Vamousse Treatment Mousse is a revolutionary safe product that kills nits and lice with one simple application. Scroll down a little further for all the reasons why I love these products when you need to get rid of lice.
Call your child’s school and their best friends’ parents.
1. The school does not announce which child has lice, but they will more than likely send out a “lice letter” to the entire class. This letter simply warns others of a POSSIBLE lice exposure.
2. Keep in mind, and please remind your child: having lice isn’t something shameful. Lice don’t care about your socioeconomic status. They just want to lay eggs in your hair.
Clean the environment. Follow these basic rules to avoid wasting your time, money and sanity:
1. You do not need to tent your house!
2. You do not need to bag every beanie baby and blanket in the house for weeks on end.
3. The chances of lice spreading through the environment are slim. 99% of any lice infestation is on the head and 1% is in the environment.
4. However, for everyone’s peace of mind, these are sensible things you CAN do:
  1. Lice don’t like extreme temperatures, hot nor cold. Use THIS to your advantage. To kill any remaining stray lice, you can do ONE of the following – and burning down the house isn’t one of them!
  2. Note, you don’t need to do these things for the entire household, only for the person(s) infected with lice.
    - Place objects in a bag in the freezer for 3-4 hours. This is great for combs, brushes and hair accessories.
    - Put items in the dryer on HIGH for 40 minutes. This works wonders for stuffed animals, bedding and blankets.
    - If neither of those options is practical, put objects aside for 24 hours and don’t use them for that period of time. This is great for bulky pillows, comforters and helmets.
    - Apply Vamousse Lice Elimination powder to car seats, upholstered furniture and floors. Vacuum an hour later to remove lice and even dust mites. Be sure to apply the Lice Elimination powder to areas used by the lice-infested person within the past 12 hours.
Perform weekly wet-comb checks. Once you have eradicated the current lice infestation, it is wise to do weekly scalp checks on every family member, using the wet comb technique. Catching the lice while they are still young is always better than waiting until they are fully matured and spreading like wildfire.

And THIS my friend is how to get rid of lice – without losing your mind!

Why Vamousse is the BEST Treatment Against Lice

Pesticide-free.
No prescription required.
Available at Amazon, local retailers and pharmacies.
Affordable.
Easy to apply and rinse.
Effective on “Super Lice”.
Works in one application.
Treatment Mousse:
- This brilliant product, as seen in my photos, is a soft mousse without a scent. The application process is easy and effective (only one application required). Even our squeamish 5-year old enjoyed his treatment and stood still for the entire process.
Defense Shampoo:
- This genius product is to be used when you worry about a possible lice-exposure. Start washing your child’s hair with the Defense shampoo as soon as you get the lice letter sent home and before the lice have a chance to establish themselves in your child’s hair, they have been killed by the daily shampoo treatments. Safe and effective.
Repellent Spray:
- We have all stocked up on lice repellent spray at some point since becoming parents. However, after a while, the strong lingering smell becomes too much for the kids to tolerate, so we end up not using the products. This repellent spray is pesticide-free, safe to use and it doesn’t leave a scent.
Lice Elimination Powder:
- When cleaning the environment of a lice-infested person, there are a number of items that can’t be placed in the freezer or dryer. Upholstered furniture, car seats and flooring can easily be treated with this safe powder that after just 60 minutes kills live lice and dust mites.

Lice fun facts

These are always great to share at social gatherings (or not!).

A louse can only live 24-48 hours off its host. After about 12 hours it has missed several feedings and is too weak to lay eggs. It’s practically rendered useless.
Nits cannot hatch once they have been removed from their host’s head.
After 4-5 hours off the host, they are too weak to attach to a new host.
Lice only lay eggs on human scalps, nowhere else.
Pets cannot get lice. Now, fleas are a different story, but this post is about lice!
A louse cannot, will not and does not jump or fly.
Lice spread via head-to-head contact, which explains why so many middle schoolers and high schoolers get lice. Taking selfies “requires” you to stick your head awfully close to someone else’s head of hair!
Lice don’t spread disease, but they DO spread easily.
They often infest people with GOOD hygiene, so hey, getting them is almost a compliment!
An estimated 6-12 million lice infestations occur EACH YEAR among US kids 3 to 11 years old. (In other words: 1 in 5 kids in the US, EVERY YEAR will get lice!)
Most treatments are only effective 50% of the time and completely ineffective against “Super Lice”.
The life cycle of lice:
- Lice lay eggs (nits) almost immediately after finding a host. 4-6 nits per day.
- Day 8-9: the eggs hatch and little immature nymphs emerge.
- Day 9-12: the nymphs mature into adult lice. The females mate and begin to lay eggs.
- An adult female louse can lay 120-180 eggs in her lifetime.
- Day 30 (approximately): the adult louse naturally dies.
For additional lice information visit liceworld.com

Signs of a lice infection

Tickling feeling on the scalp or in the hair.
- I had lice once and in hind-sight, I realized that it felt like “ants on the scalp.”
Itching caused by the bites of the louse.
Irritability and difficulty sleeping due to increased lice activity after dark.
Sores on the scalp, caused by excessive scratching. These scabs may become infected and that’s one of the biggest “health risks” of having a lice infestation.

Now that you are well-armed with up-to-date lice information, you know how to get rid of lice and the best innovative lice prevention strategies, I hope you feel empowered to combat these prehistoric pests, if necessary.

Personally, I love the entire line of Vamousse products so much that I have stocked our cabinets with them, JUST IN CASE!

You wouldn’t want to be caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella, right? The same goes for back-to-school, don’t send your kids to school without keeping the necessary lice prevention and treatment tools handy!

Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Vamousse via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Vamousse or Momtrends.