TEXAS, USA — Try not to scratch your head reading this, but the lice infesting heads in Texas are likely not the same as the ones some of you have grown up with.
Turns out, there's a different strain of lice called super lice!
Growing up, we've heard things like over-the-counter products, oils and even mayonnaise will do the trick, but will that help you combat super lice?
THE QUESTION
How can you get rid of super lice, and will home remedies do the trick?
OUR SOURCES
Karen Sokoloff, co-owner of LiceDoctors and Lisa Ledoux, Hero Lice Clinics General Manager
THE ANSWER
Some home remedies could work, but it's best to let the professionals take care of it. Here's why.
WHAT WE FOUND
Super lice are a stronger strain of lice, according to experts.
"It's an epidemic," Ledoux said. "It's going around all of Texas. They are more evolved."
"I believe there are super lice in every state at this point," Sokoloff added.
Sokoloff says over-the-counter products may not be the answer when it comes to the crawlers.
"For one thing, the bugs are resistant or immune to the chemicals," Sokoloff said. "For another thing nothing penetrates the shell of the knit. The knit is the egg that the louse lays, and it has an impenetrable shell."
In order to eliminate a case of head lice, you must get all the nits out of the hair. Chemical shampoos do not accomplish that task.
"Once the eggs are in the hair, they're glued to the hair shaft," Ledoux said. "Unless you're physically removing them by hand, they're going to be in there."
Home remedies like olive oil could work.
"That will get into the breathing apparatus of the bugs, and it will loosen the eggs," Sokoloff said.
Mayonnaise does the job of smothering the bug too. However, it isn't recommended by lice professionals.
"Mayonnaise dries really fast, and then it becomes cakey, and you can't even get the the lice comb through it," Sokoloff told 6 News.
Remember, it won't be effective if just one egg is missed.
"We get a lot of frustrated parents, 'I've done everything, I thought I was done with this, what happened?'" Sokoloff said. "What happened is you didn't get all of the nits out of the hair."
That's why it's best to let the professionals take care of it.
"The average person doesn't know how to find a nit," Sokoloff said. "They camouflage in the hair. They're very small, and they are easy to miss. If you leave a few nits in the hair, you may think you're done, send your kid back to school, but in a couple of weeks, those nits will have hatched. The case starts all over, and you spread it to others."
Our lice experts say even though it can feel embarrassing at times, there should be no stigma attached to head lice.
"If anything, it's social kids who get it because they're near other children," Sokoloff said. "It does not reflect poor hygiene. The cleaner your hair is, the easier it is for the bugs to attach to the hair."
"When we get kids in here, I'm just like it's nothing to be shameful of," Ledoux said. "You can't place a blame game in lice because you just never know where it came from. It's not your fault that you have lice. We're going to get it cleaned out. We're going to get it taken care of. You see children come in as the shy little kids that are just so embarrassed. Then they leave here feeling so much more hopeful and happy. That's what I love about my job."
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