Q Dear Auntie Pearl, I got the fright of my life last week when my child came home with luise.
We were having dinner when she casually tells me her head is itching and maybe she got the luise that her friend has at school.
I thought I was going to choke on my chip roll.
I mean, I thought lice died out a long time ago!
Anyways, long story short, the point is she has head lice.
She is six years old. I’m managing to get it under control, but what is the best way to get rid of lice and what causes kopluise because now my head is also itching.
I did tell the school.
From Mandy.
A
Jinne Mandy, how interesting, luise must be making a comeback because Auntie’s cousin’s child was also sitting with a head full of nits earlier this year.
A few times a year in certain areas you get these flare-ups nuh.
But head lice is no fun and games, so let’s have a deeper look into these arrige goedjies.
These tiny, wingless parasitic insects live in and on human hair and stay alive by feeding on your blood they draw from the scalp. Sounds like a late-night e.tv horror movie nuh!
So let’s just set a few things straight here, Mandy – lice is a common probbie, especially among laaities; they are contagious and irritating, but not dangerous, and if you have lice it doesn’t mean you or your family are dirty.
Kids from all ages and races, rich or poor, get lice and it has nothing to do with how little or much you wash your hair, or how long or short your hair is, or how straight or kinky it is.
Moet nou nie jou kind gaan staan en traumatise nie, she didn’t do anything wrong and having lice doesn’t make them naughty or dirty.
Lice are small and hard to spot, most mense usually see the eggs, called nits, first.
They are the tiny white, yellow or brown dots you can see on the scalp and hair, and looks like dandruff.
The reason why kids usually get luise is because they play together in groups at school, and usually with their heads close together, and that way the lice can spread easily.
Also sharing things like clothes, bedding, combs, brushes and hats can help spread it.
Lucky for you, Mandy, there a few ways to get rid of these outjies.
You can get the basic anti-lice kits from a pharmacy, for about R150 or so.
A doctor can recommend various kinds of medicated shampoos and dinge– these kinds of treatments usually kill the lice, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop.
Always make sure the medicine you’re given is safe for laaities nuh, and that you use it correctly.
Then, of course, there are all kinds of huisraadjies you can do, like combing Vaseline, mayonnaise or olive oil through the hair to suffocate the head lice.
And remember, whatever you use or do, the nits or eggs will stay behind for at least 3 weeks so keep an eye out for them and comb or pick them out every day unless you want them to hatch and the k opluise to return.
Some people believe tea tree oil is the answer because it has anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties which fight lice and bacteria.
Put a few drops of tea tree oil (which you can get at most pharmacies) on the scalp and massage it in.
Tie the hair very tight and leave like this for 2 to 3 hours, before you wash it out with warm water.
If you do this once a week for a month, the oil will help to kill the lice and their eggs.
Also try this raadjie– mix ¼ cup of salt with ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle.
Spray this over the scalp and hair, let it dry for 2 hours and then wash it off with warm water. Do this three times a week, for a month.
Hope this helps, and if your daughter still has luise after a month, please see a doctor.