Helpful Tips to Prevent the Spread of Lice

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Parents should look at their child’s scalp each night before bed. Make it apart of your bedtime routine. 

Here is what you are looking for:

The most common place to find nits (eggs) or adult lice is behind the ears and on the nape of the neck. 
 

FACTS

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• Students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school; they 

can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate 
treatment has begun. Nits may persist after treatment, but successful treatment should kill 
crawling lice.

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• Head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal 

hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.

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•  Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School 

Nurses (NASN) advocate that "no-nit" policies should be discontinued.
                                                                 

PREVENTION

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• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, 

and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).

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• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.

• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested 

person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.

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• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore or 

used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the 
high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR 
sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.

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• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, 

spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or 
clothing.

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• Children with long hair should wear their hair back in a hair tie. Using a shampoo or leave in 

conditioner with tea tree oil may deter lice. 

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• Over the counter and prescription treatments are available. Another very effective and 

gentle treatment is using Cetaphil soap – please see attached treatment instructions.