Preventing lice is easier than you think.
The good news: Lice don’t jump or fly. Lice crawl, and only spread via head-to-head contact.
Lice attach themselves firmly to hair. Research shows that lice aren’t as prevalent on rugs, clothing, etc. as is often believed. Off of a head, nits (eggs) don’t hatch and alive lice die within two days. This makes prevention straightforward—simply make your child’s hair difficult to access.
The bad news: Lice can come back again and again.
Your body builds no immunity to lice like it does to illness, so treatment is only effective if you also adopt a prevention routine. Put differently: treating lice is the battle, preventing lice is the war.
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Wear hair up! (Or cover short hair with a hat.) A ponytail is great, but a braid or bun is even better. The more that hair is contained, the less likely it is to touch someone else’s hair.
Also, spray your kids’ hair every morning with a natural repelling spray. Lice hate the smell of mint and rosemary, so these scents will make hair less appealing to lice (while making hair smell nice to humans). Note: This is preventative only and will not treat an active infestation.
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A quality lice comb is metal, not plastic. (And don’t waste your money on the electric combs.) A lice comb will trap nits and lice in its grooves. It’s the best way to stay ahead of lice when they are surging in your community.
To use effectively, wet hair and coat in conditioner (this helps the lice/nits slide off). Separate hair and comb thoroughly in sections, starting at the scalp. Wipe comb on a white paper towel and check for nits or lice. There are many helpful videos online that show how to comb effectively.
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Explain how lice spread, and why you want to avoid lice. Talk to them about the importance of wearing hair up, not sharing hats / hair accessories, and respecting their peers’ personal space. Even pre-schoolers can understand that it’s no fun having “bugs in your hair.”
Make these easy steps part of your routine
The prevention products we do (and don’t) recommend.
These are the products we use on our own kids. Like you, we prefer products without pesticides.
Comb Lice Out
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If you don’t purchase the Lice Elimination Kit (which includes a comb), you’ll need this one. It’s easy to use, and traps both nits and lice in its grooves. A high-quality comb is essential for at-home treatment, and for prevention via weekly comb-throughs.
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This 2-sided comb from Nix is slightly cheaper and still effective. There are many other brands out there too, and any metal comb specifically designed for lice/nits should get the job done.
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Do not buy any lice comb that is plastic - it won’t trap the lice/nits effectively. And don’t waste your money on the pricy electric combs that claim to detect and instantly kill lice. They are overpriced and you won’t find any research-backed evidence of their effectiveness.
Prevent Lice
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Every. Single. Morning. That’s how often we spray our kids’ hair with Rosemary Repel. The lovely, natural scent is unappealing to lice.
Prevention only. No sulfates, parabens, or phthalates.
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We also love this spray from So Cozy and this one from Ladibugs (though it’s pricy). Both use natural scents, just like our #1 pick. The Ladibugs spray can also be combined with a matching shampoo + conditioner.
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There’s no need to buy a lice-repelling spray that uses harsh chemicals (compared to natural scents like rosemary and peppermint). And while different than repelling sprays, we recommend against most lice-killing sprays that are sold for treatment purposes because it’s difficult to ensure your hair is properly coated with a spray.
Keep Hair Up
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It’s not technically a lice-prevention product, but this makes our mornings much easier. It helps us put—and keep—our kids’ hair up. It’s especially nice for the littlest ones, with their fine hair and fly-aways. Plus, it’s only $5 and one stick lasts (seemingly) forever.
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This stick from Dolhair works well too, as does anything that gets kids to wear hair up (or covered)—and keep it that way all day.
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N/A for this one, just a reminder to not wear hair down, as lice spread from hair-to-hair contact.
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