Do‘s and Dont’s

First, let’s establish some facts about head lice!

Head lice are:

  • 1 of the top 3 reasons kids miss school.
  • Extremely common! Between 6-12 million U.S. kids 3-15 years
    old get head lice each year.
  • Not dangerous, but are contagious (and annoying).
  • NOT signs of unwashed or unclean hair. They thrive in clean hair!
  • Unable to jump, fly or swim.
  • Unable to live on your pets.
  • Unable to live in your environment (couch, carpet, furniture,
    pillow, sheets, mattress, car, movie theater, airplane).

Lice Do’s:

  • Use proven, manual head lice removal methods and all-natural products.
  • Daily wash only the clothing, bedding, brushes, and hair accessories used during your head lice infestation.
  • Screen your entire household as soon as one child has head lice.
  • Tell your school and friends you have head lice to avoid cross-pollination. Spread the word, not the lice!
  • Relax and take a deep breath!

Lice Dont’s:

  • Don’t replace your furnishings (including your mattress).
  • Don’t wash your entire wardrobe.
  • Don’t use toxic products or ineffective home remedies for head lice. Some over-the-counter shampoos can be highly toxic (especially for kids), yet many strains of lice are immune to the chemicals.
  • Don’t cut your hair or pour olive oil, mayonnaise, Listerine, tea tree oil, vinegar, Vaseline, or gasoline on it — these methods don’t work. Some are dangerous; others are better used as a preventative measure or in tandem with a lice comb.
  • Don’t panic! Hair Fairies is here to help!

Everything You Should Know

Here’s an infographic Hair Fairies put together on everything you need to know about lice.
Available for download here.

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Get Rid of Lice At Home

Our exclusive Hair Fairies Nit-Zapping™ System has helped thousands of families get rid of head lice at home – often permanently. You can follow this proven DIY lice treatment system at home with Hair Fairies’ all-natural, non-toxic products and tools, which have been used in schools nationwide. They are available in our online store, our salons, and on Amazon.

We recommend buying the home kit for getting rid of lice at home.

We recommend you contact your physician before starting any lice removal treatment.

Follow this 4-step DIY lice treatment and watch our video, Head Lice Treatment Step-by-Step Tutorial, to get rid of lice at home:

  • If you suspect a family member has head lice, screen everyone in the family. If one child has lice, the siblings have an 80% chance of getting them, too.
  • Check four major areas of the head:
    the front of the hair line
    behind the ears
    the crown
    back of the neck (the nape)
    Start by separating the hair. Use a regular plastic comb to press down the hair. The nits (eggs) will pop up and be easier to see.
  • Next, use our “looping” method to loop hair around the comb. This also makes nits and lice easier to see. For a demonstration of looping, see our video tutorial.
  • Examine the whole head. This should take about 15 minutes.
  • Completely wet the hair. Put at least a quarter-sized dollop of Nit-Zapping™ Clenz Cream in the palm of your hand. Apply the cream to the entire head. Comb the cream through with a regular plastic comb.
  • Next, comb out the nits and lice with the Nit-Zapping™ Lice Comb, keeping it flat against the skull. Start front to back, beginning at the forehead. Then side to side, left to right and right to left. Finish with back to front.
  • Always comb to the end of the hair so you can remove all nits and bugs.
  • Every few strokes, wipe the comb free of excess cream, nits and bugs, using a white towel, so you can monitor the results.
  • Keep the hair wet throughout the process. You may want to reapply cream as well.
  • Continue this process until no nits or bugs come off the comb.

The Nit-Picking step typically removes about 80% of visible nits and lice. In this step, you’ll target the remaining nits.

  • Blow-dry the hair until completely dry.
  • Using a regular plastic comb, repeat the press-down and looping methods you followed in Step 1. Work carefully from the front of the head to the back, covering the entire head.
  • When you find an egg, use your finger nails to remove it by sliding it all the way down and off the end of the hair strand.
  • Carefully examine the entire head. This takes around 30 minutes.
  • Pump a dime-sized amount of our Nit-Zapping™ Prevention Oil onto the palm of your hand and rub it into your fingertips. Start at the front hairline. Using your fingertips, apply the oil on the skin around the hairline (not in the hair). Move back behind the ears, then all the way to the nape of the neck.
  • Massage any oil left on your hands directly into the whole of the scalp.
  • Thoroughly wet the hair again and apply the Nit-Zapping™ Clenz Shampoo. Work into the scalp until a foam layer covers the head. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse. The shampoo removes any remaining eggs, and blocks the bugs’ ability to reproduce.
  • Wash your hands carefully, including under the nails. Have any children wash their hands carefully, too.

To ensure you’ve eliminated all pesky parasites, Hair Fairies recommends you repeat this process two more times, at three-day intervals. A fourth and final treatment comes seven days after the third treatment.

  • Use the Nit-Zapping TM Clenz Cream and Nit-Zapping TM Lice Comb.
  • Follow Steps 1, Evaluation, and 2, Nit-Picking.
  • You do not need to repeat Step 3, Treatment, or apply the Nit-Zapping TM Prevention Oil or Nit-Zapping TM Clenz Shampoo.

DIY Treatment Videos

We are determined to help you manage your head lice. Our number one mission at Hair Fairies is to help families help themselves.

We have packed more than a decade of experience into our free, step-by-step tutorial. In this and our other how-to videos, you will learn how to identify a head lice egg and adult head lice. You will also get easy-to-follow tips on head lice treatment and prevention products.

Head Lice Treatment Step-by-Step Tutorial

Nit Picking

Step-by-Step Tutorial (Spanish)

Hair Fairies – The Head Lice Helpers