If your child has been told that he or she has lice, what should you do?


The first thing is to buy a shampoo that is made to kill the lice.  Lice only live on human scalps, and they lay tiny white eggs called nits.  Once lice and/or nits are visually identified, immediately use the lice shampoo to thoroughly wash and clean the hair and scalp of your child.  After the cleaning, carefully comb out the hair with a special nit comb, which has metal teeth very close together to most effectively get rid of the lice and the eggs.  After shampooing and combing out, make sure to wash all bedding and any other furniture or rugs where there may have been head-to-fabric contact.  Pillows and bedding must also be washed; if washing is not possible, then put the objects or fabrics in a plastic bag and store in a closet or garage for two weeks.  

Check for any itching after cleaning and combing out the hair, and re-apply the shampoo if either lice or eggs are detected again.