Fighting lice with a fairy -- the 'Nit Fairy'
Lice are tiny. They are smaller than the writing on a penny. But don't let size fool you. These critters cause major panic and disruption because they are so hard to get rid of.
"It can feel endless at times," acknowledged Stacey Chute. As a school nurse, part of her job is to help parents search and destroy.
Pediatricians suggest treatments with pymethrum or permethrin. Other over-the-counter products, like those with dimethicone, can work. But more parents are choosing something different.
"I probably see 200 to 300 people a year," said Dana Ferlita, who calls herself the Nit Fairy. "All the kids will interact with the nit fairy -- some of the kids ask where are my wings? I tell them they are at the cleaners."
Her job is to get rid of head lice. "When I go to pull through her hair, you'll see the bugs."
Dana works out of her home, painstakingly removing the bugs and tiny teardrop-shaped eggs naturally glued to strands of hair. She uses a special comb, called the Nit Free Terminator, and gives one to every client when they go home.
"That's the biggest key, is to get everything out," she explained. " If you're not getting everything out, you're going to continue to have a problem."
There's no insecticides, no chemicals -- just elbow grease.
"I'm also examining the scalp as I'm going through because the baby bugs will sit right on the scalp," she continued.
For this professional, the process takes an hour and a half. For untrained parents, it can take days. Even then, the critters can come back.
"At any given day, there is a child at your school that has lice -- guaranteed," Dana warned.
You may not know because not every parent notifies the school.
Dana recommends parents use a lice comb regularly to catch the bugs before they take hold. She also says there's no need to spray furniture or bag stuffed animals. Bedding, clothing, brushes, hats and head gear should be washed and dried in with high heat. Because lice don't survive high heat, you can also throw things in the dryer that can't be washed.
Resources:
CDC: Head Lice Treatment
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html
Head Lice: practical information
http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/doc/headliceparents.pdf
Dimethicone Study (Lice MD)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15951310
Nit Fairy Recommendations:
The Nit Fairy
Salon by Appointment Only for Tampa, Florida
(813) 376-5530
info@thenitfairy.com
http://www.thenitfairy.com
Sheperd Institute
http://www.shepherdinstitute.com/
Kleen-Free
http://kleen-free.com/
Lice Meister Comb
http://www.schoolhealth.com/npa-licemeister-combs