How do I get rid of my child's head lice?

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Take a breath - lice are annoying, not dangerous, and they say nothing about cleanliness. The CDC's treatment path is straightforward. Start with an over-the-counter lice medication - permethrin or pyrethrin-based products are the standard first line - used exactly as the label directs, on dry or towel-dried hair as instructed. The instructions are the whole game: wrong timing or rinsing too early is why treatments fail.

Then comes the comb. A fine-toothed nit comb on wet, conditioned hair, section by section, every couple of days for two weeks, is how you catch whatever the medication missed. It is tedious and it works.

Know the retreatment rule: some medications kill lice and eggs; many kill lice but not eggs, which is why the label schedules a second application around day 9. Skipping it is the most common reason lice come back. If two correct rounds fail, a clinician can prescribe stronger options - malathion, ivermectin, or spinosad - and that is a legitimate telehealth conversation.

On the housework front, go lighter than your instincts: wash bedding and clothes worn in the last two days in hot water, soak combs and brushes, and skip the fumigation sprays. Lice survive barely a day off a head.

Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text. It can walk you through treatment steps and troubleshoot why lice keep coming back.

How do I get rid of my child's head lice?

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