Head Lice

All about Head Lice

Head lice are tiny insects that live in our hair. An infestation of head lice most often affects children and usually results from the direct transfer of lice from the hair of one person to the hair of another. A head-lice infestation isn’t a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment, as well as this they don’t carry bacterial or viral infectious diseases. Here at Colinton Mains Pharmacy we will help you treat head lice in Edinburgh.

How can you treat headlice?

Headlice is not preventable but can be treated by you with the help of your local pharmacist. We advise that you treat head lice as soon as you spot them and check all other members of the household for them as they spread quickly.

Wet combing is an effective method of removing lice and should be tried first. You will need to buy a special fine-toothed comb (detection comb) online or from pharmacies to remove head lice and nits. This process usually works by:

– washing the hair with ordinary shampoo
– applying lots of conditioner (any conditioner will do)
– combing the whole head of hair, from the roots to the ends

This can be time consuming however it is best to be patient. Wet combing should be done on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 to catch any newly hatched head lice. Check again that everyone’s hair is free of lice on day 17.

Ask a pharmacist for advice if you have tried wet combing for 17 days, but your child still has live head lice. We will recommend using medicated lotions and sprays. These kill head lice in all types of hair, and you can buy them directly from our pharmacy.

To find out more about how we treat head lice in Edinburgh please contact us.