As a mother of three, business owner and advocate for children, I find that I have to be Nit Picky about what I do.   I have no choice.  It comes naturally.  I have a family to care for, a business to run and people to help.  I also have relationships to nurture and myself to take care of.    I like to do my best in life to be an inspiration to those around me and to inform people by educating them on topics that I have personal and professional experience with. 

My experience as a mother and head lice professional allows me to share with other women and parents information that could be of help to them.  Having this knowledge combined with the empathy to relate is a real asset to my ability to be able to translate my knowledge to help others.  Balancing all the priorities I have is a challenge and some days I find myself over whelmed.  Now imagine adding a head lice infestation to the mix?  Here is a typical scenario that may sound familiar to some.

You wake up and the kids are sick, you struggle to find a sitter because you can’t be late for an important meeting.   You get in the car and realize it has a flat, your husband or partner is out of town and you’re anxious about a project that is way over due.  Your hair looks like crap and your shoe heal breaks as you finally make your way into the office after getting the flat fixed and the kids looked after.  You realize that you forget to get groceries for dinner yesterday and you also forgot your lunch at home along with your wallet.   Then you get a call from home and the sitter you found to take care of the kids today is now sick and wants to go home.  You are forced to leave the office early and must now cancel the massage that you so badly needed that evening in favour of heading home to take care of the kids. 

This is usually when head lice come a calling.  HEAD LICE WHO NEEDS IT ESPECAILLY NOW.  Yes this is when head lice happen for many of us.  When your life is full of priorities and you least need an extra pain in the neck to deal with.  I hear this from my clients on a regular basis.  I get calls from all across Canada from stressed out and bewildered parents who have been blindsided by a head lice infestation at the most inappropriate time.    Usually during a busy period, or when they are too sick with the flue to even get out of bed.  Why these little buggers come at such times is still a mystery to me.

So what do you do when head lice hit your family and disrupt your already busy life?

1. Don’t panic but act quickly.  Get your hands on a good lice comb and some natural treatments.  Lice Squad Canada has both or can direct you to other options that will help you. 
2. Begin treating and combing.  I recommend that you treat every 4^th to 5^th day with a pesticide free solution and that you comb every second day for two weeks.   If you are thorough on your first comb through you can eliminate most of the infestation.  However, you need to do a two week follow up to interrupt the life cycle of the head louse and to prevent being re-infested.  Chances are you may be in contact with the source that gave you head lice so follow up is required.  If you get overwhelmed, Lice Squad Canada also offers hands on help if you need it. 
3. Report.   Don’t let the STIGMA associated with head lice stop you from advising your child’s school, camp, day care or other families that you have been in contact with.  If you don’t do this you stand a good chance of getting the lice back from its original source.  It is the stigma associated with head lice that perpetuates the problem and the right thing to do is not let the stigma keep you from doing what is necessary to stop the spread.  You must be open and honest and let others know so they too can check and treat if necessary.
4. Follow up.  Even after you do your two week course of treatment it is a good idea to Take a Peak Once a Week.  If you catch a lice infestation early you will have more luck getting rid of it before it becomes too overwhelming.  

I started Lice Squad Canada to put an end to the STIGMA associated with head lice and to stop the over use and abuse of pesticides on children and our planet.  This is what I experienced as a mother myself when I first went through it with my own kids and it is what I went through as a child.  I was traumatized by head lice in both cases and I felt alone, dirty, frustrated and angry.  I don’t want this for any parent or child in 2010 or beyond.   This has become my mission and it truly is the most meaningful work that I have ever done in my life.  Some may think what I do for a living is gross or odd but it provides me with great joy and fulfillment and I actually have allot of fun with it. 

Stay tuned for my next blog post where I will speak on Preventing head lice and what you can do as a parent to keep the bugs away from your family. 

Thanks for reading and please feel free to pass my blog info onto your friends or anyone you know who may need this kind of information. 

Warm regards.

Dawn