Head lice have three peak seasons, March Break being one of them.  With many people traveling, children going into other care settings or just enjoying time with family and friends, head lice can become an unwanted guest during your holiday.  If you want to avoid getting head lice in your family while travelling there are some easy things that you can do.  The following steps will help.

Educate your kids first.  After all they are the ones who are most likely to get head lice.  Kids gathering in large numbers pose a higher risk for lice transmission.  Show them what head lice look like, how they can get it and what to do if they think they have it.

The most important thing you need to know about preventing head lice during travel is to avoid head to head or hair to item contact.  Try to keep your hair up and away from others.  Never share hats, combs, towels, and other hair items.  Keep in mind that you may also get head lice from seats and head rests in cars, buses, planes, trains and movie theatres. Check these first before you rest your head down.  There are products on the market and sprays that will leave a scent on the hair or surfaces but these are not 100% effective.  They do help but must not be completely relied on.

Regular head lice checks are very important because if you catch lice early they are easier to get rid of.  Take a peak once a week.  It helps to avoid a sever infestation down the road that may spread to others.  It makes common sense if you have kids in the home to build a regular head check into your family’s weekly hygiene practice.  Key times to check your children are before going back into school or daycare after any major school break or trip away.  Check a head to avoid the spread!

Finally, don’t be afraid to report head lice if you have a case of it in your family.  Tell the school, camp, day care or other families that you have been in contact with so that they too can check and treat if necessary.  If you don’t do this the lice may continue to go around and around, and eventually you may get it back once you have done all of the hard work to dealt with it.

For more information, check out our free, ‘Head Lice Help Kit’ at www.licesquad.com or email  [email protected].