This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Licefreee and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. All opinions are mine.
Both of my daughters have gorgeous, thick, long, curly hair. Their hair is a dream, but lice can turn that dream into a nightmare. Once my daughters started going to school, I knew that it was only a matter of time before lice would make an appearance in our lives. I lived in dread of those little monsters because they do not discriminate.
I remember the first time it happened; it was like something out of a horror movie. My youngest daughter was walking up the stairs in front of me scratching her head, she’d been scratching her head a lot. As she pulled her hand away from her head, I saw IT! A disgusting creature scurrying from the exposed skin where her hair was parted to a much more discreet hiding spot under her thick curly hair. My daughter had LICE!
I wanted to scream like I was in an actual horror movie, but I couldn’t because then I would terrify my daughter. Instead, I had to suck it up and deal with it. The whole time freaking out on the inside because EWWWW! Adulting is hard and gross sometimes, you guys.
I wish I could tell you that the first time lice happened to us was the last time, but nope. We’ve dealt with lice multiple times since then.
Fortunately for me, you and anyone who may ever have to deal with head lice–and there will be many of us because according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as many as 12 million infestations occur every year in the United States–they are a nuisance, but not a health hazard. But what a nuisance!
ALSO READ: 16 Things That Go Through Your Head When Your Kid Gets Lice
And how to deal with that nuisance? I tried every non-toxic, free of chemical pesticide treatment that I came across including home remedies like coconut oil, olive oil, any kind of oil, mouthwash, mayonaise and so on. They were all messy, time-consuming and 100% effective in making me and my kids miserable, but not necessarily the lice or nits. I’d still end up having to spend hours removing nits with a lice comb. HOURS, people, HOURS!
I had pretty much given up on any treatment and was going to resort to doing it the old-fashioned way like my abuela did, which involves nothing other than daily sessions with a lice comb until one day all of the nits and lice have been combed out. Again, this takes HOURS and HOURS.
Licefreee Spray to the Rescue
Thankfully, I got accidentally lucky. I went to the store to buy a lice comb and they didn’t have any, but they did have Licefreee Spray that comes with a professional nit comb. I bought the product for the stainless-steel nit comb because those plastic combs that come with other lice treatments are useless garbage: TRUTH.
When I got home, though, I read the packaging of the Licefreee Spray and had to try it because it’s non-toxic, free of chemical pesticides and is so easy to use that it would have been silly of me not to try.
You use it on dry hair and spray the product to thoroughly saturate the scalp and hair. Then you just let the hair dry naturally. You don’t have to wash the product out until the next time your kid takes a bath or shower. I use the nit comb while my kids’ hair is still wet to clean out lice and nits because my girls’ hair is so curly and thick that it’s easier for me to comb through it when it’s wet, but you could do it once your child’s hair is dry.
It’s easy, safe and works. And if you’re wondering if it works on adults too, I can tell you from personal experience that it does.
I keep the Licefreee Spray on hand even when we don’t have lice issues because no one wants to be running to the store once an infestation occurs. It’s better to be ready to get rid of piojos before they even show up.
Thanks for the heads-up on lice. It’s endemic in Central America. I confess that in my former life as a school teacher, I had one or two troublesome students that I had the nurse check for lice so we could have a bit of peace in my classroom. Lice meant go home back in the day.