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Lice Removal in Houston: A Practical Parent's Guide

If you live in Houston and your kid just came home from school scratching their head, this is for you. Head lice are common, treatable, and not a sign of a dirty house. They are a sign that a kid spent time close to another kid who had lice. That is the whole story.

How to know it is actually lice

Itching is the headline symptom, but not every infested kid itches. The reliable way to confirm lice is to look. Get bright light, part the hair into thin sections, and check behind the ears and along the nape of the neck. Adult lice are gray-white and about the size of a sesame seed. They move quickly and hate light.

What you are more likely to spot is the eggs, called nits. Nits look like tiny teardrops glued to the hair shaft, usually within a quarter inch of the scalp. They do not flake off the way dandruff does. If you can flick it off easily, it is dandruff or lint. If it is stuck, it is probably a nit.

What actually works

The two parts of treatment are killing the live bugs and removing the nits. Skip one and you will be doing this again in a week.

Over-the-counter shampoos like permethrin (Nix) or pyrethrin (RID) are the standard first move. Follow the package instructions exactly and repeat at day nine, because the chemicals do not reliably kill unhatched eggs.
Combing is the unglamorous half. Get a real metal nit comb, work through wet conditioned hair in small sections, and wipe the comb on a paper towel after each pass. Do this every two to three days for two weeks.
Heat works on the environment. Wash recently used bedding, hats, and towels on hot, dry on high. Stuffed animals can go in a sealed bag for two weeks.

When to call a pro

Houston has a handful of professional lice removal salons. They are worth the money in three situations: the infestation is heavy, you have tried OTC treatments twice with no luck, or you simply do not have time to comb a kid's hair for two hours an evening. A professional comb-out in one sitting usually clears it. Ask up front whether the price covers a follow-up check, because that is where reinfestation gets caught.

What does not work

Mayonnaise, olive oil, and other suffocation home remedies are popular and mostly do not work. They might slow the bugs down for an hour. They will not clear an infestation on their own. Same with tea tree oil, which can also irritate a child's scalp. Save your pantry.