HEALTH

Hey sweetie. Take a deep breath and calm down. Lice are definitely a pain, but the silver lining to this icky, itchy cloud is that they won’t do any permanent damage.

What causes lice?

Contrary to popular belief, having lice isn’t a reflection of poor hygiene. Those blood-sucking little buggers don’t care about the last time you showered. They’re also not a huge difference between having long hair and having short hair, although long hair allows them to climb from one head to another more easily—gross!

The No. 1 way to get a lice infestation in your own curly mop is to be in close contact—touching—another person. Lice don’t have wings, so they can’t fly about. Girls contract lice more frequently than boys because we are tend to be more affectionate and “closer,” physically, to each other, and we also share more personal items.

An ounce of prevention…

There is nothing you can do to guarantee that you won’t ever have lice again. But you can do some things to limit your chances. Though it definitely stinks, you might want to rethink close contact with your sis, if possible. Don’t share clothing, accessories like hats or scarves, or hair accessories. The same goes for linens and pillows.

Nix the itch

To relieve your anxiety, you’re gonna wanna knock out that dandruff problem. If you don’t already do so, start using dandruff shampoos every time you shower. Head and Shoulders and Selsun Blue are two inexpensive options that work…and leave your hair fluffy ‘n’ shiny, to boot.

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by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016