A natural lice protocol for back-to-school

As thousands of children head back to school this month, the threat of lice infestation looms large for some as summer is the most common month for lice activity.

And, research shows that almost half of South African children are expected to contract life at some stage in their lives.

Head lice are small, wingless parasites that feed on tiny amounts of blood, causing itching, skin irritation and sometimes infection. Head lice infestation is most frequent in children and teenagers and is spread through direct head-to-head contact.

The following is a basic protocol, should your child contract head lice:

• Check your child’s hair carefully to determine if there are lice or nits.
• On discovering lice, wash your child’s hair with non toxic Picksan Lice Stop shampoo.
• Use a lice comb to extract the remaining lice and nits.
• After administering the shampoo, use nature-based Picksan NoLice! preventative spray to further deter any remaining lice and to protect your child’s hair from further infestation.
• If possible, keep your child out of school, but all parents need to inform their children’s schools to help prevent further infestation.
• Post the information on the Picksan SA and Lice Stop Facebook pages to warn parents and schools of the outbreak.
• After a week, repeat steps one to four to kill remaining lice from possible nits which were not removed the first time.  Nits have an incubation period of seven to 10 days.
• Try to avoid contact between your child and playmates for at least 10 days to avoid spreading the lice.

Although there are no comprehensive statistics available, a study by PubMed Central, a US based medical archive, shows infestations in Asia at up to 59% of children surveyed with the rate in Europe around 22.4% and Africa at 58%.

Anti-lice shampoos are the most effective treatment for head lice but many have serious side effects due to poisonous ingredients, particularly the chemical lindane.  So choose a safe option such as Picksan Lice Stop, a shampoo to effectively treat lice infestations and Picksan NoLice!, a preventative spray. Both products have been formulated by Prof. Heinz Mehlhorn, who heads up the department of Cytology and Parasitology at Düsseldorf University.

Picksan Lice Stop is a high quality, anti-lice shampoo which is non-toxic and contains natural acting ingredients including the MelAza extract, derived from a special patented neem seed extract from the neem tree which has been used in India to treat lice for thousands of years.

Giulia Criscuolo, responsible pharmacist for health and wellness company OTC Pharma SA which distributes Picksan in South Africa, says the shampoo has undergone extensive dermatological testing to prove its efficacy: “It is non toxic, non flammable, has a pleasant odour and doesn’t cause skin irritation like many other anti-lice shampoos. It has proven to be highly effective if used correctly to treat lice.”

Picksan NoLice! — a safe, non-toxic, nature-based preventative spray has notched up huge successes in Europe.  Used in the event of an outbreak at your child’s school, Picksan NoLice! offers protection for up to eight hours.

Picksan NoLice! preventative spray is completely safe and can be sprayed onto dry hair, caps, shawls and jackets.

Picksan products are recommended by leading European doctors and are available at health shops, pharmacies, Dis-Chem, Pick n Pay and Medi-Rite.

For more information, see www.picksan.co.za or e-mail Giulia on [email protected]. Find Picksan on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Picksan/284522678282198

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