September is lice awareness month at Kids’ Hair!  All our lice defense and elimination products are on sale – buy 1, get 1 50% OFF.   Also, we invite all our customers to attend a FREE Lice 101 seminar: casual, informal, about 1-hour long and hosted by the founders of Ladibugs Inc.  This year we are holding three Lice 101 seminars:

-Tuesday, Sept. 18, 7:30pm, at the Roseville Kids’ Hair

-Thursday Sept, 20, 7:30pm, at the Woodbury Kids’ Hair

-Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7:30pm, at the Coon Rapids Kids’ Hair

Nobody wants to hear their child has lice but unfortunately lice is still a common issue, especially among school-aged children. Anybody can get lice, it doesn’t matter how clean your hair is!

What are Head Lice?

Lice are tiny, wingless insects that live on and feed off the human scalp, often causing irritation or itching. Head lice multiple rapidly and can lay up to 8-10 eggs (nits) per day. Lice do not fly, jump or move quickly and cannot live off a human host for more than 48 hours. A person can only get lice through close, frequent contact with another person or item that has lice.

Prevent

To avoid the time-consuming, stressful and often expensive task of getting rid of lice, you can do a few simple things to prevent lice:

-Use defense products: Just like you make sure your child has insect repellent on before going into a wooded area or sun-block lotion on before going to the beach, you can protect them during a lice outbreak in your community with the right products. Kids’ Hair carries Ladibugs, Circle of Friends Lice Defense and Paul Mitchell Tea Tree haircare products. These products contain Tea Tree and other essential oils that help keep lice away.  The shampoos and conditioners can be used daily.  Our favorite is the Leave-in mint spray from Ladibugs.  It can be sprayed on dry hair and ANYTHING: theater seats, coats, hats, backpacks, hair accessories, pillows etc…  Now through oct 7, all our Lice defense products are Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF

-Talk to your kids: Make sure your kids develop good habits when it comes to all the sharing that goes on during school, camp or other activities where groups are together. Make sure they are not sharing items that touch hair including hats, brushes and combs, hair binders, headbands and even clothing items such as sweatshirts, jackets and scarves.

Signs of Head Lice

While some do not experience any itching or other symptoms, the most common indicator of lice is scalp irritation. Small, red marks around the hairline may be visible. If you get a note home from school or become aware of an outbreak, don’t wait until your child is complaining about itching, be proactive and begin frequent head checks.

How to find Lice

An adult louse can be hard to spot, we recommend looking for nits first. Nits are small, tear-dropped shaped eggs that can range in color from translucent to dark brown and are attached securely to the hair strand. Can’t tell if its dandruff or a nit? A nit is firmly attached to the hair and cannot be removed by flicking or brushing it away, it literally needs to be scraped or pulled off. Many times there will be other nits on nearby hairs and all about the same distance (¼ – ½ inch) away from the scalp.

Found lice? Don’t panic! Follow these important first steps

1. It is extremely important to check all family members (including mom and dad) for lice so anyone infested can be treated at the same time.

2. Once you’ve identified all family members that have lice, notify others that have been in close contact with person(s) who have lice. Notify schools and daycares as well.

Treatment

Until recently the options in lice elimination have been limited. Traditionally, families have turned to the over-the-counter, chemical-based products that contain one or many insecticides, known as pediculicides, that kill the lice and nits. These products have been under growing scrutiny by parents uncomfortable with using high levels of pediculicides on their children and as lice are becoming resistant to the active ingredients. For those looking for an alternative, home remedies such as mayonnaise, olive oil and even alcohol have been used with varying degrees of success.

In recent years, professional, small business entrepreneurs and even FDA-approved treatment alternatives are transforming the way we eliminate lice. Chemical-free products containing enzyme-based ingredients that remove nits and natural oils that effectively kill lice are finally available.

Kids’ Hair recommends and is a proud partner of Ladibugs, Inc. for the treatment of lice. Ladibugs products use chemical-free ingredients and are safe for the entire family. Kids’ Hair carries all Ladibugs products, including the complete elimination kit.

Ladibugs, Inc. also offers lice removal services. For more information go to ladibugsinc.com or call 612-804-8888.

Whichever treatment you choose, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions closely.

Visit your local Kids’ Hair for a “Lice Information and Treatment” handout and more information about our lice preventative and elimination products.

Summer is almost here!  That means beach days, swimming lessons and pool parties!  While all those activities sound like fun, they can be very damaging to hair.  Chlorine especially loves children’s fine hair and build-up can make hair tangled, brittle, sticky and even turn hair green!  Keep their hair healthy and manageable all summer long with help from Kids’ Hair!  We carry effective, safe and gentle products that are made for kids who love to swim.  We also offer an in-salon Malibu treatment that naturally removes chlorine, minerals and salts.  Who needs a Malibu Treatment?  For kids with longer hair that swim multiple times a week, a Malibu Treatment once a month can really help reverse and prevent damage.  For the casual summer swimmer, getting a treatment before back-to-school is a great way to ensure healthy, soft hair and restore moisture before that fall dry air and wind makes dealing with snarls and tangles too difficult.  Want to learn more about the swimmers products we carry?  See below for details:

Circle of Friends – Kylie’s Pre-Swim Conditioner

Great for long hair, an exclusive blend of moisturizers and vitamins that prevent  pool chemicals and salt water from penetrating hair.  Just spray liberally on hair and comb through before swimming.

Circle of Friends – George’s Swimmer’s Shampoo

A gentle, tearless and clarifying shampoo, perfect for toddlers.  Great shampoo to use right after swimming and day-to-day throughout the summer.

Malibu Swimmers Water Action Shampoo and Conditioner

Safe for all hair types, gently cleanses hair and scalp while removing build-up from pool chemicals and hard water minerals.  Leaves hair very soft and manageable, great for kids who swim multiple times a week.  Can be used on swim days or day-to-day in the summer.