TOLEDO (WTOL) - The cold weather has kept us cooped up inside in close quarters for months, making it easy for lice to spread around classrooms.
Some lice has proven difficult to get rid of, so WTOL 11's Family Focus went searching for options
The Defiance Lice Nannies are two moms who own a franchise that uses an oil-based product to rid hair of lice, with the help of a nit comb.
“Working in the school system, we noticed that kids were missing multiple days of school and parents were struggling to get rid of it and we were like, ‘how can we help?’” said co-franchise owner, Jennifer Brown about starting the business.
The Lice Nannies section the hair, put on the solution and comb through. They say the child can go back to school the next day. They will take home a kit for a follow-up treatment one week later.
It’s $30 for a head check, up to four people. Then $105 dollars to treat the first head, $90 for additional heads.
“We offer 100% satisfaction removal of the lice and the nits,” said co-franchise owner, Jennifer Rittenhouse.
Toledo-Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said the county hasn’t seen an unusually active lice season, but he added that if your child gets lice it’s important to get rid of it.
He said lice itself isn’t dangerous, but kids could get a secondary infection from all the scratching.
He recommends first using over the counter treatments, which cost around $20. If those don’t work, call your doctor. Price would depend on your insurance.
“Your doctor can prescribe you something that has a little bit more of the chemical that they’re resistant to which will knock them down,” said Zgodzinski.
The Lice Nannies say they've seen frustrated families dealing with those chemical-resistant lice and that's where they come in.
“Plugs the breathing holes. So other products that are used, lice has become resistant because it’s a chemical and over time they just no longer works. Ours, because it’s not a chemical, it will last,” said Brown.
As far as preventing lice, Zgodzinski says they spread only through head to head contact so while it may be difficult for children to grasp, they should give their friends some space.
“Taking a selfie. Your heads are together. That could happen that way, but kids are kids and we’ve dealt with lice for years and we’ll probably still deal with lice for years to come,” said Zgodzinski.
There are other lice removal services available in the Toledo area, ranging in average price of $175 to $200 per treatment.
