Shaving and Cutting Hair For Head Lice
Discover if shaving or cutting your hair will effectively get rid of head lice.
Question:
I've treated with lice kits TONS of time and lice keeps coming back! I'm at my wits end and thinking about cutting my son's hair, how short do I need to cut it to get rid of lice?
Answer from a Lice Expert:
If you have tried other treatments that have failed, you are not alone, and it’s not your fault. The latest stats say that most parents that use over-the-counter kits still have lice even after multiple treatments!
A lot of parents feel like they are willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get lice out of their home as fast as possible, including shaving and cutting their kiddos' hair.
So, in this article let's talk about if cutting the hair helps with lice and how exactly to do it.
Let me introduce myself...
Hi there! I'm a lice expert, lice coach, Registered Nurse, and the creator of My Lice Advice. I help people with lice every day in my lice treatment center, in school districts, and in government work. But the thing I love the most is empowering parents to get rid of head lice in ONE DAY at home!
You can eliminate lice in one day using the same proven professional technique I use in my lice center on your child. Follow along with the Step-by-Step Video System, and when you're done with the videos you're done with lice. PERMANENTLY!
Cutting and Shaving Hair for Lice
Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Lice?
Now that you know what you're looking for I want to talk briefly about your biggest worry (that your child actually has lice) and the question I get asked by parents around the world that have been battling lice….
Parents around the world are all asking me the same question…. "Why is it so much harder to get rid of lice now?"
Lice have become immune to everything that used to work in the past. Perhaps you remember your mom using a typical lice treatment or mayonnaise and that doing the trick. The new strain of head lice is no longer killed by those treatments, that’s why lice today are termed by people, “super lice,” because they are immune to those treatments.
I’ve cured thousands of people of lice in my lice center and let me tell you, I don't do it with over-the-counter lice treatments.
Most people struggle with lice because they focus all of their attention on killing lice bugs and not enough attention on GETTING RID OF LICE!
If you want to get rid of lice you have to address all 3 of the problems of lice:
- Lice Bugs
- Lice Eggs
- Getting Lice Back
The best way to get rid of lice is to tackle all 3 of these problems at the same time, which is what I teach in my step-by-step video system.
So, if you discover your child HAS lice, don't panic. Just head over to the video system. Follow along with the videos and you'll be done with lice by the end of the day.
Lice have mutated!
Lice today are called “super lice” because they have genetic mutations that make them immune to most treatments. They are VERY difficult to kill.
Multiple studies prove that lice are immune to treatments that worked in the past.
So, it’s understandable that you’re at your wit’s end and ready to shave your child’s head.
But, will it get rid of lice?
Does Shaving Your Head or Cutting Your Hair Get Rid of Lice?
Shaving or cutting your hair might get rid of head lice, or it might not! It really depends on how short you cut it. Here’s what you should know:
- Head lice can live in very short hair
- Lice glue their eggs very close to the scalp
- There are better treatments than shaving your head
- Your child may be traumatized
- You must shave your head as well
#1- Head Lice Can Live in Very Short Hair
Lice move deftly through any amount of hair. They have little claws on each of their six legs that are perfectly designed to grip hair, enabling them to transfer from one hair to another quickly and without a chance of falling off. It only requires a tiny strand of hair for lice to grab on with their little claws.
If you are planning on shaving someone completely bald with a razor with no hair whatsoever, then yes, that can get rid of head lice, but any small amount of hair you run the risk of lice.
If you don’t shave all of the hair off your child’s head, you’re likely to be in a similar situation as the mother in this UK news story,
“It was the first time that I had to deal with head lice; it made me upset as I didn’t know how to get rid of them...So I grabbed the hair cutters…”
“After I had cut his hair, I could still see the lice literally crawling on his head.”
“It made me feel so sick. I had no idea that cutting his hair wouldn’t make any difference or help to remove the lice.”
#2- Better Treatments Than Shaving Your Head
I understand that you may be frustrated with head lice. And that you’ve already tried a bunch of over-the-counter treatments that haven’t worked.
The truth is that most over-the-counter treatments don’t kill lice! It’s a scientific fact.
The current strain of head lice is immune to pesticides found in over-the-counter treatments and prescriptions. So most treatments won’t kill lice, no matter how long you leave them on.
But, before you shave off any hair, did you know that you can get rid of lice in one day? Just follow along with my step-by-step videos and you'll be done with lice by the end of the day.
#3- Lice Glue their Eggs VERY close to the scalp
Lice glue their eggs right next to the scalp because they need the heat of the head to hatch. Many people only see the “white” lice eggs down the hair strand, but it is the lice eggs next to the scalp (usually darker in color) that are the ones that will hatch and keep you in this never-ending cycle of lice.
The Trouble With Lice Eggs
Again, to cut off those lice eggs, you’ll need to shave onto the scalp. Lice usually lay their eggs within ¼ inch (6mm) from the scalp, (some are even closer to the scalp).
The very best way to kill lice eggs is to remove them from the head.
The fastest and most effective way to get rid of lice eggs is following along with my step-by-step video system.
#3- Shaving Your Child’s Head May Be Traumatic
In many cultures shaving a child’s head is humiliating and traumatic (especially for girls). It’s like wearing a sign that reads, “I have head lice. Every mean kid, please make fun of me.”
I’m not saying it’s right, kids should not bully those with lice, but the truth is that your daughter will probably be traumatized if you shave her head.
But, in some cultures, shaving boys and girl’s heads are common. If you are part of a culture where having a shaved head is common and it won’t be traumatic, then go for it!
Just be sure that it is completely bald, with NO HAIR at all.
#4- Are You Planning To Shave Your Head Too?
A high percentage of parents get head lice from their children, especially mothers. Are you planning on shaving your head as well? If you shave your child’s head, where do you think those lice are going to go? Also, if you have lice, won’t you just give lice back to your child once their hair grows back?
A better plan is to use a dimethicone treatment on you and your child. Don’t shave your head!
Does Cutting Your Hair Help with Lice?
Cutting hair will NOT get rid of lice unless you shave it completely bald to the scalp. But, cutting your child’s hair can make it easier to treat and remove lice eggs. Very long, thick hair usually requires more product and more time than short hair.
If you want my advice... If your child likes long hair, then keep it long. Sure, it requires more work to get rid of lice on long hair but put in the extra work. On the flip side, if your child wants their hair cut anyway, then go ahead and cut it and make your task a little bit easier.
Will Hairdressers, Barbers, or Salons Cut Hair with Lice?
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a barber that is willing to cut hair with lice. Most salons have a strict “no-lice” policy. And, if you try to “sneak” your lice past your hairdresser, she’s likely to find lice in your hair and stop mid-cut.
Unless you want to leave the salon with only one half of your hair cut, be sure you’re in the clear with lice before you go to a professional salon.
Cutting Hair & The Never-Ending Cycle
Most people that use lice kits or rely on cutting their hair get caught in the horrible "Never-Ending Cycle of Lice"
First- You Have Lice
When you first discover lice you have adult lice bugs, baby lice bugs, and lice eggs (also known as nits)
You Think You've Gotten Rid of It.
But...
After using an over-the-counter treatment or a home remedy, people think they've taken care of the problem because they aren't finding lice bugs for a while.
But the bigger problem is the lice eggs that are left in the hair. Lice kits and home remedies don't kill eggs, and each of those little lice eggs has a bug inside just waiting to hatch and re-infest your child again.
Then- Those Eggs HATCH!
Just like lice eggs are tiny, when lice first hatch they are teeny-tiny. In fact, they are almost invisible to the naked eye! So, it typically takes a few weeks for them to grow big enough for you to see them.
And by the time you notice your head is infested all over again!
And Lice Is Back Again!
How to Avoid the Never-Ending Cycle
If you want to avoid this never-ending cycle and get rid of lice fast then check out my Step-by-Step Video System. Follow along with the videos and you can be completely done with lice in ONE DAY, no retreatments necessary.
How to be lice-free by the end of the day...
GET THE VIDEO SYSTEM
Get rid of lice the same way the experts do. Your personal lice coach walks you through each step of doing a professional lice treatment at home in a series of videos.
FOLLOW ALONG
Follow along with the videos on your child in your home. No lice kits or toxic chemicals involved!
BE DONE WITH LICE!
When you're done with the videos, you're done with lice. And it's gone permanently!
Summing It Up…
The only way to get rid of head lice by shaving your head is to shave it completely bald to the scalp. Otherwise, you risk lice and lice eggs sticking to the hair. For many cultures shaving a girl’s head is incredibly humiliating.
Cutting your child’s hair shorter might make it easier to manage, but it will not get rid of head lice.
If you want to get rid of lice quickly then follow along with my Step-by-Step Video System and get rid of it in ONE DAY.
All the best,
Theresa is a Registered Nurse and lice expert with years of experience curing children of lice. She owns a lice treatment center in the US which is where she perfected the Step-by-Step Video System proven to get rid of lice. She also works with government agencies and schools helping those with the worst head lice cases in America.
Her greatest passion is empowering parents by teaching parents online how to do a professional lice treatment on their child at home. She is the Lice Coach for the My Lice Advice Step-by-Step Video System.
