Your Kid's Lice Could Cost You $300

Being scared of bed bugs is so 2009. This spring, there's a new creepy-crawly that may be laying its eggs on you right now: head lice! Ok, they're not new, but they are turning parents across the country into nervous wrecks, and earning some lice treatment companies a lot of cash. According to the Times, some de-lousing companies charge up to $300 to get the critters off your kid's scalp. So what would drive parents to pay this much? One mother said, “I certainly wasn’t going to pick them out myself."

New York based Hair Fairies is one of the companies offering de-lousing services, saying on their website that they will "manually screen hair for lice and nits" to determine the best way to remove them. They'll make house calls, and one client allegedly sent a private jet to fly in one of their nit-pickers. It seems that parents are willing to do anything to get rid of the bugs. LA based "lice whisperer" Amy Goldreyer said, “I get 5 to 15 calls a day from parents who basically tell me: ‘I’ll pay anything. Just get this over with.'"

For those who aren't willing to fork over that kind of cash, the DOH has some tips on how to deal with head, body and even pubic lice—which Hair Fairies probably won't treat. Apparently, head lice actually prefer clean hair and survive on human blood. They suggest using a medicated shampoo and fine-toothed comb on hair and to thoroughly wash all bedding. Feeling itchy yet?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jaya Saxena in News on April 11, 2010 4:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Ann Marie

It's not just about being squeamish -- to do it properly is very time consuming. Miss one, and you might as well have not done it at all. Why do you think the word "nitpicky" means what it does?

Guest

shaving your head is $10. students do it for $5.

Ishtar

Thank goodness I have a head full of juices, berries, and Pink Oil Moisturizer. It's helped me avoid lice my entire life.

nicemarmot

Oh god oh god oh god lice. My idiot younger brother brought them home when I was in the fourth grade, and my whole family shook them promptly, except me - my hair strands are individually fine, but there are so many of them that my hair looks thick. Neither my mother nor a professional ever managed to get all the nits. I begged my mother to be allowed to shave my head, but she wouldn't let me. (That bitch.)

I finally got rid of the little fuckers by cutting off most of my hair and developing a complete obsession with examining every single strand of my hair to remove the nits. I also used the lice shampoo as frequently as I could manage without getting sick. I would have nightmares about it for years afterward...::shudder::

Wish

I can understand hiring someone if your kid's got a really bad case and you've tried to treat it already with no result. But really? $300 for being squeamish?

Ritchie

ugh -- I can't even hear about them without scratching my head. Got a bad case of them from a school bus after taking my daughter on a class trip. But my mother said, when she was a kid in the 1920s, they would soak her hair with creosote or even shave her head.

jovialguy

here's a non toxic easy way to get rid of head lice on your kids:

completely soak their heads with olive oil, making sure rub into the scalp, like you would wash their hair, then gently comb their hair with a fine nit comb making sure to comb right down to the scalp. then just use shampoo to clean up the oil. i've done this and it works, it's also great for the scalp and hair. remember , head lice don't like oily hair, they love squeaky clean heads. when i travel i also use an allersac to protect my kids.

pipsy

Allersac you say....where could one find one of those?

jovialguy

having a senior moment here, think it was allersac.com, bought ours in sept 2009, after being bitten by bedbugs on a business trip. never liked hotels beds no matter how expensive, so after that i bought a kinsize for me and the wife and 2 singles for the kids, best investment. now, no matter where i stay i feel clean.

Trilby16

I'd charge at least that. My daughters got it a few times and I never treated them without getting it myself! Plus one daughter had really long thick hair. Three hundred sounds a little low actually.

wow 14th street

We had them in my NYC childhood we went to a pharmacy bought "green soap" put it on a kids scalp and then a fine tooth baby hair comb out. $300.... I'll charge $75.plus the cost of this inexpensive liquid soap ,if they still make it.

Funny how a business is made out of everything.

It was common at the end of school season to see my classmates wearing caps made of ladies nylon stockings

I guess it was to create a barrier.

In any event "cooties" inhabit subway station wooden benches,that's a place ,i would never wish to sit

pipsy

This makes me think of itchy people you see on planes. Ugh, now I'm really looking forward to my next JFK trip. Sweet.

Professor_X

AHAHAHA! Silly humans!

The monkeys in my troop and I pick them off of each other as a social event. You can't beat the satisfying feeling of popping a louse between your teeth. Plus the females are usually pretty appreciative afterwards if you know what I mean.

$300? Gimme a break.