Yes, you absolutely should tell your hairdresser if you have lice, or at least reschedule and treat it first, because it's a health/safety issue that can spread in salons, and stylists are trained to spot it and must follow protocols, often stopping the service and asking you to return after treatment to protect other clients and their business. While it's embarrassing, being upfront prevents contamination and helps them manage their salon safely; most stylists appreciate honesty and will guide you on treatment before rescheduling, as they can't legally perform services on infested heads.
A: A hairdresser can notice lice, and should discreetly make you aware and give you advice on how to get rid of them. Your hairdresser cannot treat your hair while you have lice however will be more than happy to accommodate you when the problem has gone.
Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009 there is no Regulation preventing a person with head lice or their eggs from using or attending a hairdressing salon. People get head lice from direct hair to hair contact with another person who has head lice.
Short answer: Most reputable salons will not cut hair if active, live head lice are present; many will refuse service until the client is treated and lice-free. However, policies vary; some salons will offer limited services or cutting after precautions.
Yes -- as answered in question #1, informing other adults of children who have close contact (neighbors, sleepover friends, sports team friends, classmates, scouts etc.) will promote their early identification and treatment of lice too, and prevent the continued re-infestation of your own child and others.
You and your child may be upset and embarrassed about having lice. While lice can be hard to deal with, they do not cause any medical harm to you or your child. Getting lice does not mean that your child is dirty, and it is not a sign of poor hygiene in other children when they get lice.
People who have head lice for the first time may not feel itchy right way. It can take 4 to 6 weeks for itching to start. You may be able to see lice, but they move quickly, avoid lights and are small. You may also see lice eggs on hair shafts.
Rules and regulations for cosmetologists and hair salons are very strict. Not only are they required to sanitize all of their tools between clients, but as mentioned before, they cannot provide services to clients who have any sign of head lice.
Head lice need a human host to survive. If the hair is gone, so are head lice. While cutting a child's hair may seem like an extreme solution, it may be a viable course of action for some parents. If your child already gets short haircuts, it may make sense for you to deal with head lice by destroying their habitat.
Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes. Do not share combs, brushes, or towels.
Begin by thoroughly disinfecting all tools used during the appointment, including combs, brushes, and scissors. Soak these items in a disinfectant solution that is effective against lice and nits. Next, clean and disinfect your workstation, including the salon chair, cape, and any surfaces the client may have touched.
Lice spread through direct contact, and while they don't jump or fly, they can crawl from one head to another faster than you can say "disinfect." This makes salons a potential hotspot for lice transmission if proper precautions aren't taken.
Cutting your child's hair or shaving their head to get rid of lice won't keep them away. Lice stick to short and just “grown in” hair, too! 6. Lice don't hide in building cracks like cockroaches or sand boxes like other tiny insects.
If You Have Head Lice
Avoid going to parties, outings or sleepovers till you are lice free. You might infest someone else and that might cause an outbreak. It is better to contain the situation as soon it arises. Visit a lice clinic, like ours, immediately because they will be able to better diagnose you.
When dealing with head lice, although a straightener has the potential to kill them, they can still crawl away to another strand of hair as you straighten. Heat from straighteners and hair dryers can cause the lice to become dehydrated. It can kill head lice but not all of them.
Some people may not have symptoms, particularly with the first infestation or when the infestation is light. It may take 4-6 weeks for itching to appear the first time a person has head lice.
Hairdressers are often the first to identify head lice (nits) and sometimes asked to treat the condition.
Detection combing can be carried out on dry or wet hair. Dry combing takes less time, but wet combing is more accurate because washing with conditioner stops head lice from moving.
Causes of Hair Lice
Head lice is primarily transmitted from one person to another through direct physical contact. This easily transmissible infestation often occurs in close-knit environments, such as schools or households.
Very pleasantly and quietly tell the client that you found evidence of lice, and due to health code, you're not able to finish their haircut until the lice have been treated.
If you confirm the presence of lice, kindly inform the client or their parent about your findings. 📢 Let them know that, unfortunately, you cannot proceed with the hair service at this time and provide them with guidance on how to treat the issue at home.
Any child may get lice: rich or poor, short hair or long hair, old or young. It does not mean the child is dirty or bad! Human lice live only on human hair and scalps. If your child has lice, he got it from another individual with whom he was in close contact.
Symptoms of head lice include:
Lice eggs (nits).
These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch.
If using Nix or Rid, it is recommended that you shampoo with the lice shampoo again on the 9th day after the initial shampoo. This step may not be necessary for Sklice. If you continue to see live bugs 2 days after shampooing, please call our office for recommendations.