School started on August 13th. We were positive for lice on the 26th. HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!
Does the mere mention of lice make your scalp crawl? If it didn’t before, it will now. Seriously, go check your kids’ heads. STAT.
We were standing at the bus stop on the 26th when I noticed my daughter scratching her head. At first, I thought, She must have a dry scalp. That’s probably it. My husband Tim suffers from that, so it seemed plausible. But she kept scratching, every few seconds, like she couldn’t help it. I watched for about a minute and then it hit me—this wasn’t just dry scalp. Instant panic. Instant internal swear words.
Since both Tim and I were there, I had him take a look. I didn’t have my glasses or contacts in, and my vision is basically useless for spotting tiny things, so I knew I’d probably miss it. He confirmed it. Lice. My whole body went into full-blown hysteria. We marched the kids back home, and they were furious with us for ruining their morning.
I immediately emailed all the teachers, letting them know the kids wouldn’t be in school and asking them to warn other parents. I wanted to disappear in embarrassment as I typed those emails. I know teachers handle this all the time, but I was already imagining the reactions of other parents. Horror. Disgust. Judgement. “That kind of stuff doesn’t happen to families like mine!” Spoiler alert: it does. Go check your own kids’ heads now.
Molly Schultz/Tried & True Mama
Okay. Deep breath. It’s not the end of the world. But it’s definitely one of the worst non-emergency crises a parent can face—especially when you have four girls with thick, curly hair. I’d been using the Fairy Tales hair care line, which is supposed to prevent lice. Except… I wasn’t using the lice-repelling one. I was using the Curly-Q shampoo, thinking it would protect them just as well. Spoiler: it didn’t. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
I texted my neighbor, asking what I needed to buy. She came over immediately and handed me everything she had. She reminded me that this happens to normal families and not to take it personally. I was trying to internalize that. But… lice. Tiny little invaders had infiltrated our family, and I was disgusted that it had happened to my kids.
So there we were. Four heads full of thick, curly hair staring at me like a horror movie. But wait… what about me? Oh God. What about my own head? Tim, please… check me.
It was itchy instantly. Had it been itchy all along and I ignored it? Surely I would’ve noticed crawling bugs, right? He parted my hair, shining his phone’s flashlight. “Yup, you’ve got it too. Sorry, babe. But only a few.”
Cue the 16-year-old hormonal girl reaction. Ridiculously dramatic. NOT ME TOO! I was furious, grossed out, itchy, and outraged. Why us? Why me? Tim called me out—rightly so—for acting like a lunatic over something fixable. True. I just had to pull myself together. Operation Lice-Removal was underway.
First, I straightened everyone’s hair with a flat iron. It wouldn’t kill all the lice, but it would burn the ones farther from the scalp. Tea tree oil next, then Fairy Tales lice remover. Then the dreaded combing process began.
Six hours later, I was physically and emotionally spent. My back hurt, my arms were on fire, and I cried to Tim once I finished. I knew we’d repeat the process in a few days to ensure it was fully eradicated. Honestly, how do you ever really know it’s gone for good? Every egg has to be meticulously removed, or you start over.
MVP moment goes to my father-in-law, who took all our laundry to the laundromat. He knew I couldn’t handle washing bedding while fishing bugs out of curly hair. Angel. Pure angel.
Once the kids’ hair was done, it was my turn. I told Tim not to tell me how many lice he found. And somehow, that dreadful combing turned into a mini spa treatment. The metal teeth scraping through my hair? Weirdly satisfying. The perfect end to an otherwise maddening day. I might ask him to do it more often.
Molly Schultz/Tried & True Mama
We repeated the treatment every other day for about ten days. Because yes, I’m a freak. My head still itched, even though Tim assured me there were no more lice. I even called in a professional company just to double-check.
Lesson learned: lice can strike anytime, even before school starts. Be honest and alert other families—it’s embarrassing, it sucks, but it’s the right thing to do. Protect each other.
And one more tip: prevention matters. Use lice-repelling products daily. If you go the Fairy Tales route, commit to the full red bottle line. And most importantly, take your time with the combing process. That’s what actually removes the lice and nits.
Godspeed, parents. God. Speed.
