In the past several years, selfies have increased in popularity and started playing a big role in social media. However, it wasn’t until recently that we started hearing that selfies increase spreading head lice among teenagers. As an owner of a lice treatment company in Seattle, called The Lice Clinic, this issue grabbed my attention. I looked into my file cabinet and noticed that among my regular elementary school clients there were several thirteen-year-olds who didn’t have younger siblings. This made me think that indeed, selfies might be the cause of their lice infestation.
Parents of children who have passed the elementary school years might think that the lice issue is already behind them. Unfortunately, with the new trend of the self-taken pictures, the horror of lice might enter their homes again. The truth is that teens love selfies and asking them to stop taking pictures with their friends is almost impossible. They love sharing photos on their favorite social networking websites.
So what can you do?
Here are a few tips to reduce the chance of you or your child contracting a case of head lice and still being a part of the picture.
Side braids are fun! Lice don’t jump or fly, but they are very fast crawlers. The five second selfie is enough to quickly move from one head to another. Having hair tied up in a simple pony-tail might seem boring so think of a fun side braid or a lovely bun hairstyle. Side braids will look great on a selfie. Be creative and have fun with the hair. Research new fun braids that would get attention from friends. Use different colors hair ties to match your outfit.