Lice in The Spotlight: How TV Shows Depict Lice Infestations
There’s a reason why we love television shows and sitcoms that center around the American family. Whether it’s larger than life, loving families or dysfunctional ones, we love watching shows that reflect our values—and our family drama! It’s much better to see it on-screen than to live it in real life!
As we get our daily dose of family drama from reality-show families like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, we develop love-hate relationships with these onscreen personalities.
We get attached to characters on-screen and get emotionally invested in their journeys and growth. From heartbreaks to moving on, we follow each step and phase of their lives. Since so many television shows based on families are created and written by people who are drawing from their own personal experiences, most of us find some instance or the other to be extremely relatable.
There are many similar plots in different family shows that tackle important issues, questions, and moments that we all experience. There’s always that one episode that addresses puberty, having the sex talk with children, and other social issues. Some shows are brave enough to talk about taboo topics but with empathy and sincerity, which can be a conversation starter for many of us watching at home.
Everything that’s wrong with lice infestation portrayal on television
One of the most common tropes in family sitcoms and shows has been the unprecedented and sensationalized lice infestation. A kid in middle-school gets it from a friend, or a mom gets it from her kid. There’s one common thread in all of these scenarios: there’s oh-so-much panic and drama surrounding it. Perhaps this is why there’s still so much stigma surrounding lice infestations, and why we tend to make a big deal out of it even though it’s not. Lice infestations are very common among children between the ages of 6–12. One of the myths we need to bust—which television shows perpetuate—is that it’s not embarrassing to get lice at all. It can happen to anyone! They’re also not caused by poor personal hygiene or dirtiness. Lice care about one thing and one thing alone: feeding off your scalp! They’re rarely transmitted by sharing hair accessories and brushes. They only propagate via head-to-head contact. Let’s take a look at some of the most famous lice outbreak episodes in our favorite family television shows, and the dos and don’ts we learned in them!
Schitt’s Creek
Season 3: Episode 11 of the underrated comedy Schitt’s Creek—which left us in tears as we watched the series finale—is all about lice. Titled “Stop Saying Lice!” It revolves around a lice outbreak at the school where Alexis is studying to get her high-school diploma. She brings them back to the motel where her family lives. However, Alexis is embarrassed that she has lice, so she tries to steal some anti-lice shampoos that were made for dogs from Ted’s veterinary clinic, so she doesn’t have to buy them. This shows that there’s still a stigma attached to contracting head lice. David decides to stay over at a friend’s place to avoid getting head lice, whereas Johnny wants to make all the beds again at the motel before any guests get head lice, as this could be bad for business. It’s important to note here that head lice can’t live off the scalp for more than a couple of days, so the chances of an infestation are slim. But cleaning the home is an excellent precautionary method to take. Another excellent do in the episode is when Ted finds out that Alexis has lice and helps her remove them by combing out her hair and picking the nits and lice section by section. This is the proper method for lice removal. He also reassures her that getting head lice is common, and it’s not a big deal. This is a great way to offer emotional support to someone who has lice so they stop panicking. We knew we loved Ted for a reason!As Told by Ginger
This popular cartoon broadcasted 20 years ago on Nickelodeon and is one of the earliest shows to depict lice outbreaks in schools. It talks about the stigma surrounding head lice, and is one of the few shows that talks about getting head lice even if you have a clean scalp. In the episode, our lead star Ginger tries to stop her friend Dodie from publicly announcing the names of people who have head lice, because Courtney gets them too.The Office
Season 9: Episode 10 of the classic show, The Office—a hilarious American spin-off of the British series—is literally called Lice. The show is beloved for its portrayal of an everyday American 9–5 job, and at this point in the show, several of the characters have evolved and formed deep relationships. The episode starts with Pam struggling with managing household tasks and taking care of her daughter, since Jim is away. The cherry on top is that she finds out that her daughter has lice. She proceeds to wash all the clothes in the house to deal with the problem. This is the first mistake she makes. Her first step should have been to remove the head lice from her daughter’s head and then proceed to get lice removal and inspection services for herself. Because she doesn’t do that, she notices that other co-workers are scratching their heads. She knows she is guilty of transferring the lice to other people and decides to inspect everyone at the office. They find that the entire office has lice, except for four people. However, given Meredith’s reputation, everyone presumes she is responsible for the infestation. Lice have nothing to do with personal hygiene, though. This leads to a series of hilarious events depicting some of the worst ways to get rid of lice. Meredith even shaves her head off because no one would believe her! Dwight shows up wearing a hazmat suit, a severe step, and then accidentally blows a bug bomb that causes him to faint. Erin and some other employees rub mayonnaise in their head to suffocate the lice—not a great idea.How to Get Rid of Hair Lice for Good—Lice Removal Services That Won’t Disappoint!
Despite head lice having been around for ages (as far back as early Egyptian civilizations) we still haven’t found a way to completely eradicate them. In fact, head lice are evolving and becoming immune to many over-the-counter treatment options. You may have exhausted all your options and tried every possible home remedy, only to find the pesky pests still crawling around. This can be frustrating, but we’re here to tell you that getting rid of head lice isn’t impossible! As a premier lice removal service in Port Washington, we can help you make the best decision regarding your hair, so you don’t end up damaging it severely! Follow these steps for a seamless lice removal experience.
1. Begin with an Pesticide Free Shampoo
If you want to make removing nits and lice is a lot easier for yourself, then make sure your hair is soaking wet and that you’ve gotten rid of all the tangles with a wide-toothed comb. We would advise against the use of any toxins and over-the-counter chemical treatments since these do more harm than good. Instead go for an pesticide free lice treatment shampoo. Our lice treatment shampoo is specially designed for sensitive scalps for young children and leaves the hair hydrated and nourished. It gives you smooth and conditioned tresses that you can easily go over with a fine-toothed comb.Use the Right Tools for Lice Extraction
The best tool to use for head lice removal is a fine comb. Nit combing is useful for a number of vital reasons, including making lice more visible. It also helps you separate the nits from dandruff. Here’s a step by step guide to facilitate the process for you: Step 1: Place a towel around your shoulders to prevent the lice from falling off and getting under the shirt. Step 2: Part the hair into sections and comb each section carefully and deliberately. This will allow you to focus on getting rid of lice and eggs in each section. Our state-of-the-art lice extraction comb is easy to use throughout the hair on all hair types and helps you get as close to the scalp as possible. This will be the most time-consuming part of the entire process. It requires patience, but is guaranteed to provide results and is one of the best natural head lice treatments out there. Other favorable qualities of our combs are:- They are strong and durable, making them an excellent investment.
- They are reusable, which means you’re not collecting waste and get a ton of value for your money.
- They fit perfectly in your hand, which makes them easier to use.
- They’re ideal for regular lice-checks at home—especially when you’re social distancing!
Step 6 (optional) Do a thorough cleaning at home
A lice-free head comes with a lice-free home, and that’s why a complete home cleaning is in order. Lice eggs or even adult lice will not live for too long if they stray far from the scalp because they’re away from a direct food source. They also need to hatch in warmer room temperature so there’s no fear of them surviving on furniture and linen like bed bugs do. As a precautionary measure, you can clean the sheets and your home to give yourself the satisfaction that the critters are really gone for good. Another tip is to place all non-washable items in an air-tight plastic bag. This will kill all the lice and nits within a couple of weeks.
