If you're reading this, chances are that you or someone you know has had head lice at some point in life.
Those unfamiliar with the little blood suckers should consider themselves lucky. The Mayo Clinic describes lice as "tiny insects that feed on the blood from the human scalp."
While there isn't a ton of data on head lice — they are stigmatized, often treated at home and kept a secret — the CDC does estimate that the US encounters about 6 to 12 million cases a year.
Head-lice infestations usually happen to school-aged children, especially around times like Halloween when there is a lot of hat-trading and head-to-head contact.
A parasite infestation isn't usually something to celebrate or be proud of. However, an Australian mom recently made a confession on MamaMia, saying she actually looks forward to her kids catching the bugs.
Most of the time, you won't be able to see a louse this close up.
These tiny little buggers have life cycles of just over a month. Often, they do not draw attention to themselves — other than uncomfortable itching.
Since lice are blood-sucking parasites, the general consensus about them is fairly negative. In other words, most people do not relish a lice infestation.
Notes like these are often sent home from school when lice have been identified on a student so parents can take measures to treat and, most importantly, prevent them from spreading.
However, mommy blogger and Sydney-native Mandy Nolan has a completely different take when it comes to head lice.
Mandy recently wrote an article on MamaMia entitled, "Don't judge me but…I love picking head lice out of my kids' hair."
Mandy says she had this realization at the zoo, while she and her daughter were looking at the monkeys grooming each other.
Her daughter pointed at the monkeys saying, "That's exactly like you and me, Mum, doing my head lice."
Mandy claims that her children like to have their head lice removed and that her family even has competitions to see who can pluck the most. The "winner," however, has to unload the dishwasher.
For those of you unfamiliar, getting rid of head lice is a labor-intensive process. I'm sure everyone has a different technique, but generally speaking, it goes something like this:
- Kill the little guys using a harsh chemical shampoo.
- Comb out the lice corpses with a fine-tooth comb until there aren’t any left.
Trust me, this can take hours. For most people, it's a necessary evil — and the origin of the term "nitpicking."
However, Mandy admits that she actually likes it and compares it to "social grooming" done by animals like monkeys in the wild.
Truth be told, Mandy may have a point about how head lice really brings the family together. If you have it, you're probably not the only one.
Moreover, teamwork is essential for head lice removal. You physically cannot do it yourself unless you're some sort of double-jointed superhuman.
Last but not least, it is kind of oddly satisfying to do this. While it is a disgusting thing to admit, combing out lice is ultimately a rewarding activity.
As someone who has been on both the receiving and giving end of a lice comb, I have to admit that Mandy isn't as crazy as she may sound. Either that, or I'm crazy, too.
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