I want thank all of our loyal clients that voted for us over the past several months.  We received over 1100 votes.  We definitely couldn’t have done this without their help and positive comments. 

Read the full press release: LouseCalls, Inc. ranks no. 47 on Startup Nations “Leading Mom’s in Business” list

See the official ranking page:  http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/11365/index.php

Wishing you ‘No more louse-y days.’

Amy

I like to make sure we do our best to diagnose what was found is really lice, before we ever show up at your home.  This is a win-win.  If we can diagnose that it is not lice over the phone, it saves you money and allows us to focus our services toward the families that truly need our help.

So, here are my 3 easy steps that you can follow to help you determine if you have lice or no lice:

1. If you have a good lice comb, use it to comb through the hair.  After a few swipes through the hair, strum you fingers across the comb, like it was a guitar, above a white piece of paper.  Look closely at what pops out.  Is it white or cream and blends in with the paper?  Does it have an irregular shape?  Good news… No lice!!!  Or, is what you are seeing brown and perfectly oval, or black with legs and crawling (like in these pictures http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/lice/photo.shtml)?  That’s Lice!!!!

2. If you do not have a lice comb, try to pull the little things you are seeing off the hair shaft. !!  Are they white and flick or blow off the hair strand easily? No lice!!!  Or, do you have to slide them down the hair shaft to remove them? Once removed, put them on a white piece of paper.  Are they brownish/grayish and oval in shape? That’s Lice

3. Finally, when in doubt, call a professional head lice removal company like LouseCalls!  It’s worth the investment to discover lice earlier rather than later.  Taking care of it early will keep it from spreading and becoming a bigger problem. Most importantly it will give you peace of mind and give you the ability to move forward and get rid of it the right way !!!

Wishing you “No more louse-y days!”

Amy

Follow these simple prevention techniques to ensure no uninvited head lice attend your holiday get-togethers this year.

• Be on the lookout for friends and family members who seem to be scratching their heads often.
• Be aware of itching, scratching, or red bumps on the back of the neck or behind the ears after your holiday visits.
• Check yourself and your children for head lice prior to visiting relatives to eliminate the chance of passing an unwanted gift of head lice to a loved one.
• With people living in close quarters, it is common to share hats, coats and other clothing. Plan ahead and try to pack wisely to avoid the need to borrow from each other.
• Openly communicate if you recently had a head lice infestation. Head lice’s best survival technique is the fact that people don’t communicate that they have lice with each other.
• Use an all-natural repellant spray or shampoo/conditioner to help reduce the chances of contracting head lice. 

Don’t let head lice be the holiday gift that people will be talking about for years to come! You can find out more head lice facts by by visiting http://www.lousecalls.com/lice-facts.

LouseCalls wishes everyone a happy, healthy and lice free holiday
season.

Wishing you “No More Louse-y Days”

Amy

It is very common for me to walk potential clients through this process on the phone in order to help ensure that they truly have head lice before they hire us.  Typically, they are very grateful (and relieved) when I walk them through this 2 minute exercise and it turns out that they simply have dandruff, or maybe have left over sand from a day at the beach.  Not only are they relieved to quickly find out that they probably don’t have lice, but they also are happy to save a good bit of money and time.

It doesn’t matter if you are looking to hire a lice removal company, or looking to perform your own head lice treatment, following these steps may save you a lot of wasted time and money:

1. Look through your child’s hair and pull out what you think to be a nit (lice egg).  If you happen to have one of our head lice terminator combs, pass the comb through your child’s hair a few times, starting at the hair shaft and combing outwards to the end.
2. Get a plain white piece of paper, and put it down on a table or counter.
3. Above the white piece of paper, hold the comb horizontally and strum your fingernail across the teeth of the comb looking for nits to fall out.  If you don’t have the comb, simply remove the nit from the hair shaft by sliding it down the length of the hair, and then place it on the piece of paper.
4. Once it is on the paper, you want to pay close attention to the color and shape of the nit.  Head lice eggs are brownish in color (never white), and they are always a perfect oval shape.  (Click for photos of head lice from University of Nebraska)

 If this is what you are seeing, then it is time to call LouseCalls or visit our do-it-yourself store for the proper tools, products and videos.  However, if it is not brownish in color and oval in shape, you can breathe a sigh of relief, because it isn’t head lice.  It could be one of countless things, including dandruff, sand, fuzz, fluff, lint, or dirt. 

Wishing you ‘No More Louse-y Days.’

Amy

Jesse: Just out of curiosity, how do you keep your hair so shiny and manageable?
Frankie: Oh, well you see, I always condition with avocados.
Jesse: Oh, me too. Me too. And once in a while I put a little mayonnaise.
Frankie: No, you ought to try a little bit of lime juice and cilantro.
Jesse: Oh, does that help restore the pH balance?
Frankie: No, but it makes a great dip.

Mayonnaise and Vinegar make for great salad dressings, but we don’t recommend using them to try to fight a head lice infestation.  The typical instructions for using these products that you find posted on the internet call for people to leave these products in your hair overnight (sometimes for several nights in a row), wrapped in some sort of plastic wrap in an attempt to suffocate the live bugs.  This results in an extremely uncomfortable, hot, and potentially rancid and smelly experience.  Additionally, these products can be very difficult to rinse out of your child’s hair.

If the reason you are using these products is to find a pesticide free head lice remedy, or if you are simply looking for a cheaper alternative treatment, LouseCalls recommends using normal, everyday hair conditioner in combination with a very good lice comb like the Nit Free Terminator Comb.  A generic bottle of hair conditioner typically costs less than these products, doesn’t spoil or go rancid, and washes out of the hair easily.

Of course there are a number of all-natural head lice products on the market that do a very good job, and don’t require you to keep them in your head overnight.  But remember, there is no magic cure for head lice, and no product kills the nits.  So, make sure you have a great lice comb to get rid of every bug and nit, or call your friendly neighborhood lice removal company like LouseCalls to do the job for you.

Wishing you “No More Louse-y Days”

Amy

• Keep hair up and out of the way – Head lice travel from person to through direct head-to-head (really hair-to-hair) contact.  Keeping long hair up, in a tight ponytail, will help keep your child’s hair from contacting other children’s hair.
• Use a daily prevention spray – a daily prevention spray, like the Nit Free Mint Spray, is a prevention step to help avoid head lice.
• Perform routine head lice checks – check for lice every couple of weeks to catch an infestation early.  The earlier you catch the infestation, the lower the chance that head lice will be able to infest your entire family.
• Educate your children about lice facts – teach your children the simple facts of lice that they should know:  don’t share hats or combs, avoid direct head-to-head contact, keep hair up and out of the way, and tell your mom if your head is itchy.

Head lice is tricky and persistent, but implementing these simple prevention techniques may help you avoid head lice this school year.  However, if you do find lice at some point during the year, don’t panic… LouseCalls is a simple phone call away.  We will get your child back to school and your life back to normal in no time flat.

Wishing you ‘No More Louse-y Days’

Amy

What a great and exciting day… you are waiting at the airport terminal anxious for your child that you haven’t seen in weeks to walk through those security doors.  You make eye contact, and start running toward each other with arms wide open.  You stick your foot out and trip your spouse to make sure you get the first hug, not them.  Finally, after so many weeks away at camp, you get to embrace your child.

Unfortnutely, a sneaky little pest may have come through those security doors along with your child, and it only takes one hug hello to transfer from their head to yours…. Head lice!

By the time you start unpacking all of the strange things that came home in your child’s suitcase, you may not even realize that the strangest of all camp souvenirs may have come home on their head, and possibly already transferred to your head.

You probably don’t want to embarrass your child and check them for lice right in the middle of the airport (that would be a welcome home they would never forget), but we highly recommend checking your child as soon as you get home.  Your goal should be to catch a head lice infestation as early as possible, before it can spread to the rest of the family.

 In order to help you identify head lice, here are some quick tips for what to look for:

• Perform checks in an area with good lighting
• Check the entire head, taking special care around the ears and back of the neck
• Look for nits (eggs) that are brown and oval in shape
• Remove any suspicious looking items from the head and place them on a white piece of paper to be able to view them more easily.  Nits are always oval in shape, and brownish-yellow in color.
• Nits will be attached to the hair shaft, close to the scalp
• Refer to our Lice Facts page for additional information

I hope you enjoy reuniting with your child and learning all of the fantastic experiences they had and friends they made this summer, but make sure to take the time to ensure they didn’t bring any unwanted friends home with them.  Rest assured, if you do find head lice, LouseCalls is here to help, and just a phone call away.

Wishing you No More Louse-y Days,

Amy

Related Post:  LouseCalls’ Summer Camp Head Lice Prevention Guide

The first thing to do is stay calm, and take a deep breath.  Having head lice is not the end of the world.  This is just one of life’s little bumps that you will get through (along with millions of other people every year).  The second thing to do is determine how you are going to have your family treated for head lice.  Your choices basically boil down to either treating your family yourself, or hiring a professional lice removal company. 

In the event you decide to hire a professional lice removal company, you may have several to choose from in your area.  To help you figure out how to choose the best service, below are the top 10 criteria to consider before hiring a lice treatment service:

1.  Was it easy to contact the company initially?

Look for companies that have multiple methods to contact them clearly posted on their web site (phone, text, email).  Did they return your messages promptly and were they willing to spend the time with you answering your questions, and forthcoming with information.

If the company was difficult to get in touch with initially, this could be a red flag in regards to how easy it will be to contact them after your treatment with questions or concerns.

Basically, did you get the impression that this company truly cared about getting you through this episode, putting you at ease, and answering your questions… or were they simply looking to make a sale.

LouseCalls answers their phones, texts and emails 7 days a week.  If we don’t answer the phone immediately when you call, our goal is to return all calls within the hour.  After the treatment, we stay in communication with our clients throughout the following week and half and we’re always available to answer questions.

2.  Is the company upfront with their pricing structure? 

There are basically two methods head lice removal services use to charge their clients for treatment services: by the head, or by the hour.  Find out up front how the company’s pricing structure works. 

Be aware that per hour pricing has an infinite price tag, and you have no idea how much it will cost for the service until the treatment is completed.  The cost of service will be based upon the experience and speed of the nitpicker.  Ironically, with this pricing model, the less experienced the nitpicker, the more it will cost you for the service.  We have heard horror stories from unfortunate people who hired inexperienced lice removal services that charged by the hour, and it took over 8 hours to treat one head (costing over a thousand dollars for that single head).    The worst part about it was that the person had to call us the next day, because the other company left behind so many nits and bugs.

Per head pricing is definite.  You will know before the company ever begins working how much it will cost for the service.  In this model, clients don’t have to worry about watching a clock and hurrying the technician along because they are concerned that the charges continue to pile on with every tick of the second hand.

LouseCalls charges their clients by the head, as we feel this is the most honest and fair way to charge.  Our clients have a good idea how much the service will cost before we ever hang up the phone.

3.  How long has the company been in business?

It just goes to reason that the longer a company has been in business, the more efficient and effective they are going to be at treating head lice.  In regards to the head lice removal industry, it is very common for someone to quickly purchase some lice removal products and tools and start calling themselves an expert.  Or, they go take a 3-4 day training course, and get a certificate of some sort “certifying” that they are a head lice expert.  Ask the company how long they have been in business, how many heads they have treated, and how long their technicians typically train before they are sent out on their own? 

LouseCalls has been in business since 2005 and has successfully treated thousands of families.  Our technicians typically train for 6-8 as weeks as an apprentice before ever being allowed to go out on their own to treat a family. 

4.  Are they licensed to do business in the State?

It may be worth your while to do a quick search with your State’s Department of Revenue to make sure that the company is registered to do business in the state.  In Florida, simply go to http://sunbiz.org and run a quick search.  Typically, someone that hasn’t taken the time to formally incorporate themselves isn’t really serious about this line of work.  They may be simply trying to make a little extra money on the side or just getting started, and waiting to see if this business idea is worth the effort.  This is also a good way to find out how long the business has been around, in case they sounded a bit wishy-washy when you asked them in #3 above.

LouseCalls has been incorporated within the state of Florida since 2005 and holds multiple federal trademarks and copyrights.  We are serious about the head lice removal business.

5.  Are they insured?

Does this company carry liability and workers compensation insurance?  Again, this is a good sign of whether this company is serious, or just someone’s side hobby.  Just because it is someone’s side hobby, doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t good nit pickers, but it most likely indicates that the level of follow-up and ability to contact this person with questions after the initial treatment may be lacking.

LouseCalls carries full liability and workers compensation insurance.

6.  Where are the treatments performed?

Lice removal companies either perform their treatments in a clinic/treatment center, or they provide in-home service.  This is truly a personal preference for the client.  They are both effective, with success being dependent on the process, product and experience of the company.

LouseCalls provides their services in the comfort of their client’s homes.  Our clients love the convenience and confidentiality this provides.  This setting allows us to communicate with the parents more openly to provide the necessary education and lice facts.  Also, the parents are able to go forward with their day-to-day activities while our technicians are busy working.  No clinical setting to put the kids on edge, or uncomfortable waiting rooms for the parents.

7.  Are they trying to sell you on services that are not needed or illegal?

Did you know that in some states (Florida is one of them) it is illegal to sell exterminator services to treat your home for head lice?  If a head lice removal service is trying to up-sell you an additional service to clean and disinfect your home, you are getting ripped-off.  Plain and simple, head lice live on your head, not in your home.  They die within 24-48 hours if they happen to crawl off of your head, into the home environment.  There are some basic things you need to do around your house, like change the bedding and cleaning out your combs and brushes, but the most important place to focus your time and energy is treating the head. 

A lice removal service should absolutely provide instructions on exactly what you need to do around your home, but a full house cleaning is not required.  If the company you called wants to sell you a full house cleaning in addition to treating your head, hang up.  They are just trying to squeeze more money out of you.

Since LouseCalls performs all of their work at the client’s home, we are able to show our clients exactly what they need to do to ensure their home is in ship-shape order.  We provide detailed instructions on what our clients need to do around the house to ensure the chance of re-infestation is minimized.

8.  What lice treatment products are used by the company?

There is a plethora of products on the market to treat head lice.  Frankly, the most important tool is a professional lice comb (see article blog post Nothing Defeats Head Lice Like the Right Lice Comb) not the treatment product.  However, you want to make sure the company uses an all-natural lice treatment product.

Also, I recommend finding out if they use food based products such as olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, etc.  LouseCalls does not recommend food based products for treating head lice.  There are a number of lice removal services that utilize these products, but you need to find out the follow-up process before moving forward.  We have heard of some companies that make their clients sleep with their heads saturated with olive oil and wrap with saran wrap for 10 nights in a row following the initial treatment.  Therefore, make sure to find out if the follow-up work you have to do is more time consuming and difficult than the actual treatment.

You may also find lice removal companies that utilize a machine similar to a hair drier to treat for head lice.  LouseCalls has thoroughly tested these machines and has been certified for their usage.  However, we have made a conscious decision not to use them as a part of our process.  This is due to the fact that regardless if this machine is used, all live bugs and their eggs (nits) have to be completely removed to be confident that your head lice is gone.  We are not saying that these machines don’t work to some degree, but it is a needless step for experienced nitpickers.

LouseCalls uses and recommends the Nit Free line of head lice treatment products, including the Nit Free Mouse, Nit Free Conditioner, Nit Free Shampoo, Nit Free Mint Spray and Nit Free Terminator Comb.  All of which can be ordered for Do-It-Yourself types from our Do-It-Yourself store.

9.  What type of follow-up do they require?

This is a double edged sword.  If a company tells you that only one treatment is needed, or if they tell you that 3+ treatments are needed, you are getting bad information. 

Be leery of a company that 100% guarantees that you will be completely lice free after a single treatment, with zero follow-up required.  Let’s face it, nobody is perfect, and there is always a chance that a nit or two may be missed, even by the best nitpicker.  However, some other companies tell you that they have to do 3, 4 or more retreatments.  In this scenario, the company is typically trying to get more money out of you then they truly deserve, or they are not truly confident in their process. 

Yes, retreatment is absolutely necessary 7-10 days after the initial treatment. The lifecycle of head lice dictate this timeframe.  It is also a good idea to quickly comb out a couple of times during the week.   However, those mid-week comb-outs can be done by you, and don’t require a lice removal service to do it for you. 

LouseCalls doesn’t leave their clients guessing.  We stay in constant communication with our clients after the initial treatment, all the way through the retreatment to ensure they know exactly what to do, and when.

10.  What is their guarantee and is it clearly posted?

Plain and simple, does the company provide any guarantee of their service, and if so, is it clearly stated on their web site.  Let’s be honest, hiring a lice removal company can be an expensive endeavor, and it certainly isn’t something people budget for.  If you are going to be spending hard earned money, there should be some sort of guarantee that the lice will be gone and your child will be able to go back to school the next day without being sent home again.

LouseCalls service guarantee is clearly posted on our website and we hand our clients a hard copy of the guarantee when we are at their home.

We know getting that phone call from your child’s school is a stressful event.  We hope this article has helped to put you at ease and given you some information about how to move forward. 

Remember that these are just general guidelines.  There are a number of very good head lice treatment services across the country, however there are also a lot of them that are either inexperienced or simply don’t know what they are doing.  Use these guidelines to help ensure you are hiring a company that you will feel confident will do the job right the first time.

Wishing you “No More Louse-y Days!”

Amy

Over the years, head lice has become more and more prevalent in summer camps, with most sleep away camps refusing to allow kids into camp that have head lice.   

To help eliminate this summer time nuisance, LouseCalls reminds you to perform a simple head lice screening to your children prior to sending them to camp.  It is the best prevention technique to reduce the risk of spreading head lice to friends, family, and fellow campers.

Here are some key screening tips:

• Perform checks in an area with good lighting
• Check the entire head, taking special care around the ears and back of the neck
• Look for nits (eggs) that are brown and oval in shape
• Remove any suspicious looking items from the head and place them on a white piece of paper to be able to view them more easily.  Nits are always oval in shape, and brownish-yellow in color.
• Nits will be attached to the hair shaft, close to the scalp
• If your children are going to day camp, remember to perform head lice checks regularly throughout the summer to catch infestations early

Once you ensure that your kids are clean and ready to go to camp, here are some key head lice prevention tips to communicate to your children prior to camp, to help ensure they come back lice free:

• Hugging seems to be one of the favorite activities at camp, especially among the girls.  It is unrealistic to expect your children won’t hug their friends, but it is something they need to keep in mind and be aware.
• If your child has long hair, talk to them about keeping it up and out of the way.  A nice, tight pony tail is perfect.
• It is common for children to share clothes and personal items at camp, teach them that this is potentially risky behavior, especially when it comes to hats and brushes.
• Send your children to camp with our Head Lice Prevention Kit (Nit Free Shampoo, Conditioner and Mint Spray).  These are great products to pack in your child’s duffle bag and send to camp.  They have to wash their hair anyway; it might as well be with products that will help ensure they don’t get head lice.  If you think your child will be embarrassed to use a product that mentions head lice on the label, simply peel off the labels before packing.  The prevention kit is now on sale for 10% off its normally reduced price and can be order by clicking here.
• Remember to check your children for head lice as soon as they come back home from camp.  It is much better to catch it immediately so it can be taken care of swiftly, before it spreads to the entire family 

In the event you happen to find evidence of head lice, rest assured, LouseCalls is a quick phone call away.  We’ll get your family cleaned up and ready for a fantastic summer.

Wishing you a No More Louse-y Days, and a fantastic summer!

Amy

LouseCalls Expands Head Lice Removal Service to Help Families Throughout Tampa Bay, Fl and Surrounding Areas

Residents in Tampa and the surrounding areas should expect nothing less than the very same high quality, extremely effective services that have won praise across South and Central Florida for years.  You can rest assured that at LouseCalls we don’t sell franchises, or license our name, or have people pay us for a couple of days of training in order to get a certificate and be able to claim themselves an experts, and this includes our Tampa Head Lice Removal Services.  I am personally involved in the training of every LouseCalls technician to ensure consistent implementation of the LouseCalls treatment and removal methodology.  Additionally, I am personally involved with every LouseCalls client.  You can always contact me directly with any head lice related questions or needs.

See you in Tampa!

Wishing you “No More Louse-y Days!”

Amy