The phone rings, it’s the school… your child has head lice and you need to drop everything and pick them up ASAP.  The panic begins…  you immediately start to research head lice online, you are not sure if you should call your friends to let them know head lice is in the school (you should, by the way), go to the pediatrician’s office, or visit the drug store.  Where do you turn?  What do you do next?

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