Children look forward to summer all year long because they get to partake in fun activities with their friends and swim at the pool instead of sitting in a classroom all day. Summer in Texas means extreme heat, an abundance of ice cream and plenty of pool parties to cool off and get bronze. Pool parties are a great excuse to detach our children from their video games and social media accounts and get them outside to enjoy each other’s company.
Are you worried about your child getting head lice from a friend at a pool party? Here are some things you should know about lice and the pool.
Do Lice swim?
Lice don’t really swim, but when attached to the hair underwater, they can breathe for several hours. So, if you thought that drowning lice in the pool would kill them, sadly, you were wrong. But wait what about chlorine? Nope, that won’t kill them either. They can survive in chlorine as well. Head lice can even survive in pyrethroids, the live ingredient in drugstore lice treatments. Lice are more resistant and strong in this generation than ever before. So, while they don’t swim around the pool, they will survive on the head while in the pool.
The good news is that contracting lice from someone in a pool is very unlikely. Like we said before, lice can’t swim so they are most-likely going to be clung to the head and not budge. The pool is not the place to worry about your child getting head lice. But remember: chlorine-filled water is also not a form of lice treatment. It will not suffocate the lice.
Getting Close After The Pool
While we don’t want you to worry about your child getting lice in the pool, we do suggest being aware of how they might contract lice outside of the pool. Lice could be spread through sharing beach towels, combs or other accessories. We suggest that children use their own items and keep them in a bag or backpack away from everyone else’s things. This is a simple way to keep lice from spreading through your items. Sharing might be caring, but when it comes to head lice, it isn’t worth it.
We hope you’re looking forward to summer as much as we are. Remember to bring your own towel to your pool parties! Have a good summer!