Why I Started a Head Lice Removal Franchise
My Journey into the Head Lice Business
By Dawn Mucci
When I was a child I had long beautiful hair that for some reason always attracted head lice. I recall always being the child who got sent home every time the nurses came to check for lice at my school. I was traumatized by it each time. The teasing, the shame and the repeated exposure to pesticides that I received. My hair was long and thick and the comb my parent used to try and remove the lice eggs tore my hair our and made me cry. My eyes would water from the smell of the pesticide that was poured on my head more times than I can remember. It was a nightmare and I hated every bit of it.
As a young mother, my son brought head lice home from daycare and gave it to me. At once I was back in that place of shame, fear and sheer horror. I felt like that little girl again. Alone, scared and at a lost as to what to do. I tried to find help but there was nothing available. No one to help me remove the lice from my hair and all I was told to do was to use the same pesticide and comb that I had been subject to as a kid. At that moment I knew there had to be a better way. This began my journey into the head lice business. I was going to make it my mission to first of all dispel the stigma associated with head lice so no other child would feel the way that I did and to find better way of treating it. I did not want to subject myself or my child to the pesticides and torture that I had gone through as a kid and I was determined to find another way.
After successfully treating myself and son with a method that I discovered, I continued to designed and refine my system. I spent two more years researching head lice and learned everything that I could about the issue. I began to go to other people’s homes and help them with my method and in 2002 I began my professional career in the lice business. A career that seemed meant to happen as a result of my horrible experiences with head lice.
Ten years later Lice Squad Canada has franchised across Canada and has helped thousands of family, schools, camps and day care centers. I am still amazed by that because I had no idea that there was such a demand. After all, I took a risk and went out on a limb with the idea of doing for people what I so badly needed done for me.
Life is funny that way. Sometimes difficult situations present themselves and they seem overwhelming and hard at the time but in them are lessons and opportunities. I am thankful for what I went through and more thankful that because of it I can be of service to others.
So what do you do when head lice hit your family and disrupt your already busy life?
- Don’t panic but act quickly. Get your hands on a good lice comb and some natural treatments. You will be at your nits end if you don’t have the proper tools and treatments to combat the enemy. Lice Squad Canada can direct you to many options that will help you win the war against head lice.
- Begin treating and combing. I recommend that you treat every 4th to 5th day with a pesticide free solution and that you comb every second day for two weeks. If you are thorough on your first comb through you can eliminate most of the infestation. However, you need to do a two week follow up to interrupt the life cycle of the head louse and to prevent being re-infested. Chances are you may be in contact with the source that gave you head lice so follow up is required. If you get overwhelmed or you don’t have the time, desire or inclination. Lice Squad Canada offers hands on help in many communities across Canada.
- Report. Don’t let the STIGMA associated with head lice stop you from advising your child’s school, camp, day care or other families that you have been in contact with. If you don’t do this you stand a good chance of getting the lice back from its original source. It is the stigma associated with head lice that perpetuates the problem and the right thing to do is not let the stigma keep you from doing what is necessary to stop the spread. You must be open and honest and let others know so they check too and treat if necessary.
- Follow up. Even after you do your two week course of treatment it is a good idea to Take a Peak Once a Week. If you catch a lice infestation early you will have more luck getting rid of it before it becomes too overwhelming.
If you would like to know more about head lice prevention, treatment options or need advise you can view my blog at www.licesquad.com or contact me with any questions that you may have. I am happy to help.
About the Author
Dawn Mucci is the founder of Lice Squad Canada Inc. A pesticide free head lice erradication franchise. She is a mother of three, certified aromatherapist and advocate against the use of pesticides. Lice Squad Canada’s mission is to end the stigma assocated with head lice and to stop the over use and abuse of pesticdes on children and our planet.
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