Sponsor spotlight: Local business takes aim at head lice

Lice Spies owner Cathy Baran uses her microscope projected onto the TV screen to inspect evidence of lice and nits (lice eggs).

You can’t fit a head under a microscope, but you can fit evidence of head lice. Cathy Baran, owner of Edmonds-based Lice Spies, uses her microscope and the Shepherd Method of Strand-by-Strand Nit Removal to detect and eliminate a lice infestation.

Dealing with head lice is stressful. Finding accurate information is difficult. “One of the most common concerns I hear from clients is that they don’t know if what they are seeing is in fact a nit or not. There can be a lot of debris in the hair so it is not always easy to tell,” said Baran.

Viable nits (lice eggs) are evidence that at least one louse either is living on the head, or has visited recently and since departed. If viable nits are not removed, they hatch and eventually mature to produce their own eggs. In 30 days, one female louse can lay approximately 200 eggs. “When you look at these statistics, early detection is so important in order to contain rapid infestations,” Baran said. Combing the hair once per week with an effective lice comb, and using a mint spray daily is recommended as a good preventive measure.

Baran and Heather Margo (Lice Spies Head Spy) check heads for evidence of lice and nits while their clients enjoy a movie.

Overuse of over-the-counter and some prescription pesticide products have created resistant lice, which have now rendered these products ineffective. “We are seeing more and more clients that have been treating for weeks with these products, and are so frustrated — literally at their wits end — that they are not able to get rid of their lice problem,” Baran said.

Lice Spies offers safe, non-toxic, pesticide-free, all-natural lice removal services and products. The clinic is conveniently located in Edmonds, just minutes from I-5 and Hwy 99 on SR 104/Edmonds Way. Lice Spies is a proud sponsor of this year’s Edmonds Comedy Night supporting students of the Edmonds School District. To learn more, visit www.licespies.com

— Story and photos courtesy of Lice Spies

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