My daughter’s teacher called me about two hours after I had dropped her off at preschool. “She’s got lice,” she said, sounding almost bored. “Come get her.”
She had just handed me a sentence to hundreds of loads of laundry; hours of fine-tooth combing; and weeks of social stigma.
I raced over to the school, wondering if my daughter was the only one afflicted with the insects, but found that her whole class had been sent home.
At least we wouldn’t be pariahs in this crowd. The head of the school explained which products we should buy, and just how much laundry we should do (tons: stuffed animals, bedding, clothes, carpets, furniture coverings…).
We proceeded to the drugstore, and eagerly purchased an array of toxins. I wasn’t the only one — I ran into another mom in the CVS parking lot. I bought the last case of Nix lice shampoo.
It didn’t occur to me to ask for something gentle or organic. I just wanted to get the bugs out of my daughter’s hair.
My British husband doesn’t remember this level of panic from his brushes with lice in his youth. I wonder if the mass laundry panic is unique to the US.
I did feel guilty when I received an email from another mom at the school, which suggested using a gentle, organic lice deterrent on the afflicted kids, rather than the harsh chemicals in Rid and Nix (one of them managed to take off my nail polish. That’s intense).
I had become pro-organic when I was the UK. But what can I say? I was blinded by the lice.
Reverse Culture Shock 
you really should try more of the natural organic lice removal products, like fairytales. Even better is to prevent lice in your kids hair with the rosemary repel product.
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