Logical Life

Holiday Lice

Holiday Lice

There are enough reasons to practice social distancing and sanitary precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic but among them is a not-often-discussed one: holiday lice. 

While commonly associated with children coming back from camp or school, the holidays are another “superspreader” event. Head lice have been around for thousands of years, so while the spread of lice dramatically decreased with the introduction of virtual classes, they still stuck around; unsurprisingly, with the universal return to in-person classes this fall came higher rates of lice transmission. As many people plan to host in-person gatherings this holiday season, we expect the louse to find its way to more heads—children and adults alike.

Preventing and curbing lice infestations can be simple enough though. As part of our holiday cheer, we have prepared a concise guide to prevent lice from infiltrating your holiday traditions.

Ask ahead if anyone has had head lice lately:

This is an important, yet difficult tip to follow. Lice stigma results in humiliation for children and even parents as misinformation has tied the presence of lice to bad hygiene. To clear the record, there is no established correlation between bad hygiene and lice; on the contrary, it has been found that lice prefer clean hair because it’s more grabbable. When families conceal lice infestations while maintaining close contact with unsuspecting people, this enables the critters to easily grab onto any strand of hair that comes its way. Ideally, adults can have these honest conversations about lice and coordinate responses with the goal of halting transmission as much as possible.

Avoid coming in direct contact as much as possible:

Head lice usually spreads through direct head-to-head contact. While advice that urges people to avoid sharing hats or brushes is important, it turns out to be a relatively minor concern. Thus, it’s more effective to be aware of whom you’re hugging or standing close to and how your hair is coming into contact with others.

Take preventative measures with your children: 

It’s important that you have an honest, informed conversation with your children about lice. Emphasize the importance of minimizing direct head to head contact with other children, which is something they may already be used to due to the pandemic. If your child has long hair, style it in tight hairstyles such as buns or braids, or hats. It may also be worth warning children to not share winter apparel like hats, scarves, and jackets that come in contact with hair, as well as other accessories that touch hair like brushes, barrettes, and headbands. If they’re going to be sleeping over, pack their own pillows and sleeping bags.

Use lice prevention remedies:

In addition to regular head lice checks and combing, there are risk-free and gentle preventative treatments you can apply onto your family’s hair that repel lice and prevent infestation, especially if you suspect exposure. Our LiceLogic Lice Prevention Shampoo, Repel Conditioner, and Lice Spray to prevent and repel lice contains no pesticides and is gentle enough for daily use for anyone over two years old. Our lice prevention products are infused with natural essential oils and our proprietary blend of lice killing plant-based enzymes, named LiceZyme. When all three lice-repelling products are used together, it has been shown they naturally repel lice by 99%.

Keep an open stream of communication with your family, friends, and community about lice:

Unfortunately, all of the above tips will have limited success if there is no transparent, shame-free communication about lice within your family, friends, and community. If a parent allows their blissfully unaware, lice-infested child to mingle with other children excited to play together, that is enough to subvert others’ efforts to stay lice-free. It’s worth a try to broach the head lice topic with other parents you will be seeing during the holiday to help prevent the next big lice outbreak and ensure all members remain lice free.

Further Reading 

Head Lice”, American Academy of Pediatrics, May 1 2015.

Head Lice FAQs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020. Rae Ellen Bichell, 

Head lice (nits)” Better Health Channel by the Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, Australia.

Pandemic or no, kids are still getting — and spreading — head lice”, NPR, November 18, 2021. 

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Sustainability During the Holiday Season

Sustainability During the Holiday Season

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, households in the U.S. increase their waste by more than 25 percent. Holiday decorations, food waste, shopping bags, and packaging contribute an additional million tons a week to our landfills. Snapshots of this phenomenon include an estimated 38,000 miles of ribbon (enough to wrap around the planet), $11 billion worth of packing material, 2.3 million pounds of plastic wrapping paper, and 15 million used Christmas trees.

 These merry decorations head to landfills, where they undergo bacterial decomposition, producing “landfill gas”, mostly made up of greenhouse gases including methane, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Carbon dioxide and methane are the two most prevalent greenhouse gases emitted in the United States from human activity.

As many have become more invested in sustainability, it’s important to take efforts during the holiday season to reduce your environmental impact. Read our list of tips below for straightforward and easy ways you can practice sustainability and #EcoLogic during the holiday season.

Greengift

Greengifting is an emerging trend that results in a lower environmental impact as well as a lower impact on personal budgets from the gift-giving process. Gift options vary, such as regifting never-used objects, making gifts by hand, or gifting a membership to a local zoo, museum, or state and national park. How do you gift it? Use recycled wrapping paper and other decors.

Reuse

Even if you’re not greengifting, you can reuse wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, boxes, gift bags, and other holiday-related decorations this year and for years to come. If you don’t have a supply of saved-up decorations yet, this can be the year to start building it up! 

Recycle (Correctly)

As many eco-conscious people sort their garbage with the intention of reducing harmful environmental impact, many people accidentally assume that some items are recyclable as is. 

This is a common misconception when it comes to wrapping paper. The American Forest and Paper Association recommends using the Scrunch Test as a guideline to determine whether to trash or recycle it. Crinkle the paper up into a ball; if it stays that way when you let go, it’s fine to put it in the recycle bin. If it tries to go back to its original shape, it should go to the landfill.

Another headache is cardboard boxes, especially as online orders are on the rise this year. 

"This year many gifts will arrive to households in corrugated boxes, which are designed to be recycled," said Heidi Brock, President and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association. "These recycled paper fibers can be used at least seven times to make new paper products. We ask consumers to remove any non-paper packing materials, break boxes down flat, keep them dry and clean and place them in the recycling bin." Remember that packing peanuts and bubble wrap are not recyclable.

Conserve Energy Use 

While bright lights are a staple of the holiday season, try to reduce your energy use by turning off decorative lights when you’re not at home. The EPA recommends choosing Energy Star energy-efficient lighting. LED outdoor holiday lights use 1/50th the electricity of conventional lights and last 20 to 30 years. 

Support Small Businesses

During the holiday season, the same large corporations that reap most of the profits have largely contributed to environmental damage that also harms animal and human life. According to Adobe, giant Ecommerce sites perform better than smaller sites in a shopping world that has increasingly gone digital. Shopping at community-oriented small businesses is not only the eco-friendlier choice, but it’s an investment in sustainability.

Support Eco-friendly Businesses

It’s even better if those small businesses are eco-friendly! Make your loved one's shift to a sustainable lifestyle more easily by purchasing gifts from eco-friendly businesses that sell products that do not harm the environment, animals, and humans. 

Logic Products are designed with this in mind as we create safe and non-toxic personal care products made with natural ingredients and botanicals. Furthermore, in addition to plant and mineral-derived vegan formulas, our gentle hair and skincare products are cruelty-free with no synthetic fragrances or dyes.

 

Further reading

Frequently Asked Questions: Holiday Waste Prevention”, Peninsula Sanitary Service/Stanford Recycling at Stanford University.

Grace Doran and Jessica Kidwell, “Creative Ways to Cut Your Holiday Waste”, The EPA Blog, December 21, 2016.

How to Recycle Paper During the Holiday Season”, American Forest & Paper Association, December 20, 2018.

Jamie Leventhal, “What to do with all of your holiday trash”, PBS, December 21, 2018.

Jillian Ambrose, “Major global firms accused of concealing their environmental impact”, The Guardian, June 16, 2019.

Milenko Martinovich, “What is the Human Cost of Climate Change?”, Science of Caring at University of California San Francisco, December 2019.

Sarah Blount, “ 'Tis the Season...To Take out the Trash?”, National Environmental Education Foundation.

Stan Horaczek, “2020 is the perfect year to quit wrapping paper”, Popular Science, December 21, 2020.

Top US Food and Beverage Companies Scope 3 Emissions Disclosure and Reductions”, Engage the Chain, 2019.

Ty Kiisel, “4 Reasons Small Businesses Don’t Rely On Black Friday”, OnDeck.

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Using Sulfate-Free And SLS/SLES Products For Children And Dogs

Using Sulfate-Free And SLS/SLES Products For Children And Dogs

Your skin is your largest organ. That goes for kids and dogs too. Many ingredients that are used topically, such as shampoos and soaps, are absorbed into the bloodstream via the skin. That’s why it’s so important to use safe, non-toxic products. Because children and dogs may have more sensitive, permeable skin than adults, it’s especially important to check the ingredients in their cleansing products. Sulfates are common additives that you may want to avoid.

1. What Are Sulfates

Sulfates are surfactants. They attract oil and water, which means that they can remove grease, grime, and dirt from hair, skin, and fur. The dirty molecules become suspended and locked within the water droplets. As the water droplets are rinsed away, they take the dirt with them.

2. Types of Sulfates

There are many types of sulfates. However, the two that you may want to avoid in your kids’ and dogs’ skincare products are:

  • Sodium lauryl sulfate: Known as SLS. This ingredient is usually made from petroleum or palm oil. It’s a common ingredient in household cleaners and bath products.
  • Sodium Laureth sulfate: Known as SLES. This surfactant is derived from coconut oil. As it undergoes a process of ethoxylation, SLES can become contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogen. It’s impossible to know whether companies use vacuum technology to remove this contaminant. Still, SLES is considered to be less harsh on the skin and hair than SLS.

3. Are Sulfates Bad for You?

Although sulfates help you get clean, they don’t have the best reputation. Some reasons that sulfates in skincare products are a concern include:

  • Irritation: Sulfates are known irritants. Sensitivity, redness, and discomfort can develop in proportion to the concentration of the ingredient. The chance of irritation increases with the amount of time that the product sits on the skin.
  • Inflammation: This ingredient causes water loss in the outer layer of the skin and can lead to inflammation.
  • Dryness: Sulfates are so good at their job that they can strip hair and skin of their natural oils, leading to dryness, flakiness, or irritation.
  • Follicle damage: While it is clear that sulfates can form deposits on the hair follicles, it’s not clear if those deposits contribute to hair loss. Some people avoid sulfates just in case.

Some people avoid sulfates because they’re harmful to the environment. They increase soil and water acidification. Also, sodium lauryl sulfate that is derived from palm oil may contribute to the destruction of essential natural resources.

4. Should You Use SLS/SLES on Kids and Pets?

In conclusion, SLS and SLES have gotten a bad reputation. But, products that are SLS and SLES free are gentler on your children and furry family members. 

Dogs groom themselves using their tongues. Therefore, anything that you use on their fur will eventually make its way into their mouths. Avoiding SLS and SLES in their bath products helps provide peace of mind, and helps decrease the risk of developing dry, irritated skin.

And, if you have ever tried to bathe a child, you know all about the potential eye irritation that can happen. Shampoos are bound to get into your kids’ eyes and mouths at times. Using gentler products keeps irritants out of their sensitive areas.

Lastly, shampoos must have surfactants in them in order to work. Those that contain SLS and SLES often have concentrations of sulfates between 10 and 25 percent. So, you can choose skincare products with other, less harmful, types of surfactants. These tend to be easier on your little ones’ delicate hair and skin. SLS/SLES-free products can also leave hair shinier, healthier  and easier to manage. Whether your daily routine involves brushing out toddler tangles or grooming your pooch, using sulfate-free products infused with natural ingredients can be the best option to choose!

Sources

https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/science-soap/chemistry-cleaning

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02261391

https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/ethoxylated-ingredients/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327013

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20634505/

https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/sulfate-and-health

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/sulfates#safety

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