# How to prevent lice - trying on helmets... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921 "2009-11-09T18:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/1 "2009-11-09T18:04:39Z")
I am doing presentations at daycares and schools (elementary) and would like to bring my military helmet for the kids to try on but am worried about lice. Is there a spray or something I could use between kids to prevent this…? Would Lysol do it? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/2 "2009-11-09T18:40:28Z")
That’s what my daughter’s riding instructor uses on her helmets, but there is typically more than a few minutes between wearings. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/3 "2009-11-09T18:44:18Z")
Give them each a disposable shower cap…or saran wrap the inside of the helmet between kids. Wrapping the kids heads in plastic might be traumatic for the kids… ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/4 "2009-11-10T21:56:09Z")
To protect yourself from getting lice from the kids, lining the inside of the helmet with plastic should do the trick. To protect the kids from transferring lice to each other, they’d each need shower caps to try on the helmet, or you’d need to change the helmet liner with each kid. Not sure if this is feasible, but I believe that some schools have rules against the sharing of headwear with the purpose of limiting transmission of lice. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/5 "2009-11-10T22:51:10Z")
I don’t remember lice being much of an issue when I was in grade school. Has there been a sudden outbreak? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/6 "2009-11-10T22:56:04Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t remember lice being much of an issue when I was in grade school. Has there been a sudden outbreak? I thought it was kind of always an issue. Plus, I’ve read that in general it’s easy to get lice from trying on caps/hats/headphones–not just among kids. I remember my mom telling me never to put on those headphones to listen to CDs at stores because of some story about getting lice. And bugs skeeve me so I try not to put anything random on my head. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/7 "2009-11-10T23:24:15Z")
How about you bring along a set of kid-sized military floppy hats or berets? The kids put on the cap before they try the helmet. The kids keep the caps. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/8 "2009-11-11T01:21:07Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t remember lice being much of an issue when I was in grade school. Has there been a sudden outbreak? I don’t remember it being a big deal either, but schools are much more careful about sharing any headwear these days. It’s a formly enforced rule at my kids’ school. And I bet a chemical spray won’t go over well either. I’d think the disposable shower caps as the cheap option, or as **Quartz** suggested, personal hats as a more expensive option, are the only things that will fly. Might be easier to find something else interactive for the presentation. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/9 "2009-11-11T11:46:55Z")
Jesus Christ, why don’t we just Saran wrap each child individually before they leave the house? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-prevent-lice-trying-on-helmets/516921/10 "2009-11-11T13:42:34Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Jesus Christ, why don’t we just Saran wrap each child individually before they leave the house? :rolleyes: Hey, if you want lice, you can forgo all these precautions.