Hopefully your kids come home with a lot of candy so you can go through their bags. But, one thing you don't want them to bring home is LICE.

This time of year is when Doctors see a spike of cases of LICE. But, why?

According to WTOL.com, it's partly because kids are back in school.  But the main cause might be the fact that we're all out shopping for costumes, and trying on the same MASKS and WIGS.

"Halloween stores have huge walls of them.  And by the time you buy one, several other people have usually tried it on.  Maybe dozens of people.  And lice can end up on costumes too, especially if you have to pull them over your head to get them on."

Experts offer these tips to help you minimize your chance of getting LICE while Halloween costume shopping:

1.  Take a shower cap or swim cap to the store with you, and make your kids wear it while they're trying stuff on.  You might look like a crazy, overprotective parent, but that's better than getting lice.

2.  Once you buy a costume, seal it up in a plastic bag for 48 hours.  If there are any lice in there, they'll die within a day or two.  Lice eggs can survive longer though, so it's not foolproof.  If you want to be really careful about it, bag it up for two weeks.

3.  Throw your costume in the dryer on high for 45 minutes before you wear it.  That should kill them off too.  But not all costumes are dryer-friendly.  So don't do it if something on your costume could melt.

Happy Halloween!

[via: WTOL.com]

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