Disgust emerges over footage of young girl’s hair infestation

A 23-year-old who first began working as a head lice technician when she took a job in a pharmacy aged 15 has shared a shocking video of one of her clients.

A professional lice remover has shared a video of a young girl’s hair crawling with the insects, prompting shock from social media users.

Rachel Maroun, 23, first began working as a head lice technician when she took a job in a pharmacy aged 15.

She now runs her own private clinic in Sydney’s North Shore, using a professional medical device to remove the bloodsucking insects from children’s heads, charging on average $150 per treatment.

Rachel spends on average about 1.5 hours per case for a professional treatment, combing the hair through with a specialist heat tool – or around 30 minutes on the more common chemical option.

Rachel is a lice removal technician, and showed a young girl's hair during treatment. Picture: @liceladyrachel

In her latest TikTok video, she showed a young girl’s hair after and then during the lice treatment.

But, it was the before footage that had most social media users disgusted, as what appeared to be hundreds of lice crawling all over the child’s scalp.

Head lice start off as eggs, which are tiny yellow, tan or brown dots, before they hatch, according to Kids Health. This is typically the easiest stage to see them in.

Once hatched the lice are a clear colour, until they begin feeding on their host’s scalp. Lice can spread quickly, particularly at schools or daycare centres, and are typically spread through head-to-head contact or by sharing clothes, brushes or linens.

Hundreds of social media users were shocked by the video, with many saying they were experiencing psychosomatic symptoms.

“I feel like just watching this is gonna get me lice,” one social media user said.

Another added: “Why does my scalp feel itchy now?”

One added: “The fact that they have been breeding for so long they are albino is wild to me.”

People were stunned at how the girl came in. Picture: @liceladyrachel

However the treatment seemed to have helped. Picture: @liceladyrachel

“Dude how can someone’s parents just let this happen,” another said.

One social media user commented: “I don’t get how they don’t notice they have bugs in their hair before it gets that bad.”

“I thought those were maggots,” another said.

In a previous interview with news.com.au, Rachel revealed she has had to call child services over cases of lice.

In one instance of Rachel having to do this, the young girl’s light brown locks were not only crawling with lice – so badly Rachel said she could see the “bugs falling onto the floor” when she walked in – but her hair was also severely matted and was “detaching from the scalp”.

The youngster was taken into immediate care with Rachel explaining she was “put under” at hospital in order to shave her head.