DUNWOODY, Ga. (WXIA) -- As kids head back to school, they can become vulnerable to head lice since the tiny insects spread quickly from one head of hair to another.

Eileen Fishman, the founder of the head lice removal company Elimilice, shared five things parents need to know to protect their children.

1) Make head checks part of your routine. Fishman said she checks her daughters at least once a week.

"There are certain areas of the head where you want to look where the head lice are more likely to lay they're eggs, known as nits," Fishman said. "They're the warmest areas of the head: the nape of the neck, around the ears, the top of the head and above the forehead."

2) Make sure you know what to look for.

"If they're a viable nit, meaning they're something you need to worry about, they're darker in color," Fishman explained. "It's an egg inside a protein sheath, and they're dark."

She said they're also very small, like a poppy seed.

3) Consider buying a terminator comb that costs about $15, and use it once a week.

"You will preempt a full case of head lice if you comb thoroughly with this comb every seven days or less," Fishman said. "It pulls the bugs out of the hair. This comb gets every bug and a lot of the nits."

4) For girls or boys with long hair, pull it back in a bun, a braid or ponytail.

"Anything that keeps their hair from being loose on the head will help because head lice pass from head-to-head contact," she added.

Fishman also suggests spraying the hair will a repellent, like a mint spray.

5) Don't share hats or helmets or even brushes or combs.

Fishman suggests giving every family member their own hair care basket.

"When my children first got head lice, we were sharing the same brush," she said. "So guess who else got head lice? Me."

Fishman said her family has been lice-free since she began prevention efforts four years ago. She started her company at about the same time.

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