PHOENIX -- "Super lice," a type of head lice that is resistant to medications, is getting a lot of attention from schools and parents.

Nevertheless, Michele Earl, known around the Valley as the "Lice Lady," said it's really nothing new, and she has seen the little critters on her clients for more than a decade.

Earl said the right shampoo is the key to getting rid of the lice, which has become resistant to the pesticide shampoos that have been used for decades.

"Any of (the shampoos) that have the pesticides in them are about 50 percent effective now," she said. "It's probably less than that, the last study that I read was about two years ago."

Earl added, "We've used them over the last 30 or 40 years on these bugs, so (the lice) have changed and that's why they no longer respond to those shampoos."

Earl established a shampoo and comb-out service to fight head lice after her daughter got the bug 11 years ago. She even developed her own shampoo.

Head lice are a nuisance, Earl said, but there is help.

"You get the right shampoo, and you're going to be done with it," she said.

Earl believes the pesticide shampoo makers have known for a while that their products are not killing the lice, but she said they have not made product changes.

Head lice are a common problem in day-care centers and elementary schools. The federal Centers for Disease control and Prevention estimates that between 6 million and 12-million children between the ages of 3 and 11 are infested each year. Experts say the Food and Drug Administration is considering several promising products for treatment.