Help! Head Lice

Have you also washed all the stuffed animals and other toys? For ones that can't be washed put them in a plastic bag take the air out and leave them for at least a month.

Hi ,I work for a school and I was told by the school away to keep from getting lice is to lift hair and spray hair spray along the back of the hair ,lice dont like dirty they like clean people.I know this sounds weird cause I thought the same thing .Good luck

Hi S.:

My girlfriends children got them on a trip to Mexico. She had the same problem with her girls, then her and her husband and the relatives!

She used the tea and bagged everything up air tight in the garage for a month.

M.

Actually it's the kids with the clean hair that get lice most of the time. When you have hairspray or mousse in your hair, the lice have no way to cling to the hair. Once you get the situation under control, just spray each child's hair with a little hairspray and see if that keeps it from coming back. To help get rid of the lice, you can try olive oil and tea tree oil.

They have a leave in spray you can get at Walgreens to help prevent head lice. I used it after my daughter and I got head lice at a daycare I worked at. I dont know if the stuff really worked or everyone got rid of the problem fast. I am not sure of the mane but it was easy to find. It is @ $15 and in a small gray bottle. Also use coconut shampoo and if they can go to washing their hair every two days. Best $15 I have ever spent. GOOD LUCK.

Hi there I have had this problem before as well. I have 4 daughters and we all have long hair. One has very thick hair and another has very fine hair. I consider myself to be very clean as well but that is what lice like. I don't suggest becoming dirty to avoid this either(grin). I found that RID has a foam spray out that works like a charm and I ain't kidding you. Believe me when it was suggested that I try this I thought, RIGHT, but it does. another thing I did for a while is, where ponytails, use barrets to keep hair back, remind my children never use anyones hairbrush.
The other thing I did was, while trying to get rid of them I would have everyone use their very own combs brushes and use soap and water to wash them out every night, spray the RID foam on them first though, rub it around and then soap and water. While sitting on couch or chairs place a towel on seat behind head, it is true that they can not live very long off the scalp but it is also true they (the lice) can jump. This is gross but you must look for the source of the eggs/nits the source is the (bug or lice) some people think that the nits are the problem but they aren't nits are the results of the problem. If you can't find the bug/lice continue treament as if you did find it. Lay a towel on your pillows at night so you can remove the towels everyday. wash them everyday without fail. Have a basket for each persons dirty clothing,wash seperately. Sall loads yes but it works. When you place everything together the lice have a better chance of servival.Yes even in the washer and dryer.Good luck Let me know if this worked for you. It did for us. As I said I have 4 girls but I also have 3 boys. and yes everyone did the things I have suggested here for you.

Hi, we have also had problems and my daughter is ALLERGIC to the medicated shampoos so we found that using a cheap balsam every day for 2 weeks and combing while it is in ( she also has very curly hais so it is the only way to comb it with the licecomb ) is the only thing that worked. Every time she even thinks about scratching her head, we do the balsam tur once or twice. Funny, I start itching just thinking about it :-) Good Luck, J. L., mom to a 16 and 9 year old and living overseas

Get yourself some tea tree oil and put it in the regular shampoo. Or mix it with oil and massage it into scalp. Don't put it on straight, though, because essential oils will burn the skin unless diluted. You may want to check out the health food stores, they have some natural lice therapies that I've heard work really well. I know Vitamin Company in Brighton has them.

Unfortunately, lice prefer the clean, oil free hair of well kept children. The problem is that they are getting reinfested somewhere. We had exact same problem a few years ago and we narrowed it down to this. We would do the 2 or 3 consecutive treatments and house cleaning. We would have it all cleared up and then my kids would go over to my mothers house for a weekend visit to swim with there cousins. Sure enough, within a week they were back, over and over again. When I said something to my sister about this, of course she was disgusted that I would suggest such a thing. Finally after about the third outbreak, my mother finally marched over to my sisters and checked my niece (with long, THICK, curly hair) herself. Sure enough, she was so infested, that the lice were up to 2 inches down the hair shaft (lice attach themselves to the hair shaft at the level of the scalp then stays on that strand of hair at that point until they die. As the hair grows, the lice moves with the hair You can tell the length of infestation by how far down they have gotten. Once my niece was treated, our problem was over. Start thinking of where they were the week prior to your outbreaks.

Hi, I managed to sail through the head lice years but I think they are getting reinfested either at school, day care, a friend's house, etc. I doubt it is due to your lack of effort. Talk to their Pediatrician and investigate if other children are getting head lice from one of the sources I mentioned. Good Luck. Denise K.

I have been having a similar problem! (We just went through it last week) It seems that I can get rid of them for a few months, but they always seem come back (especially if they visit a certain house *grumble*)

What I started to do is, first I go through their hair in tiny sections, using a pair of tweezers to help part the hair and when I find an egg or nit (or even a bug) I will use the tweezers to squish it before removing it from the hair, then I have a disposable bowl with some tissue in it and isopropyl rubbing alcohol 70% to wipe the tweezers with. Then, with a small spray bottle with the same kind of alcohol and a nit comb, spray small sections near the scalp and come through and wipe the comb on fresh tissue with alcohol each time. Then I use something like Suave hair conditioner or a cheap cream rinse on dry hair and comb through with a clean comb wiping the comb off each time because any missed nits will come off with the conditioner. When done, completely rinse the conditioner off. I know that it might not be easy with the very curly hair, but maybe to one small section of curls at a time. My son has very wave/curly hair (he likes his hair on the longish side) and that is what I do.

Then, after the hair is dry, I do one more check.
My kids are back in school the next day, but I alway do rechecks everyday for the week before the school wants to check them again and I haven't had any problems.

I do the same thing with the house and belongings, don't forget to put stuffed animals and plushies, or anything non-machine washable that you don't want to spray (I use the NIX furniture spray), in large plastic bags, tied up tight for about a month (my kids hate that part, but hate the lice even more)

Good luck

They make a spray that you can buy to treat your carpet and clothe furniture. You also need to bag up any stuffed animal or dolls with hair in a plastic bag and get as much air out as possible for around a month or so. If the stuffed animals can be washed, that is better. Also, anything washed needs to be on the hottest setting. And don't worry about the clean thing! Head lice love clean hair. After you treat them and get rid of the lice, put hair in ponytail or buns and use hairspray, gel etc... That way, hopefully new lice will not attach!

Vasoline (or I actually used Bag Balm). it worked for me. Cover their hair in vasoline, make sure to get it all the way to the scalp. I did it on a weekend, so they didn't have to go to school like that. Keep it there for 3 days/2 nights. Have them sleep with an oversized bandana, and replace the pillow cases every night. If you're worried about it in your house, take a minivacation for the weekend. 48 hours away, and all the lice will be dead. When it's time to take the vasoline off, use dish soap.

Hi~
The only advice I have is to do the olive oil/mayo every night for a while...but also cover their heads in a shower cap while they sleep...VERY important! And this will prob. be the stupidest thing you ever heard if it doesn't apply to you, but do you have chickens? I had a friend whose children kept getting lice ALL the time and finally, she discovered that it was the chicken coop...they would go out there often to play with the chickens and chickens are notorious for lice. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but you never know! LOL

~L.

It can be so hard to get rid of. You not only have to do linens and blankets you have to do your entire house furniture, carpet, stuffed animals, the childrens clothing can carry them. I have a 5 yr old and had this problem also I had to do my car because it has clothe interior After doing the stuffed animals and car I eventualy managed to get rid of it. You dont have to treat the stuff animals with the spray from the store you can bag them up for at least 10 days and that should do it. Hope this helps you out some.

My girlfriend had this problem with her daughter she did the mayo or olive oil treatment every night and for several nights after there was no sign of them (cannot remember how long the egg incubation period is but you would want ot cover that). Good luck!

S., you poor girl!
I totally understand, my niece gave me lice for the first (and only time) when I was 18. How embarrasing to call into work because I have lice! I totally feel you with this. But I did everything, cleaned all the blankets, but they can also get on your couch, carpet, PETS! What I did was sprayed everything down with something the sell with the rest of the lice stuff, then all stuffed animals and stuff that can't be washed needs to be put into a trash bag and stored in a cool place for about a week (I did 2 just to be safe!) That way if they got on to that as well they died within the week. You also need to make sure that you get it all out of their hair, I couldn't see what they looked liked so I had my brothers sister check mine, they also don't like dog shampoo, that's something you can wash your hair with daily for a week too! Good luck, I'm sure you'll get rid of it.

Goodness I can't even imagine.. But I heard from my sons preschool that Lice do not like hair gel. good luck to you and let me know what works best.

Lice has nothing to do with being clean or not. Have you reported it to the school? Technically, you don't have to , but it is considered a "communicable disease" type of thing. More than likely someone else either at school or in the neighborhood have the lice, too. And if they aren't getting treated, they will just continue to pass them around. My friend's daughter's classroom one year had it so bad that the kids had to put their coats in a garbage bag every day at school. Make sure that they aren't using/wearing anyone else's hat, comb, etc. Also, make sure that their hair isn't down - keep it braided or up somehow.

Hi S. - so sorry for the creepy crawlies at your house! We got them once from a friend's house and it was such a pain. My child is a son so we buzzed his hair right off. I washed EVERYTHING in his room in hot water, bagged up the stuff that couldn't be washed in plastic bags for 2 weeks, I think it was. Does you school do lice checks, especially after vacations? They may have to. Don't be embarressed to tell school the girls have them, they will want to get it eradicated as well. You need to let everyone know whose house they have been to that they've had them/have them. The only way to get rid of them is for everyone to do the same preventive things. Sorry and good luck! You can do this!!

Sounds like they are picking it up somewhere else. The products on the market to get rid of head lice are very effective. However, if YOU get it under control but the source is not ... they will continue to get it. You're going to have to examine where each of the girls go. I'm guessing one is getting it from the other once it is brought home. I would first look at the 5 year old. I'm guessing she is in preschool or kindergarten?? Often they hang coats together... whereas in Junior High (your 12 year old??) they will have lockers. Lice can jump quite a ways. So, any time coats, hats, scarves etc. are in proximity... there is the potential to get it.

When my sister was young the same thing happened. There were 12 years between us... my mom finally had to talk to her teacher and the source was finally found. We never had an issue after that.

Try wetting their hair with a leave-in spray conditioner and dry it with a hair dryer. Try this in the morning and night - it may help.

When my daughter got lice I discovered a product called Not Nice To Lice. It is not a insecticide so you can use it as often as you need to. I also went to a pet store and bought a flea comb to help with the combing out part.

I had the same problem when my daughter was much younger. I tried everything short of using gasoline....just kidding. Actually the fix was using a shampoo called Tea Tree. You can buy it at Sallys Beauty supply. Good luck!

When I was young my cousin had a problem like that. The culprit turned out to be hiding in her toybox. She had brushed her hair with a play brush while playing with her dolls. Turned out that brush infected the dolls too. Check her toys for something that could be hiding eggs.
Good Luck!

Lice is a nightmare. An expensive nightmare. My daughter had a friend spend the night that brought it into our house when they were younger. My oldest had THICK hair down to her waist at the time. Thought I'd never get done combing hers. I had 4 kids at that time so all that bedding PLUS coats,hats, clothes, etc. You must dry everything you can on HOT when you wash it. That helps. The one thing we learned on the 3rd round of trying to get rid of it is you HAVE to do the mattresses, furniture, and carpet or you might as well give up. Pillows too! Boil combs and brushes. All needs to be done in the same day really too or it cross contaminates again. Make sure you wash all hats especially, that's the most common way it spreads. I wish you luck, it a rotten thing to deal with, makes you feel dirty and God knows you don't want friends or family to know you have it in the house. It's imbarrising even buying the stuff to do it. The doctor has perscription strenth shampoo they can give you too if you think you need to try it but I found over the counter works IF and only IF your repeat the process again in 10 days! Again, good luck, its hard work.

My daughter had lice and the only thing that worked was tar based dandruff shampoo (Neutrogena TGel or Tegrin) followed by hair drying and a long session of nit picking. The shampoo stinks, so I'd wash her hair with a regular shampoo after the tar shampoo just so it wouldn't smell so bad.

Lice sucks. I hope this helps.

A natural remedy that helped me finally get rid of lice in my house is white vinegar and equal parts mineral oil, covered tightly with a shower cap for half an hour. The vinegar smothers the live ones, and the mineral oil breaks the hold of the nits so they wash right out. I also had to bomb my house with flea bombs to finally get rid of them all. To maintain a lice free head, I have my daughter use shampoo and conditioner that has green dye in it for several years now, as a vet told me that the green dye kills fleas, so i figured it would work with lice too. We have now been lice free for over 3 years! GL, I know this is a hard thing to have to keep dealing with.

Hi S.,
Just thought I'd offer up some advise. I know you mentioned you have done the treatment with the medicated shampoo but, the key is to repeat the treatment in 7 days. You may also want to be sure the girls are not sharing combs, hairscrunchies or brushes with girls at school. Perhaps one of their friends has lice and is reinfesting them despite your best efforts. Combs, brushes, hats and other hair accessories in contact with an infested person should be washed in hot water each day to dislodge any lice and nits. The CDC has excellent information of head lice: http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DPD/PARASITES/lice/factsht_head...
Hope this helps.
C.

You need to find out where they are comming from. Does any of their friends have lice? Have you treated all the hair brushes, ponytail holders, hair ties, etc.? Do they have body lice? I had this problem when my oldest daughter was younger. I couldn't figure out where they were comming from they kept comming back and then they would spread to her sister (they shared a room). Then after she came back from spending the summer with her dad, she had adult lice so bad I had to take her to the Dr.'s to get a prescribed treatment. That worked great and so everytime after that when she would return from her dad's the first thing that we would do is treat her for lice. This went on for about three years. Thank goodness that she didn't see her dad very often. Anyone can get lice no matter how clean you are. They prefer a clean environment but the only way to get rid of it is to find the source of them. Good luck!

Okay, here is something to try. Use baby oil (alot) On your child's hair and put on a shower cap. I then treat the house not only by washing everything in hot hot water but bag up all stuffed animals and such for at least a week. Then use the lice spray to spray your furniture, bedding, and don't forget your car. I would make them wear the shower cap for an entire weekend(Even when they sleep- this suffocates the lice. NO they won't be happy but you will more than likely get rid of the lice. After the 7 days are up, retreat their heads and do the shower cap thing again. I know I went extreme and so did my friend but we got rid of the lice first time around. (we moved our couches out of the house and didn't let the kids sit on the furniture or let them sleep in their beds for 7 days. ) Give it a whirl. Good luck. Tami

Dear S.,

I am so glad to her that you are trying your best to keep up with it, it can be overewhelming. I suggest that you see a dermatologist. There has been an influx of'imported' lice, that are resistant to the over the counter medications, and requires a very strong prescription to get rid of it. Obviously, you've tried everything at your dispoal without success. I also suggest that you try washing their coats everyday, along with the bedding, or at the very least, putting them in the dryer on the hottest setting. The vaccum will also remove them, and you will have to change and dispose of the bag everytime you vaccum. The lice will live on upholstery for a short time, so all of the upholstered furniture that they have been on should be vaccumed daily.
And if that isn't enough work, you have to think about the risk of either them spreading it to others, or others re-infecting them. Don't let coats lay on top of each other. If they don't have lockers in school, consider putting their coats in bags to protect them from others spreading it back to them.
Have you tried putting hair products on their hair to stop the lice from adhering to the hair shaft? Things like hairspray and gels will help, try slicking the hair and putting them in a braid or ponytail. This is more of a preventative measure, when you finally get rid of the lice and you hear of another case in school or camp, you might want to try that.
Our school had some cases, and we were able to ward off a big outbreak by having all of the parents diligently pu ttheir kid's coats in plastic bags, hold off on sleepovers and playdates, and washing coats, slicking back hair, etc.
Finally, there is always the small posibility that you are not getting all of the nits, and a haircut may be in order, so that you can remove the nits more easily.
It is a huge amount of work, and it is frustrating, but if you are diligent you will get rid of them. It has nothing to do with being clean. The same thing happened to one of my kids, and once we saw the dermatologist and received the right treatment, it was gone. Let me know what happens.

Most people forget of cleaning down the cars. Make sure you clean down the car.

L.

S.,
Hi - Melaleuca Oil Shampoo took care of those critters and the eggs for me and many other Moms I've talked to. I also know of a spray for bedding and stuffed animals and such too. e mail me at ____@____.com and I can let you know how to get it.
M.

S., Have you made sure to spray all your furniture and freeze anything that cannot be washed? A call to your pediatrician my be needed for prescription medicated shampoo. Best of luck, I know how frustrating this is.
C.

Do you check everybody's heads, in the family? Also, anybody who comes over when you notice you have them again. There is a spray that you can spray in everybodies hair that will show you where the nitz are. Does everybody in the house use conditioner in there hair after shampooing. I was told that that helps. Always remember to do your own hair and have somebody that knows what they are looking for to look at yours. Lice can stay on your cloths, pillows blankets, matrice, carpet, in your vehicle and any stuffed animals you might have. I suggest using the spray in your vehicle and furniture, matrices and then after so many days I think its 7 to 14 days then vaccum them items. In the mean time put plastic matrice covers over all your matrices and plastic covers over all your pillows, they sell them at walmart and meijers. Put all your stuffed animals in plastic garbage bages for 14 days, that smoothers any that might be in them. Then that only leaves your hair and blankets and clothes to treat. I would dry my blankets in hot heat drier every couple of days. While still going through everybodies hair until you don't find them anymore. Please don't just do these things just one day and think that solves the problem, continue until you don't see them anymore. I have family that, it seems like they have it all the time and nobody wants to be around them because of it. But thats not fair to the kids who are to small to understand. Good Luck and I really hope this helps.

Are other kids in their classes getting them? They may be getting them again from school. My daughter had them every year and now her friend moved and none this year. We also tie her hair back every day now. No one else in our family got them but her. We had every one at school put their coats and backpacks in plastic bags. I also personally went in and helped with a head check before I'd let her back (that was the 2nd time that year!) Also bag any stuffed animals pillows, etc. that you can't hot water wash for at least 2 weeks. Good luck. I know the feeling!

It may not be your family... Are they getting re-exposed to it at school or a friends home? My cousin had the same problem and it was in the carpet of the daycare. I never had lice until I was an adult and caught it from a friends children (6!), and I caught it from them 3 times back to back. Until they were treated properly we all kept getting reinfected.

For me, that lice treatment didnt really work since I have long thick hair. I had to use it 3 times before it got rid of all of them the first time and it left my hair super dry and brittle. What I ended up using the 2nd & 3rd time was cheapy conditioner and leaving it on for a couple of hours. Because it's so thick I think it drowns them, but also it makes it easier to pick them out.

Good luck!!

Hi S.,

I haven't had first hand experience with this, but my girlfriend has. She told me that lice can't stick very well to hair with styling product in it - like gel or moouse (sp?). She said that the reason most adults don't get it is because we're always putting styling product or hair spray on. I don't know if this will help but it's worth a try! Good luck!

L.

S.,
I didn't see this in any of the responses and it worked on my step daughter they make a comb you can buy it at walmart or any place like that it has a battery when you comb through the hair it zaps the lice and kills them. I keep it now and use it in the dog for fleas :) I have boys so I just washed their hair with a shampoo for lice and washed all the beding in hot water and vacumned the house really good moving everthing. Then I also did some research on the Web there is a site all about head lice and like what else was said they do not like dirty hair its the clean hair they like. I know what it is like to deal with thick hair my sister has really thick hair and got them one time and I can remember helping my mom comb through her hair looking for them and pulling out the eggs it took use hours to do it.

I think the NIX shampoo and a METAL comb worked the best. The plastic comb did not get all of them.
Whenever you wash their hair, make sure you put hairspray on so their hair is not too clean. The lice love clean hair. Good luck.

I've heard that tea tree oil works great. Good luck!

I do know that a few essential oils I have can treat this... I would be happy to pass this on if you are interested? (not that I am trying to "press" my services on to you!) :)

Essentials are perfectly safe and harmless done in the correct doses and you do need to be careful who you purchase from as so many have toxins / fillers in them (health food stores are notorious for this!).

Good luck!

S., I feel for you! My daughter got it once, had to have the DR prescribe something as it was the only way to get rid of them. Her hair is very thick, so it seemed like I was always missing a nit here or there. First, you are not just doing the blankets and bedding, you are also doing the pillows, stuffed animals, anything cloth I hope.
When my daughter had hers I contacted the McLaren ask-a-nurse hot-line (sadly I don't think its in operation today) and they recommended Alberto V05 Shampoo and conditioner as there is an ingredient in there that for whatever reason the little buggers do not like. In addition they said to use the V05 Hot Oil treatments, after if you don't want to use the RID.
Did you know that Lice actually like clean environments? So the cleaner the hair, the more apt to get lice. Hairspray, conditioner, de-tangler, mousse, etc are things that make hair dirty daily, which makes for unhappy lice.
I am a firm believer in V05 shampoo, there were 2 occassions where my daughter went to birthday sleep-overs and all the other girls ended up with head-lice, except my daughter. I did do a hot oil treatment as a check, each time, but I always told her it was "make your hair pretty" day.
Best of luck,
Mary

Are you making sure to vacuum the seats and headrests in your vehicles? This is often an overlooked way that they sneak back into your life. You also need to vacuum your carpets and furniture every day. Buy new pillows and put the old ones in a tightly sealed garbage bag for two weeks. Also, to make the nit picking easier, it helps if you dip the nit comb into baby oil. I feel for you - hope it clears up for good. Good luck!

I had the same problem with my 7 year old daughter, thick hair and head lice for at least a year. I started having her brush out her hair in the shower after conditioning this helped reduce tangles after towel drying too. Then i would have her apply fructis sleek and shine antifrizz serum in the green bottle, you can get it at Target, everyday after towel drying. Lice like clean hair so if you start applying products like moouses and gels they will suffocate and eventually go away. Brushing hair out in the shower under water also helps them go down the drain, the live ones, and then they cannot lay anymore eggs. This is what FINALLY worked for me. If you have animals put them in the garage for 3 days, lice will die on animals if they cannot hop to a human host within 3 days. Also, if you can try leaving your house for 3 days, we went to a hockey tournament over a weekend and that will rid your house of them because they will die without a human host in 3 days. I hope this helps---I also prayed and praise God they were gone.
L.

When I was younger my grandma used a great home remedy to get rid of ours. Just need a louse comb veggie oil and a plastic grocery bag. Work the veggie oil into the hair from root to tip, place a plastic grocery bag over your head covering all your hair and tie it tight. Wait 10min and comb through with a louse comb. The oil makes the hair shaft to slippery for the nit to stick, and the plastic bag suffocates the lice. Works better than over the counter products and way less harsh on your hair. Don't worry the oil washes right out. Let me know how it goes.

I had this problem a couple weeks ago too. My girl friend bought a comb at CVS right near the shampoo. I believe it is battery operated. About $30 but seems to be worth it. You comb it through the hair and every time it comes in contact with a bug, it zaps it and kills it. It is worth a try. Also put all stuffed animals in a black garbage and keep them there for about a month. Just keep looking for eggs and picking them out. Good luck. CVS brand lotion shampoo works well too, better then RID.

Oh I know exactly how you feel. My children had them a few times and boy is it work to say the least. My daughter also had thick curly hair and it would take us a couple of hours just to go through her hair,(which is easier if it is wet) my son was easy we just trimmed his hair very short until the problem was gone. We had gotton them from someone who had been staying with us. This person slept on our couch. One night my son was scratching his head and I jokenly asked him if he had bugs of course his reply was no. I looked and sure enough at the age of two he was covered. It was gross to say the least. I cried because he wouldn't sit still long enough for me to pick through his baby fine hair that I had to shave all his beautiful curls off. To make a long story short, because they had been in the house for a long period of time we bought bug bombs and bombed the entire house. I made sure all stuffed animals were sealed in plastic bags and put in the garage for at least 3 months (of course I was so freaked out by the whole thing that they were out there much longer). We had two dogs (the lice don't live on animals but I found out that they (the dogs) were transport for the lice. So we had the dogs dipped and until I was sure the house was clear a relative kept them for us. I vaccumed every crevis, nook and cranny.(I did this everyday as well) I threw out the bag in a sealed plastic bag when I was done. Anything I could wash I did. ( I changed the sheets everyday and washed them right away). Use the hottest water possible and dry things in the dryer for a good 20 minutes on high heat. If there were things I couldn't wash I would throw it in the dryer for 40 minutes (again just because I felt better about it) on high heat, then I would seal it in a plastic bag and remove it from the house until the coast was clear. This was things like decortive pillows for the couch.I faithfully did head checks sometimes twice a day Of course after buzzing all of my sons hair off he never had another problem. My daugher I would check, braid her hair really tight, and spray the whole thing with hair spray, because I found the lice can't crawl through the hair due to the hair spray. Braiding her hair also kept her hair from being loose and there fore cutting down the chances of something being able to attach its self. My daughter hated having to wear her hair up, but she lived through it. It was a long hard battle, but the persistance and hard work finally paid off. Diligence is the key to fighting head lice.
The thing about head lice is they like very clean hair over dirty hair. Are you having a hard time getting it out of the house or are your girls bringing it home from somewhere else? You have to find the source of the problem and eliminate it or you will never be rid of it. Just talking about this makes my head itch. Oh and the house guest....well when she called that night to say she was on her way home I told her don't bother all your stuff is at the curb. Cold I know but it took 6 months and over a hundred dollars to get this problem eliminated. Good luck to you S.. It will be okay.

ah yes the lice life cycle.

You have to treat every 5-7days for a month straight...that's how long it takes to get through one colony's life cycle.

Sorry you're dealing with this...

S.,

I have two girls and have dealt with the same problem it seems like forever. Go to your local beauty salon and get some tea tree shampoo and conditioner. It is a little expensive but well worth it in the end. The nits do not like the smell. Then before they go to school use either hair spray or gel or something like that on their hair and it will protect the nits from sticking the the hair.

The shampoo I usually have my girls use every other time they take a shower or bath. Also make sure any stuff animals are placed in a garbage for a couple of days, because they can carry it as well.

I hope these suggestions help. My oldest daughter is taking showers more frequently, since she is getting older and it helps as well, especially if they use hot water, as hot as they can stand. One more thing you can also use a blow dryer after they get out of the bath and that also helps ustick the nits.

Have you made sure (maybe you even need to ask the older one to watch the younger one) that they aren't sharing hats, blankets, combs, brushes, shoes etc with friends. I teach middle school and the kids there often use each other's personal items, as well as trade clothing (or bring clothes so they can match or skirt around what their parents want them to wear).

All this advice is great! Remember to also clean out yor car, vacuum and spray it, and to soak all your brushes and hair things that can't be washed in a sink full of HOT water and the lice shampoo!! When combing to get the nits out, use vinegar, it helps them come out easier! You are going to have to do all these things everyone has mentioned to be truly rid of them!!! Oh..one more thing is that their life cycle is 35 days, so once you've done all this, keep checking to make sure they don't return!!! Wish you the best!!!!!

This will sound crazy. My daughter has long semi straight hair. We heard that semi permanent hair dye will stop the lice. YES! It does. Find a color similar to your daughter's color. Don't worry about it hurting their hair. It won't! Actuallt it makes it softer and nicer than any conditioner on the market. We had continuous problems with head lice. I even was getting them. My small grand-daughter had them and her mother did this. It did not hurt her hair and took care of the problem She was only 3 at the time. Kids are coloring thier hair all the time now because its cool. It is a simple solution and its cool too. It is also much cheaper than treating everything everytime! If everyone who gets them(my husband and sons didn't seem to get them) dyes their hair you should only have to treat the furniture. pillows etc once At least that worked for us. I didn't see this solution here. I hope you don't think it's too radical but it really works! Good Luck!

When my boys had their dose of it we used a shapoo called Nix with a special nit comb included. The main trick to getting them all is to wash your kids hair first and make sure there is NO conditioner in the shampoo. Any type of conditioner negates the effectiveness of the Nix shampoo and helps the eggs to survive. Also consider it may be a school problem, they may be getting re-infected because the school isn't doing an effective screening of the students in the classes that have been infected. Good luck - S.

S., you have to clean everything, bag up the stuffed animals and pillows. Treat the girls heads and go through hair everyday for as long as you can take it. But most of all figure out where it is coming from and try to prevent it. are they or one of them sharing combs or brushes or clothing with other friends. make sure you inform your childrens friends parents so they know to look for it too. It's embarassing but better to let them know where it came from and that you are taking care of it. And if friends do get it and the parents look for it the friends won't just be giving it back and forth to each other.

Tea tree oil is the ticket. I am reading in a book right now that says: Lice are small parasitic insects that feed on the victims blood. Immediately upon suspecting or seeing evidence of lice (nits) shampoo with tea tree oil then bath in a tub of water with 1 oz of tea tree oil in it. Afterward massage tea tree oil into the scalp and hair to soften and dislodge the nits (the eggs of the lice). Don't be stingy with the oil! Comb the oil through the hair. To fumigate the live insects, wrap your hair in a hot moist towel for 10 minutes. Repeat every second day for at least 5 treatments. To avoid reinfextion wash all clothing and bedding with a laundry detergent that has tea tree oil in it. Spray the entire house with diluted tea tree oil.

L.

http://www.HealthyFamilyHome.com

I personally use mayo but I put tea tree oil in my kids shampoo. For some reason the lice do not like tea tree oil. I even put the tea tree in the mayo. Even after you have treated and taken out the nits continue with tea tree shampoo. My kids had lice once and I have them use tea tree shampoo and they have not gotten it again. I have even had day care children get it, and me and my kids did not. Unfortunately, you will have to do another once over of all the furniture and bedding. You can find tea tree oil in most stores or health food stores.

I don't know if you realize that when you use lice treatments it is a pestiside and is not good for your kids.

Hello S., I feel for ya! I havent had this issue yet with my boys but I remember when i was younger and had them, my mom would go crazy! But my step sister used to get them a lot and then her mom started putting baby oil in her hair i guess the bugs can't get a grip on the hair with the baby oil in it. I can't remember how well it worked but you could give it a try, but it does make your hair look greasy obviously! Makes my head itch just thinking about it!!
Good luck
B.