How Do We Get Rid of Lice?????

Hi, M.. Here's a link sent out by my son's school, when we were having a head lice problem (which is apparently running rampant in Atlanta area schools right now). It's for "A Parent's Guide to Head Lice." I have to admit I haven't actually looked at it myself, because (thank GOODNESS) we have not had to battle it yet! Hope it helps!

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/c851.htm

We too were "lucky" enough to bring home lice after a vacataion..
We used the shampoo from pharmacy, but what worked best was mayonaise and putting mouse & hairspray in her hair and blow drying... they dont like hair product or heat, and these things combined had them out in no time...
It does take a couple days to stop the itch and creepy crawly feeling, but some of that may be psychosomatic?

You have to keep using the lice control conditioner until the lice is gone. Also do not let her wash her hair with the all-in-one shampoo. Use seperate shampoo and conditioner.

Hello M., don't panic. There is a tool you can get at wal-mart that cost less than $20. It's kind of a zapper and it works very well. After you go through her hair with it, and you will hear it zapping the bugs and eggs, you can put some t-tree oil in it and it will help. Lice likes clean hair not dirty. You can also use hairspray, hair gel and the such in it. The lice doesnt like the smell of t-tree and wont cling to the hair spray or gel. I have an 11 yr old daughter also who had hair down past her butt. It took alot of trial and error on my part. Hope this helps

to start wash bed lines put stuff animals in plastic bags for a week vaccum out the car and all rugs sometimes the shampoo can be harsh so try mayo with a cap for about an hour or oilve oil that makes it easier to comb
through then for the hair you must go through section by section pulling off all eggs they look like dandruff but its harder for them to come off once you do this in about seven to ten days tou have to repeat also you want to soak all of her brushes and combs along with hair bows

DON'T SHAVE HER HEAD!! My daughter went through this. We did the shampoo but I also went through her hair every night and pulled the eggs out for at least a week. Even using the comb didn't get them all. I believe, but am not sure, that the shampoo only kills the live ones so you need to make sure to get the eggs out before they hatch.

When my kids had this problem I found that liquid hairspray works really well. All you have to do is completely soak her head (scalp and all of her hair) with it. Let it stay on for at least an hour or longer if she will let it. The longer it stays on the better the results. Then wash her hair with the special shampoo. She may itch for a while but that is mostly because she is healing (usually). Keep a watch on it and repeat if needed.

That is going round in all the school in georgia.Make sure you comb though her hair really good.If she has stuff animals tie them up in a gabarge bad for at least a week/vacume all the chairs couches where ever she plays.Take the pillows and that put in dryer for 10 minutes high heat,You have to do her hair again after seven days after the first time.Tell her not to try on hats or hugss kids at school.If you comb though her hair at least every other day that will help keep the lice away.M.

This happened when my girls were about that age. We used Nix and it was very effective - make sure that you follow the directions EXACTLY. You also will need to make sure that you get every last nit out of her hair. Get the comb (that comes with the lice treatment) right against her scalp and make sure that you comb each nit out. You may have to do this over a couple "sessions". There are products that make this a little easier and I agree that tea tree oil will help in the process. All of this will probably dry her scalp pretty bad so you'll need to work on that once you get rid of the lice and the nits. A little Benedryl at bedtime will help the itching. As soon as the lice are gone it should only be a couple days til she stops itching.

Make sure you treat the WHOLE house, pets, cars, etc. Lice are EXTREMELY contagious. Wash EVERYTHING.

Another thing to remember is that lice only latch on to clean smooth hair - it has nothing to do with being dirty.

Good luck!

Hi: I am a kindergarten assistant and we have this problem. Not only do you have to treat the scalp but you have to treat your whole house. Vacuum and throw away bag. Bag any stuffed animals for about 2 weeks. Clean linens. It is a chore I know I have done it. Also check hair daily to make sure you do not see any new louse. Good Luck!!! W.

First understand that lice do not like dirty hair! It has nothing to don with your daughter being unclean. I worked for social services for a while and they told us to prevent lice by wearing hairspray or some product in our hair, using tea tree oil shampoo, and wearing it up when we worked. The treatment for lice may have dried out her scalp, so make sure they are gone, then get some shampoo with tea tree oil and spray her hair before she goes out with a little hairspray. Good luck!
L.

Hi M., I am sorry to hear about you ordeal. I had that when I was a kid. I remember it is verrrry itchy. I have a wellness guide for home remedies. I use this because I have heard of children being poisoned by the over the counter insecticides. I would not use it any more. If you can find some tea tree oil at the health food store, sometimes Target carries it in the pharmacy, mix it with her shampoo every other day for the next 10 days. Or better yet, if you have a health food store near you, the manager should be able to help you with something in her store. I hope you can get rid of it. Also , don't forget to comb the eggs out as the previous girl said.

Sincerely,
K. Sansbury

I have five children, they are all in school. I have done nothing but fight lice since we moved to the area. I have done everything, but what I found to work the absolute best, is that you use the shampoo. Then dry the hair, place cholestrol (you can find it in the ethnic hair product section), liberally on the entire head, then heat it with a hair dryer to activate it. Wash it out and blow dry the hair, then use the nit comb. I have found that the lice and nits come out much easier when the hair is dry, and the cholestrol makes the hair slick which doesn't allow the eggs to stick to the hair follicle. This has to be done at least twice in the first week, and then once a week for 6-8 weeks. Lice is a bug, and you must break it's cycle of life in order to stop it. Wash everything in hot water, dry on hot heat (the heat kills eggs) and bag all stuffed animals and things that can't be washed for at least one month. Vacuume numerous times a day and make sure you wash the bedding and clothes as often as possible. This is a hard thing to get rid of, and it spreads to everyone. Boys are easy, you shave their heads, but you can't exactly do that with girls. If you have more than one child, make sure they all have thier own brushes and hair ties...that will cut down on the passing of the lice. Also book bags and coats have to be washed as well. The spray in the stores is expensive and really doesn't work, look at the active ingredient (don't have a bottle handy) then find another bug spray (usually for ants, fleas, roaches, ect. and use it instead. They work better because they have a higher amount of the same active ingredient. Try that.

Lice isn't really hard to get rid of. All you need is to go to a pharmacy where they sell the lice comb. Do not use those awful poisonous shampoos, besides they don't work that well anyway. All you need is to wet her hair with water before you run the comb through. I remember when I did this with both my boys, I did it about 3 times the first day and each time the nits were less. By the second day, they were hardly there. I kept doing it each day even when I found nothing for about a week, just to make sure. It was so incredibly easy to get rid of.

Yes, wash the sheets and stuff the stuffed animals in a bag and take it away for a few weeks. She can have her animals back in a short time. (I put their animals in the dryer for a bit and then stuffed them in a bag for a couple of weeks.)

D.

Well, if the lice shampoo does not work, keep your daughter home from school one day and lather her head up with Crisco. The grease will smoother the lice. The biggest thing is making sure that you get all of the eggs out of your daughter's hair, so that little comb that came with the lice shampoo will be a big help.

Just so you know, lice are not something kids get because they are not clean. It is something they get because they are clean. Lice like clean hair, because they can hold on to it. They cannot hold onto the hair if it is oily. That is why it is good to let your child wash her hair say every other day. Good luck!!

Thank goodness but we haven't gotten it this year... When I found out that alot of people around were I went straight to the store and bought some suave coconut shampoo and t tree oil. For some reason they don't like it. So 2 to 3 times a week I would wash everyones hair with it....first the oil and let it set then shampoo and conditioner. I also made a spray with vinegar and t tree oil together to spray on the hair(scalp) a few times a week because they smother in it(nits, lice)... It didn't smell nice, but no lice.....

Hi M. -
sorry about the pediculosis - (technical term for headlice) when my daughter was 8, she came home from a wonderful week at disney world with a HORRIBLE case of them. believe me when i say we tried everything, and they would not die. it was so bad that i had to cut her hair, and that was the last straw. we tried this stuff that was new to me, but it WORKED. it's called lice-away, and it's all natural (no stinky stuff or store bought chemicals), and you can order it online. I hope this helps. these little buggers have become resistant to chemicals, so this was our last hope! and don't feel bad or 'dirty' - seems like the cleaner we are, the more lice love us !
let me know how it goes - A.

get the clippers out

Luckily I haven't had this problem with my kids, but had an ongoing problem while younger. My little sister brought it home from school and before we new it everyone in the house had it (4 kids) and so did 2 step sisters that lived with 2 different parents. Between the 3 houses someone always missed something and they would come back. So far all of the advice I have seen on here is great, the combs, hot washes sprays, drying, etc. And don't forget to dry stuffed animals that's a must! Or bag them! Now for the things you don't read. Mayo does seem to help, also mineral oil, use both over night with a shower cap. Still using the combs to remove the nits is a must. This is NOT good for the hair and I don't want to say to do this to your daughter, but I suggest that you treat everyone in the house hold and for the adults...well we always use mint rubbing alcohol. Pour it in our hair over a shower or bath (try to keep the area ventilated b/c it is over powering) let it set for a few mins then shampoo as usual. From my experience, it kills everything! Even the eggs, but it is tough on the lungs, and terrible on the hair and scalp! My parents used it on us, it makes for a very itchy scalp, but it was the one thing that finally worked. Good luck!

I recently went through this with my daughter...she got lice at the movie theatre ! I used the shampoo twice and saw NO results...then my Mom read an article that said to use warm apple cider vinegar and the comb that comes with the RIT shampoo. I put the vinegar in a cup and warmed it up in the microwave, dipped the comb down in the vinegar and pulled it down small strands of her hair(make sure you start at the root) ! The lice came out on the comb like you wouldn't believe !! Supposedly, an ingredient in the vinegar breaks through the "glue" that holds the lice onto the hair !! Good Luck !! Let me know how it works !

Been there, done that, M.. I have four children, and my youngest two daughters had it. Used the over the counter stuff from the store, but it is POISON to your child. Went online and found a natural solution - Liceadex (I guess you could just google it). It had shampoo that smelled great, and spray you could spray on furniture, bedding, etc. Wish I had found this before wasting money and exposing my children to the poison stuff, and washing laundry for two days straight. Once we treated them with that, they disappeared and NEVER returned (which they did return after treating with the over the counter stuff). Recommend that you treat the entire family, we did, including my husband and I, just to be sure.

Wish you well.

P.S. By the way, did NOT have to comb any nits with this stuff cause they are IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of, and that is why the lice keep coming back.

Going thru the same thing w/ my 11 yr old girl. Her hair is long enough to sit on, so the shampooing and combing was taking about six hours each time. Had enough, but couldn't bring myself to cut her hair. I went to the local Mom & Pop pharmacy and bought their homemade remedy. I'm not sure the exact ingredients but it's all natural oils. It smelled like mint, VERY STRONG. I think it was T oil. Anyway, the pharmacist also said baby oil would work. You coat the hair in the oil, wrap it in a bandanna for six hours (or over night), then comb out the lice & eggs. You'll need to put shampoo on the oil before the water to give it a chance to cut the oil. Also, have her wash hair before w/out using conditioner. After a month of fighting them, THIS WORKED. They said lice have built up resistance to the chemicals in RID etc. so all we're doing is wasting money. Hope this helps..M.

Try using mayonnaise on her hair & scalp.

Kasey B

Call the Medical Center Pharmacy in Statesboro Ga ask for Lice Arrest this is a very good product. I recomend it to all my children in my Pre K program who may come in contact with this. You know you will need to treat everything she has come in contact with such as your car seats, couch , stuff animals ect.

Good Morning M.,

I am in the process of starting a lice removal service where I come to your home and remove the lice from your child and give you pointers on how to keep it gone. I am a few weeks away from kicking off my business but I would be more than willing to come if you would like. I charge $150 for the first hour and $100 an hour after that with the promise of all removal of lice as long as you continue with the process once I am gone, which will be very minimal. What I do is come into your home (I do have personal references) and rid your child's hair of all lice and nits with nits being the hardest part. I then give simple instructions on how to keep them gone and how to make sure they are out of your home. I am a Christian mother of three and have seen the need for this service here over the last year and now I am doing something about this problem and helping out moms that just do not know how to get rid of the lice. I do it in a very natural and healthy way for your child and for your house hold. I do not use any over the counter shampoos the chemicals are very harmful and they really do not work on lice and the removal of them. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Thank you,

J. H.
President of Lousey Cleaners

My three year old with thick hair down to the middle of her back came home with head lice. I tried the shampoo thing three times (combing every inch - about a 4 hour process for each shampooing session). It got most of the eggs out but still left enough to start the cycle over. My mother-in-law suggested Crisco. As crazy as it sounds, it worked. You coat the hair down to the roots in Crisco. It will look terrible and will require at least two shampoo's to get it all out. I let it sit about 20 minutes. Then began the combing process. I used a man's hair comb (very thin bristles). You will need lots of paper towels to wipe the combo after each area is complete. But it really works. Like I said I had to shampoo twice to get the left over crisco out but she's been head lice free ever since. Don't forget to wash everything she laid on in hot water to include all the towels you use to due this process. I also bagged all stuffed animals for two weeks. They say it takes that long for the lice to die and the eggs to hatch. I soaked her hair brush and rubberbands/hairbows in bleach and water. It worked for me! Good Luck!!

What kind of lice shampoo did you use? How long/thick is her hair? My sisters and I contracted lice when one of us went to a sleep over and came home thus sharing it with the whole family. Mom used Rid lice shampoo and it really worked but she used it twice for us as we had a little thicker hair. She also made sure that her and my father used it on their hair as well (just in case). Make sure that the bedclothes have been washed in hot water and hot heat dryer as well as pillows (beds, couches, etc.), and that combs/brushes, hair accessories have been de-liced as well. i am not sure what to use with these but I bed alcohol would work. Vaccum the carpets and the couches very well. Just cover your bases because even if you get it out of her hair, you want to make sure you get it out of your house and the rest of the family or all of you will keep getting it. Good luck!

As a teacher, I am familiar with the lice situation and how frustrating it can be. Lice are so tough to get rid of. After shampooing your daugther's hair with the lice shampoo, you can use a very fine tooth comb to comb through and get lice and eggs out. You have to treat her hair again in a certain number of days to remove any eggs that have hatched. AND the toughest part is you need to treat your entire house...everyone's bedding, stuffed animals, cloth furniture, seats in your car, etc. It is a lot of work, but if you do it you will be able to get rid of them. Just to ease your mind, lice like clean hair, not dirty hair. Kids who use hair gel or a little hairspray when going to school, usually do not pick it up at school because lice don't like hair products either. Hope this helps!

we had a lice issue last summer. it was horid! we tried the shampoo over the counter, and even got a script for some stronger shampoo. washed all the sheets, sprayed down the bedding, car, car seat, couch, chair, any thing that was fabric. Any way we did this for 2 months, until one day in walmart, I saw an electric comb. it was $19 and at this point I was willing to do anything! I used the comb on my kids, (it says to use it on dry hair) I then treated their head again, the dryed their hair and did it again with the electric comb. I used the comb morning and night, and after a week, it was coming clean. I love that comb. I don't care wh you are that comb did the trick! I think the lice these days have caught on to the shampoo. I don't feel we would of gotten rid of it with shampoo and a regular fine tooth comb alone. We needed the electric comb. Oh I also cut my girls hair short! In a bob. It helped make the combing less painfull for them.
Per advise fromt eh doctor, i kept my girls hail too clean. So now I only wash their hair every other day, unless of course they rolled in mud. I hope this helps!

First whatever you do don't shave her head. Also head lice is not some terrible thing that only dirty people get. They actually like very clean hair. So that being said I have had lice many times. I even got it a few years ago after helping out at a lockin at our church. The last time I had it we coated my hair with olive oil. My sister wrapped plastic wrap around my hair and then I slept with a shower cap on. I covered my pillow and part of my sheets with a trash bag and then put towels over it. The next morning my sister and my mom took sections of my hair and treated it. Not only did I get my hair treated but everyone in the household treated their hair as well. Anyone that comes in contact with it can get it but it may not show up for about three days. We washed all our linens and vaccumed and cleaned the whole house. After having the treatment I did the treatment again about a week later just to be sure. Once you remove all the nits from her hair you should be okay but you have to make sure that you remove every one.

Good Luck

B. M.

Hi,
I am a master cosmetologist. To get rid of lice you need to go to a store or pharmacy and buy ridx, get a finetooth comb and apply the treatment, it may take more than one time, the instructions are on the box. comb hair with fine tooth comb, place a piece of paper under the hair you are combing and you can see the knits and lice fall out do this until you cant see anymore sometimes takes weeks. If she has really long hair i reccomend cutting a few inches this will help, do it yourself, because it is illegal to knowingly take a child with lice to the salon. If she is in school notify them because it spreads rapidly, do not blow dry the hair and wash everything used by her with clorox. Hope this helps.
A.

first you have to make sure are no bugs,and then you must comb with a very fine comb.this means every strand!!good luck and please dont shave her head.also,wash bed clothes in very hot water,any stuffed animals she plays with,bag them up put in garage spray first,thenwash those in hot too.ps the lice spray is in the lice section of your local pharmacy.if this doest work,call her doctor and he prescribe stronger shampoo goodluck C. w

A lice comb is a must to help remove the eggs. The shampoo only kills the adults. Make sure you wash the sheets, pillow case, and pillows she sleeps on in hot water. Soak her brushes in hot hot water. You must clean everything her head has come into contact with. There is a spray at Wal-Mart that treats furniture. Even in the car! I went through this for a year with my stepdaughter. Her mom would not clean everything like it was supposed to be so they would return.

Once you have washed everything, wash her hair with lice shampoo and blow dry her hair on hot. Try to use a brush that can protect her head while heating her hair. This should burn the eggs before they hatch. Good luck!

I had lice once and it was almost impossible to get rid of. My mother and I tried lice shampoo and it didn't work or only worked temporarily. Then we finally found what works. Kerosene. Yep thats right kerosene and a head lice comb. It really hurts and takes time and patience on both ends but it works. Try lice shampoo (Rid) first and use kerosene as a last resort.

I know this sound gross but it does work. My daughters both had lice my sons and I did not get it. After we did the shampoo thing twice and still had lice the nurse told me to use mayonas in their hair you just dump some on their head and work it though the hair coating it all then put on a plastic shower cap and leave it on for at least 4 houres before you wash it out. My oldest daughter has very thick hair and it took 3 or 4 washings to get it all out but it got rid of the lice.

How M., not sure where you are, but if you live in the Columbia area, there is a place close to the Airport that is called Congaree Pharmacy. The pharmacist, has made a lice oil, that is all natural, that works much better than the otc shampoos you buy. It is also available at the Gilbert Pharmacy. You may be able to call and they can tell you other locations. It really works well. You put it on your head, cover the head with a cotton cloth, bandana, or something like it, get up the next morning, use vinegar and a lice comb, this will remove all nits, and then wash it out. You must treat everyone and every thing in your house to get rid of it. Hope this helps.

I hate to say it, but it takes lots of work.:^( But take heart, it is possible to get rid of lice.
One of the things that has worked well for us is Tea Tree Oil. Pour the oil on her head and saturate her hair with it. Then put a disposible shower cap over her hair and wait for 2-3 hours. The oil smothers the lice and makes it easier to get the nits off of the hair shafts. This works with olive oil, too, but the Tea Tree smells better :^). Both of my childrenhave thick, curly hair, and the oil makes the comb thru much easier. The other advantage of this is NO CHEMICALS!

be sure after washing the hair with the lice shampoo you use vinagar,baby oil or olive oil all over the head .comb with fine tooth comb to remove all nits from the hair.