I Need Advice on Preventing Head lice...please Help!!!

Go buy tea tree shampoo. ( you can buy it at the beauty supply store and it is not expensive) this prevents lice from sticking to the hair shaft because it has tea tree oil in it. Believe me it works.
Good luck.T.

Hi S.,
From what I've read, there are no "products to prevent getting head lice.
Only common-sense practices as:

Avoid head-to-head contact common during play at school and at home.
Do not share infested combs, brushes, towels, clothing or headgear.
Do not share sleeping mats or bedding.
Use separate storage areas for clothing and other personal items.
Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, or carpets that have recently been in contact with an infested person.

I know you are through the episode now, but my mom has a friend who is a nanny and she had a family for which this turned out to be a true nightmare! They had 4 kids and just kept getting re-infested, etc. So don't forget to wash all bedding, pillows, etc in hot water and dry on hot cycle. I have heard that lice are more attracted to dark hair than blonde, but not sure if that is true or a myth. Apparently, a lice killing product is not as necessary as REMOVING the lice and nits with an appropriate comb. Also, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! Everything--the rugs, the floors, the furniture etc..anywhere strands of not-infested hair could be dropped. Empty the vacuum immediately after each vacuuming.

my niece had them last year and I didn't get them and I was told the same thing... that it's cause I use hairspray! you should treat the hair 3 days after the first treatment and again in another 3 days to make sure you got all the lice and all the eggs.

Hi S.; There is a product called Quell Shampoo, buy some and wash everyones hair with it. Follow directions because you have to leave it on your head for 20 min. or so before you wash your hair. Then take EVERYTHING in your house;sheets bedding,etc and wash it with Lysol. Then Do Not let your daughter stay with that friend again. Your children should be taught Never to use anyone's comb,brush,hair bands,hair ties,etc. Lice is extremely contagious. Also you should know that the incubation for head lice is 7 to 10 days. They are very hard to get rid of. Good Luck
Oh, you can buy Quell or Kwell Shampoo at any drug store or Walmart in the medicated shampoo isle.
V. S
V. S.

I used to work at a pediatrician's office, and we saw more than our fair share of lice come in! After having a patient that was diagnosed with having lice, we would spray down the exam room (floor to ceiling, and everything in between) with Listerine. Something about the alcohol content in it kills the lice and nits. By the way, it has to be Listerine, not Scope or some other kind of mouth wash. Good luck!

My cousin is a beautician and told me 14 yrs ago,that tea tree works wonders. I always give my children their baths in the evening and put mousse with tea tree in their heads about a 1/4 inch from the scalp. I started this when my 21 y/o was in second grade and she never got them again. Now,so far so good with my 3rd grader and 1st grader.Don't go buying the expensive items that are advertised. Just look at the ingredients and anything with tea tree is good to use.

hmmm..actually i heard that Paul Mitchell from hair salons has a shampoo with tea tree oils..i for got the name of the shampoo,,but i have seen it.. and has worked to prevent them from your hair.

my girls would get it all the time. I bought tee tre oil and add it to our shampoo. About 20 - 30 drops, just shake the shampoo before use. thier heads have been clean for about 11 months now. It was nice going a school year without it. Good luck.

A few years back we had a proublem with them and we used listern mouth wash. You sock ur hair in the mouth wash with a plastic bag over your head for about an hour. There is alchol in the mouth wash that killed everything. To prevent is hard to say. U have to look and see where they come from.

I have heard of quite a few people swearing by Avon's Skin So Soft original oil mixed with water and sprayed onto the hair. It repels the lice. I'm not sure of the ratio. You would want just enough water so the spray would not make the hair oily.

ways to get rid of lice:
Spray listerine (ORIGINAL FLAVOR) on head and cover with a cover with shower cap for about 2 hours, rinse out. Put vinegar on wet hair, let set for a few minutes, then use a nit comb and comb out hair.

I have also heard by many people that spraying listerine can be used a preventive measure. I have not tried it, though when my daughter starts school I am going to give it a try. Good luck

S....my hairdresser suggested using a condition with Tea Tree oil in it. We found one at Target that didn't have a heavy odor (Tea Tree smells terrible!). He also suggested using hair spray on my daughter during "risky" seasons.

S.,

A friend had recommended a Paul Mitchell scalp treatment a while back when my daughter was starting school and I was paranoid about head lice. It has tea tree oil in it. I can't say if it works or not, but my children have not had any lice yet.

I haven't tried any of those products. But I did have a ped nurse tell me once that blow drying hair kills the eggs. So if you think your child has been exposed bathe them and blow dry thier hair. I actually make sure to blow dry my daughters' hair once a week so that if she has been exposed hopefully I'm killing them before they can take root.
Good luck!

I've read many times that if you add a little tea tree oil to shampoo that it will repel lice. You could also just dab a little tea tree oil behind the ears and on the nape of the neck. It is a very strong smell, though, so I'd just stick with adding some to her regular shampoo. They also sell hair and body products with tea tree oil already in them.

I was once told that drying hair with a hairdryer helps. I had a little girl in my class one year (I was the teacher) who had lice the whole year. I did daily head checks, and never got lice myself. The school nurse told me it was because I dried my hair every day. Who knows if that's true, but I did make it through the year without getting it or taking it to my own kids.

Good luck keeping those buggers at bay. None of my kids have ever gotten it, but after dealing with the poor little girl in my class I know how very difficult it is to get rid of them and keep them gone.

there was a child in my daughters class that had lice repeatedly. some great advice i was given was to french braid my daughters hair tight and hairspray it. we have never had lice yet...

Yep! Tea Tree Oil will work. I am a customer of a company that has it in all of their products pretty much. Besides of it being concentrated and you can save a bunch of money (which is always helpful as moms) it prevents lice. Then, just incase you attract lice before using the shampoo or know someone else who is having a problem, they have a cleaning solution that is completely safe to use called Sol-u-mel. It kills lice and even dust mites from your mattress! All of their cleaning products have multiple uses and are concentrated and inexpensive... have any questions, let me know! :) Good luck with everything!

I am a hairdresser, and have had a daughter who got lice in school, and do not know of any products to repel them. Even when my daughter got them - no one else in the family did (we are a family of five). I spotted the problem early - which may have made a difference, but lice will go to any human head - regardless of the use of styling products. It is a really tough problem to deal with, and I have heard of others who had a hard time getting rid of them. The best way to repel is to ask your daughter to not share hats, scarves, hair ties, etc. with her friends - but unfortunately, that's one thing kids love to do!