Head Lice Help!?

Oh joy. This is a parent's nightmare. Yes, the commercial products work but DO follow the directions to the letter, and yes, do the comb thing over and over to get all the nits. That's why they come back - you get the live ones, but new ones hatch at the base of the hair shaft. You have to be relentless about it, as annoying as it is.

A friend had to do several treatments with her daughter, and she found mayonnaise to be an effective second treatment after the commercial stuff did Round 1. It stays in better than the vinegar because it's so thick. But that wasn't the first treatment.

Do you have a good pharmacist to talk to? That's always a great place to start.

We just went through this with my daughter. The #1 way to get rid of all the lice is to do a full comb out with the special lice comb every day. It is because the teeny tiny nits are stuck to her hair shafts and you can't really see them or get them off in any other way. After the eggs are laid it is a certain number of days before they hatch. Then a few days after that the new lice lay new eggs. So what we did was we bought 3 bottles of NIX Ultra. We did the Nix treatment (it is pesticide free). Then we washed out her hair (a couple times) with dish soap because we learned that the Nix is super oily and will make your child's' hair look like an oil slick otherwise. Then do the first comb out with the special lice comb that comes in the Nix package. I combed her hair out every day and then braided it. I did a 2nd NIX treatment a week later. I did a 3rd treatment a week after that. This was to be 100% SURE I got all the nits/eggs that then hatch and lay new eggs later. Like you I also washed everything...her bedding, pillows, etc. You can put stuffed animals into a plastic bag and seal it up for 3 weeks. They say lysol does nothing. I ordered a special "Terminator" lice comb after the first week because quite a few people recommended it. It seemed even better when combing out nits/eggs. I would put a bowl of hot water next to me and after one comb I would dip it into the hot water and then wipe with a paper towel. You could see the lice/eggs floating in the water. SO GROSS! IT's a pain to do 3 weeks of treatment but it worked. That is what many parents recommended. One person even said do it 4 weeks. Good luck!!!

When my DD got lice a couple of years ago, I did not even mess around with it myself. I took her to a business that specialized in getting rid of lice called, "The Lice Lady" They got rid of everything. They head checked the family, and checked DD again at a follow up to make sure she was lice-free, which she was. This was worth every single penny. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Friends of ours struggled for hours and had several bouts of re-infestations but thankfully, we did not.

Look up the life cycle of lice. Armed with that information, you will feel more confident about getting it all the first time around. It is absolutely imperative that you do the follow-up treatment. Also, Use Lice MD, not Rid. It works better and is actually easier to use. The stuffed animals and pillows need to go into a plastic bag for about 10 days. And you should get the spray and spray her mattress, any cloth couches, chairs, etc., as well as your car interior, if the seats are cloth. Don't panic - my granddaughter had it more than once, yet on one else in the house got it.

I feel for you.

My sister and her youngest went through this a few times.

She found (by end of it) that if she sat her daughter in the tub, or if not the tub, laid cheap shower curtain down under where daughter sat, and sectioned hair in tiny pony tails all over her head - and they used her husband's work lights (big spot light things for when you paint etc.) to really see her hair, she was able to get them all out. It took a long time.

She did the two treatments, and bagged stuffies up, and washed everything. They did get rid of them in the end.

Good luck!

I have been dealing with these nasty things on and off since June. I have no clue where they are coming from. My 8 year old first got them in Feb and we did the treatment, combed out everyday, did the 2nd at 10 days, combed out every day for 3 or so more days. Then got them again in June. After treatment, I put a little conditioner in her hair because the lice shampoo is really rough and gets it totally tangled. I comb out her hair in little sections, using clips to hold up the rest. Rinse the comb in a cup or bowl of hot water and wipe on a paper towel. Then spray with a diluted tea tree oil solution (a quarter spoon I guess in a spray bottle)m making sure you get all the hair not just the top. Also, use a bright light to make sure you get all the nits out. Wash everything and dry on hot. If you can wash but not dry, then air dry and put in the dryer just for a minute once dry to get some heat in there (only if you can).

One thing we are also doing and will continue for a long time is spray with diluted tea tree oil each evening. It dries fast so an hour before bed if fine and the strong smell goes away as it dries. One of my older girls has been doing it since she got them at 14 (my first time dealing with them). She has not had them at all since. Pets cannot get lice. And you really don't need to leave your home overnight if you wash everything. Vacuum couches and beds etc. You can also spray with the tea tree solution.

Google head lice and read about their life cycle. How long they live the stages, etc etc....

Follow the treatment exactly....comb, comb, comb and comb some more...

The electric comb really can help get the live ones very easy in dry hair so it is worth the price. But the small metal one really gets the nits.

You can do this!! Good luck!!

There are 2 important steps to treating head lice -

#1. Medication. This kills the adult lice insects that are on the head, laying eggs & causing the infestation. The OTC products are safe and effective if used correctly - read the directions carefully. Make sure to use the right amount, to leave it on the hair for the correct length of time. It should be applied to DRY hair, left on, & then washed out. Do not use cream rinses or conditioners for 2 weeks after treatment (it will coat the hairshaft & protect the lice from the medication)

#2. Nitpicking. This involves a very fine-toothed comb (usually included with the medication) and a lot of time & patience, to remove the nits (little eggs) that are stuck onto the hair shaft. All it takes is 1 egg to allow for a re-infestation. Combing should be done every 2 to 3 days, for 2 to 3 weeks

Most products recommend 2 treatments of medication, usually 7 to 10 days apart. The reasoning behind this is: medication kills adults, nits are removed, in the event that a nit is missed, the juvenile lice are killed by the 2nd treatment before they mature enough to being laying their own eggs.

The most effective medication is Permethrin 1%. This is found in the product Nix. Other products will contain pyrethins with piperonyl butoxide. These are big scary words for chemicals that are toxic to the insect. They do NOT have neurotoxic properties for humans - our nervous system is different.

In addition, there is a ton of information available online on how to take care of household items to protect against re-infestation. Good luck! T. :)

We dealt with this issue twice, and both times, used a nit comb ( https://www.treat-lice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/met... ) after adding a mixture of coconut oil and apple cider vinegar, which we made into a paste, into the hair. A shower cap was left on for a few hours with the mixture, and we repeated it a few times. Bedding and stuffed animals were washed in hot water (stuffed animals left in plastic bags for a few weeks). The second time the kiddo caught lice, a year later, family members and I first used an electric nit comb, then applied that same mixture, let it sit for a few hours with a shower cap, and followed through with a daily combing with the nit comb after shampooing the hair daily with a tea tree oil shampoo. The mixture was recommended to me by my daughter's aunt, who knows a hair stylist who has dealt with lice with her own two kids.

As a preventative measure, I spray her hair with this product ( http://www.tinyoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Fai... ), which repels lice. They also have a lice and nit treatment shampoo apparently, which I was unaware of ( https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/75/e7/e4/75e7e4... ), and combats lice and the nits. It is made with natural ingredients, has no pesticides, and is safe. It's probably pricey as the repelling spray is pricey, in the $15-$20 range but I think it is worth it considering the aggravation, trouble and stress that the thought of lice can cause someone. By the way, her aunt took her to get a hair cut, which helped with the tangling issues, and made combing through with the lice comb much easier. Cutting hair won't prevent lice, but it will make it easier to treat and deal with lice. Her hair is past the shoulder now, whereas before it was almost to her waist. Make sure to teach your daughter not to share hats, hair brushes, hair clips, and anything that goes on the head. The kids in her aftercare liked braiding her hair, and I wouldn't be surprised if the scrungy they would use to keep her braid intact had been used by someone in her class that had lice.

Don't buy "medicine". It's awful for your child. Go to headlice.org and do some research.