Yick! Lice!!!

[cafe]

Our kids go to poor, inner-city schools, so we've had a lot of experience with lice. The poison treatments can work really well if your particular infestation doesn't happen to be resistant.

The best treatments I have found are the cheapest, safest, and a pain in the rear.

1. Slather their hair with oil, mayonnaise, or conditioner

2. Comb through hair thoroughly with flea comb (carefully dispose of all hair/lice removed from head -- the oil will stun lice so that they are easy to remove, but they soon recover and begin to actively look for a host -- I tie it all up in a plastic grocery bag and throw it in the garbage)

3. Put a plastic shower cap on over hair and leave it on for a couple of hours (longer if your kids can tolerate it)

5. Wash the recently used bedding in hot water dry on high heat, run pillows, stuffed toys, etc through the dryer if you can, if it can't be washed/go in the dryer tie it up in plastic bag and leave it for a couple of weeks or put it in the freezer overnight, wash the clothes, towels, etc in hot water and dry on high heat, vacuum the furniture, the mattress, the car seats

4. Comb through hair again with flea comb, carefully removing nits (especially the dark colored ones -- the light colored ones are already hatched) -- I don't have much luck getting nits off with a comb, so I pick them off with my fingernails

5. Wash hair (I don't know for certain that tea tree oil helps keep them away, but it's not super expensive and it can't hurt, so add that to conditioner if you want to)

6. Repeat the process every couple of days until all heads are clear


Keeping hair short or keeping long hair braided or otherwise up and not swinging around makes it harder for lice to hitch a ride.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

We're at round two of the shampoo. We've been combing out and washing her bedding (all of it) every day. I boil combs and brushes. She still has them but much less. But, now I think her sister has them even though I treated them both the first time.

I also read an interesting study that said that hair drying their hair after washing dries out the scalp and helps rid their hair of the eggs.

Does anyone know if swimming daily helps??

 

[Dawsonhall]

In a word - Hairdryer!

In many more words - my children - all three of them - got lice one summer.

I also spent a fortune on the products from the drug store. Washed all bedding over and over. It wasn't working - the babysitter spent hours combing my daughter's long thick hair with one of those little combs. This went on for months! It started in the summer and I knew that if I didn't get this thing licked my kids would not be allowed in school when school started. One day I thought to myself - what we are doing is NOT working and is probably NOT going to work.

I went to the local pharmacist and asked him for help - he had also been through it with his kids. He gave me some literature to read. I sat down in the store and read and asked him questions as I read. Heat - it said to run a hot/warm iron over the couch where they laid their heads. Then I started to think - I sit on the same couch as my kids - I share the same home/environment - why didn't I have lice - I knew I didn't because I had the baby sitter keep checking my hair.

It dawned on me that I was the only one that dryed my hair with a hair dryer the kids let their hair air dry. Hairdryer = heat! So....We shampooed the kids hair with regular shampoo and dryed it bone dry with a hair dryer as hot as possible being careful not to burn them mind you. It worked - as I remember it worked immediately even though we kept up drying their hair with the hairdryer for a while.

I do so hope this helps you.

Mary

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Thanks Mary, I actually read this is scientifically backed up - hair drying does work! But, like everything else, it is not 100%. We are only in two weeks thus far. I am hair drying every night after the washing. Think I should dry after swimming??

 

[PineappleMama]

Oh that is the WORST. Me being a tomboy I didn't do the whole hats, bows, etc swap with friends, but boy did my sister... I swear we got that in our house at least once a year... eventually it stopped, but it seemed to go on forever. Mom REALLY hated it since she had waist length hair back then.

We always used the OTC stuff, but like the others posted there is stronger stuff by prescription.. but it's still the same chemical. If they're resistant to that, then I don't know if the uber expensive script will make a difference.

My now adult with DD of her own sister has gotten to the point where she douses my niece's head in baby oil... supposedly it keeps them from wanting to land on your head (Wheee slip and slide) but you look NASTY... greasy, gross... just not worth it for me... but it IS summer, so it's just us at home who'd see. May give that a shot if it crops up on us.

 

[Lil_Miss_Farmer_Chick]

I can personally attest to the miracle of Miracle Whip. We slathered it on the kids head, put a plastic shopping bag over and used a plastic hair clip to secure it like a shower cap. We left it on for 1 hour and then rinsed with hot water till gone, then combed thru with the lice comb. Worked everytime.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Quote:
With one treatment??

I keep hearing methods that people swear work and I am more than happy to try them all!

When will I know if one "worked"?

We seem to be making progress with hair drying and nit picking; that's after two shampoo treatments, but I would be very happy to get them gone for good!

Is miracle whip a one and done??