Can't Get Rid of Lice

Updated on May 15, 2009
C.H. asks from Spring Hill, FL
21 answers

My 5 year old keeps getting lice from her school. It's driving me crazy! We have never encountered lice until she started school and now it's driving me crazy! I keep tea tree oil on her head, as that has helped, but I need something more! Any ideas on how to keep it away? (done all the washing of linen, etc.)

2 moms found this helpful

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R.S.

answers from Tampa on

I have also heard that the more product you keep in her hair will help. ie: hair spray, gel, cream, any kind of styling stuff. I always kept this in my daughters hair and have never had a problem.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.F.

answers from Tampa on

This may sound weird but color her hair with hair dye. Lice hate it & they wont latch on. Good luck. Ive had to deal with this twice already so I know how it goes.

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B.A.

answers from Tampa on

If you haven't done it yet, talk to your daughter about how she shouldn't share hair brushes, jackets, hats, etc. with her friends at school. That is how it is usually spread between kids. After that, if you have done all the cleaning and treating you can do and you gotten rid of it on your end; talk to the school. The classroom may need a good once-over as well as educational materials sent home to the parents who may not know how to treat their children and their homes appropriately.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.H.

answers from Tampa on

Hi! I have also had the great exprience of lice. My daughter has gotten it twice. I use the tea tree oil in her shampoo also. I wash her hair with that once a week. Always put her hair up in a pony or bun. I use a a ll nautural product I used to get it at the health food store. Just wash her hair with it and then begin the picking out of the eggs. I usually cry alot for those couple of weeks. Hope this helps. Goodluck!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Fort Myers on

C.,

What I read up on when my girls got lice (blech) is to put your daughter's hair in a ponytail every day for school and spray her hair with hairspray. It seemed to have worked for my girls, because they never got lice again. (Knock on wood! :-)

1 mom found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Tampa on

We delt with lice for a year and a half! It was awful. I tried it all, rid, nix, prescription, etc. The best thing that works is mayo and vinegar. Put the mayo on the hair then put on a shower cap. Leave it on and hour or longer/overnight. Then rinse in vinegar and water. I also purchase Fairy Tails shampoo/conditioner online. I use coconut shampoo too. Wash everything in hot water, car seats, blankets, pillows, etc. It's been an on-going thing. Keep up with it daily. Also throw out your old brushes and buy new ones. I keep detangler in the girls hair and gel after washing hair. Anything to keep it "sticky" and nothing for the lice to attach. Good luck.

Oh yeah, my mom (who's a beautician) heard on the news Benzyl Alcohol Lotion is suppose to work. I never tried it and never saw it. I do not know what to expect from that product. Please let me know if you try it.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.T.

answers from Lakeland on

Hi C.,
I'm A. and I'm African American and I'm gonna let you know why we don't get lice. We put grease in our hair. To get the lice out of your childs hair go to Walmart, Kmart, the Dollar store, a grocery store, pretty much anywhere and get a jar of Blue Magic from the ethnic hair care section. Put it all over your childs head including the scalp, let it sit for about 5 minutes and wash away all of the bugs and nits. It's gonna take a few washes but once you finish their hair will be bug free and the grease is a conditioner so it's actually good for the hair.

Good Luck,
A.

C.B.

answers from Lakeland on

Hi: I feel your pain. Three years ago my daughter had lice for about 6 or 7 months. I was pregnant so it wasn't easy being on my feet for 5 or 6 hours to pick the bugs. She has thick hair and lots of it. I got to the point of shaving her hair. After I kept her for many days at home (school policy: you need to be free of eggs to return to the classroom, the nurse has to check your hair and give you a slip) I even went to the doctor and he gave a very strong prescription that I never used since I got a hold of olive oil. You need to follow every 3 days and check it. This website has helpful info about how to use the olive oil. Is so good to see them suffocate and die, that just my idea to get through it.

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_treat-lice-olive-oil...

Hope this helps, if you have any questions please email me,

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K.D.

answers from Tampa on

FEEL YOUR PAIN! Had to deal with this for the first three months of school...the super bug they called it on TV. After using RID and Lice Free during the in between sessions of RID I know have ritual. Wash my 7 yr old "HUGGER'S" hair every other day, put Tea Tree oil in the wet hair and comb through. In the morning her hair is in a ponytail or something up always!! and then good old fashion Agua Net! It has worked since November....KNOCK ON WOOD!
Good luck!
K.

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D.A.

answers from Tampa on

I've read that putting hairspray in the childs hair keeps lice away.

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S.S.

answers from Tampa on

*scratching my head as I read all this*

Hi C.,
I was an expert on lice,
having had a daughter who gave hugs easily
and had long tendrils of blonde hair.

I did several rounds and 6 weeks of treatment with RID,
and deferred to Hartz 3 in 1 flea/lice/tick treament. It's a green shampoo and leaves a nice shiny coat. LOL. It's still think it's potential for harm is present though, and later switched to olive oil.

True, lighter hair is a more hospitable environment for lice. True, olive oil is the most effective, and least offensive treatment (tea tree is nice, but can be harsh on sensitive skin types). True, HEAT helps. Blow dry the hair
after treatment, before you pull the lice out. I find my fingernails are more effective than a comb. ONE HAIR AT A TIME. I leave NO area unseen, no nit unpicked. If you drop the nits and bugs into the sink as you do her head, sometimes those blasted things are still alive enough to crawl. I make sure there's water in the sink, so they drown too. Yes, washing and DRYING too (when I had only a washer, I went to a laundromat to use the dryers), not only linen, but stuffed animals, and ALL clothes the kid wears...and you wear. The new england kids used to have issues because the lice would spread in a pile of jackets and hats. For a time I checked the head of every kid who came in the door too. ANd yeah, I sent a few home.

Make SURE your head is checked
and act accordingly.

I agree with the moms here who say that
unwashed/oiled/dirty hair is less susceptable.
I dont think that who hold true with most dyes though,
as the dye can damage the hair and make it dryer.
The drier the hair, the more lice can hang on.

Dont wait for school to tell you about lice,
check the kids' head as often as you
run your fingers through their hair!

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J.L.

answers from Sarasota on

They say switch between different shampoos. I went through this with my daughter for a year. Even got new matteresses! I finally started putting styling gel in her hair everyday and blowing it dry. Finally got rid of them took forever. I did this along with keeping all the stuffed animals in a bag ect.... Good luck my heart goes out to you this is a terrible problem. I'm sure the school is aware but if not make them aware they should be checking the kids hair. It only takes one kid not to get rid of it.

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L.C.

answers from Tampa on

Make sure you wash all of the linens in HOT water. IF you have a sanitizer all the better. Furniture & carpets should be treated as well.

My mom always had us rinse our hair with vinegar & water. We smelled like salad, but I never got lice. My sister on the other had was the one who had problems.

My sister & I were both blondes but my sister was blonder than I was (still is)

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R.W.

answers from Tampa on

Go to the school. Visit her class. Find out who she is sitting by. They more than likely are the ones that are giving her the lice. I remember when I was at the school to volunteer for some function and noticed the girl sitting by my daughter scrathing her head all the time I was there. I walked over behind her and you could actually see the lice in her hair they were so thick. I brought it to the teachers attention and this is what she told me (I am so sorry about that and I will make sure your daughter doesn't have to sit by her, but there is really nothing I can do. We send her home because of lice, her mother treats it, she is back in school three days later, then it starts over again. We just gave up on keeping her out of school because her grades are failing.) Believe me I was mad. I went to the principal. She pretty much told me the same thing. I then talked to a friend that was police officer. She told me that the only thing I can do is to bring it up at a PTA meeting or school board meeting. Well instead of that I went to the other parents that had children in the class. After enough of us filed a complaint they did something about it. So your daugther is probably getting it from someone that is not being treated properly. Don't wash her hair more than once a week. Lice like clean hair better than dirty hair. As soon as she gets home before bringing her in the house comb her hair out with a lice comb. That way if she has anything at all on her head it will be left outside. I feel for you. My friends daughter used to come home with lice all the time. I was lucky, for some reason my girls didn't get it. Some do, some don't and know one knows for sure why.

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D.F.

answers from Tampa on

I am not sure what kind of responses you have received, but I can help if you are still having a problem. I just saw your request today. I own a company in the Tampa Bay Area and this is all that I do. I treat people for head lice. There are numerous reasons as to why you are struggling with getting rid of lice. The main reason is you are not getting EVERYTHING out of her hair from the nit to the smallest newly hatched nymph(baby lice), the second is that she is around someone who still has lice, maybe someone you know or do not know. Lice cannot live off the body for more than 24 hours, they need to feed every 4 hours (human blood). My products are safe and effective and pesticide free. I will be more than happy to talk with you, even if it is for informational purposes only, I don't charge for advise. If you have finally gotten rid of the lice, I can give you information on preventative solutions for the future. Please visit my ad on mamasource.com and read my reviews or my web site at www.thenitfairy.com for additional information. I hope to talk with you.

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B.F.

answers from Tampa on

Talk to her teacher and make sure the school staff knows about it. If she keeps getting them again and again, there may be an outbreak at her school! Good luck

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T.T.

answers from Tampa on

I had always kept hairspray,gel,baby oil,or something of that nature in my kids heads.They only got it once and that was when I started keeping it in there hair and they have never had it sense.If the bug can't grab hold it can't stay.So they go away.hope this helps,I was given this advice by the doctor and my mom.lol.

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N.H.

answers from Tampa on

I had lice from my niece while in high school. We just used all the over the counter stuff and they would not go away. When we finally called the doctor he said that the over the counter was fine for the linens and furniture, but not for hair. He said the prescription strength stuff was usually the only thing that worked. They went away after the first application and it was cheaper than the over the counter anyway.
Good luck

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M.P.

answers from Tampa on

C.....I feel your pain. I would call the nit fairy. She is listed on this site. She will come to your house and get rid of them for a fee. You can go to her website. I think it is www.nitfairy.com but check this site first. She is a great person. Good luck!!

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L.B.

answers from Sarasota on

I am not sure what responses you have gotten already, but one thing I have learned is use hair gel that has alcohol in it. The lice do not like the smell of it and won't stay on if the scent is there. My son would get lice all the time too from the same girl everytime who would always bring them to school because of where she lives and her mom not properly treating them and then of course she is a "hugger" lol!
anyhow, try putting hair gel with alcohol in it, in her hair every day that she goes to school and I promise no more lice! Once we started doing that with my son, no more lice for us...
good luck!

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H.B.

answers from Tampa on

Whoa, not sure how you feel, but there are a lot of very HARSH chemical recommendations suggested to you on here...some that I wouldn't even use on my pets!

There is really no need to resort to harsh chemicals. Natural treatments work just as well without the toxins, especially for a young 5 yr old!

We used mayonnaise mixed with tea tree oil, lathered it on the scalp very well, put on a shower cap and let sit for at least 2 hrs. Wash well and rinse with vinegar (unlatches eggs from shaft). Repeat in 7-10 days to take care of any remaining eggs, but if you hand comb and pick all remaining nits off you may not have to re-treat. This was found online when I googled natural lice treatments.

We also rubbed in DE (Diatomaceous Earth- Food Grade) in with the mayonaisse which mechanically kills the bugs too. You can buy it on www.dirtworks.com for VERY cheap. Its safe and non-toxic.

A neighbor recently used Cetaphil cleanser for lice and although the treatment took longer (2 hrs of the application, then blow dry on high, then rinse with vinegar etc) it worked with one try for all three of her kids!

Best wishes!

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