I have a 2 year old little boy and we just found out that he has lice. Before I researched it I had already went to the drugdtore and bought stuff to apply to his head. I applied it yesterday and got a lot of the eggs out but after I gave him a bath tonight I realized he still has eggs. What is the best way to get rid of them? I had already replaced the pillows, washed everything in hot water and dried everything. I also sprayed bedding spray all over everything, does it work? Please someone tell me what I can do because I am freaking out!!!
I heard one time that UNFLAVORED Listerine works great, and it's non-toxic, but it does contain alcohol.
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_treat-lice-listerine...
Also, coconut oil is another option. You can find these and more in People's Pharmacy Home Remedies.
Good luck!
I would use Mayonaise. I have orked with children for several years and this seemed to be the best thing. Use it as a shampoo and leave it in for awhile. Rinse it out and then use a very fine comb to brush through it. You will probably have to wash his bedding again. Good Luck!
First - DO NOT use the shampoo more than recommended. It is an intense neurotoxin that DOES affect your child's brain. My sister now has brain damage and seizures due to a six month bout of lice (courtesy of summer camp) that saw my mother shampooing her repeatedly nearly every week.
My Advice: Shave his head bald. completely. and keep it that way for several weeks. Check your family. And check out Fairy Tales Hair Care at fairytaleshaircare.com. My son got lice every year from daycare til we couldn't get rid of it until we got this stuff. and he's never had it since.
You HAVE to wash EVERYTHING. His coat, his hat, his pillows, sheets, towels, clothes, anything that might have touched these things...clothes in the closet, backpacks, spray down ur furniture, cars, vacuum every couple of hours, dry clean what you cant wash and bag up in trash bags for a MONTH what you can't dry clean. This has to be done EVERY day for at least two weeks. EVERY member of your family should also be checked, twice a day, for at least two weeks. If you see a single louse or nit you have to repeat the entire process for the coming two weeks.
Get a nit comb. one should have come with the kit you bought. You HAVE to comb his hair out twice a day. it's tedious and takes forever.
Do your research on the consequences of introducing lice killer into your home and the drugstore shampoos.
Does it work? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Depends on if your brand of lice is immune to the neurotoxins or not. Some have built up immunity.
Sheets have to be changed and washed every day. towels too. all laundry has to be done every day. in HOT (preferably 150 degrees or over) or they don't die.
keep hair spray and alot of product in your hair. they don't like dirty hair. try to go several days without washing your hair.
GOOD LUCK!!! I AM SO SORRY!!!!! Lice is exhausting for Moms.
My 4 year old had it last winter. I had the same problem, after the lice shampoo, we still had eggs. I decided to bring in the Army!! I soaked her head in castor oil for 3-4 hours using a shower cap, then I applied shampoo to the oily head before water (it came right out) and washed her hair as normal. Then, for the next 2-3 nights and every other night for a week or so, I sat her down with the lice comb and a bottle of cetaphil cleanser. I sectioned off her hair and rubbed in the cetaphil and combed and combed. The cetaphil was only used as a backdrop so that I could see the nits on the comb. We quarantined all the stuffed animals for about 2 weeks. We vacuumed everything, her room daily, and the couch daily. Also I changed her pillowcases and sheets daily. I probably went a little overboard, but I wanted to nip it fast!
My son was 2 also when we found out he had lice. I was shocked to say the least because he wasn't around other children. We think he got it by trying on a hat in a store. But anyway, I had no idea what to do. I did all the normal stuff like wash everything and his hair in the special shampoo and spray but it didn't work. It was very frustrating and after dealing with them for 4 months and crying every time I realized the treatment didn't work AGAIN I called the health department. This is what you do: wash his hair in the shampoo and then go through his hair piece by piece to remove the eggs. You can use one of those combs that comes in the shampoo kit to get most of them but you will still have to go through it strand by strand. Wash all bedding in hot water and dry it on the hottest cycle and flip your mattresses. Vacuum and clean everything in the house. When you are done vacuuming change the bag and get it out of the house. You can leave it outside until you can get rid of it but make sure it gets completely out of the house. All things that cannot be washed (like stuffed animals) put in a dark trash bag and close it up (make sure that it is twisted close and sealed tight so no light or air can get in)and put it in a dark place like a basement or garage for at least two weeks (I left mine for a month just to be on the safe side). I did everything again two weeks later just to be sure but it got rid of them. It has been 6 years since my son had them but I think I remembered everything. You can always call your local health department and they can give you paperwork on how to get rid of them. Just remember to keep your head up and that these nasty little buggers can be beat.
Comb with a metal comb found at WalMart that comes in as a seperate purchase and comb comb comb comb. Wash bedding every few days and comb comb comb again. And I am sure you have had lots of other advise. You won't freak out as bad the next time. I promise. Just comb comb comb.....etc. My kids now use Suave coconut shamp. and cond. I have all girls and lice is a pain. The lice don't like coconut. So I read... We also boil all combs after each combing. Because I have girls we used Olive oil with a plastic hair bag over their hair. If you look it up there is a ritual to it. I was bad and didn't do it the way it was suggested, but it helped and the buggers never came back.
I had a friend that used mayo and the eggs were easy to comb out.
I've not had any experience with lice in my children but from what I hear from my mother-in-law who is a teacher and sees it all the time - the stuff you buy at stores isn't strong enough to get rid of it and you eventually have to get your child's doctor to prescribe prescription strength lice treatments before you can get rid of them. By the way put stuffed animals in a trash bag for at least 10 days, replace your air conditioning and furnace filters because I hear they get in there. Also, your vaccum filter would need to be replaced as well. Good luck!
First of all, don't freak out. It goes around no matter who ya are or how clean or dirty you are. Just wash everyones hair with the lice stuff and use a good set of lice combs. Walgreens and walmart have a set of 2 for like 10 bucks. You will still have to pick some out but the combs are well worth it. Make sure ya wash and dry everything in hot water and dryer. You can put all the stuffed animals in plastic bags for a month and even your pillows too. Be sure to vacuum well too even the furniture that's fabric. I ust to spray them with the spray for bedding. I even ust the spray in my car. You can cut his hair so it's about 1/4 inch long, that helps too, even use a bit of V O 5 in everyones hair. If ya have a Fred's Store they have lice shampoo the cheapest and it works just as good as the others.
My Grandpa ust to say, it's not a shame to get them, it's a shame when ya keep them. Thank God those days are over for now for me. My kids are grown and have there own now.
I hope this helps and I will keep ya in my prayers.
Have a great nite, take care and God Bless ya.
C.
I dealt with them a couple months ago in my 3 year old and we had the same trouble with them not being gone after 1 treatment. I was told by the pediatrician that I could only use rid or nix 1 time every 2 weeks since it's a pesticide. So I went and bought the new lice treatment called LiceMD. It contains no pesticides and is gentle for the little ones heads. This one worked for us, after using it I found now more evidence of lice. I did buy the rid spray for the furniture and washed everything she slept on. Good luck with it, it's really a stressful pain to deal with!
Call your pediatrician. I think mine recommended washing the hair with vinegar and that will help release the glue-like substance that holds the eggs to the hair. Good luck!
Check out the Peoplespharmacy.com - they have all kinds of suggestions for home remedies with nontoxic items.
S., It is hard but you will get through it. First you need to get rid of all of the eggs. Since your son is 2 I would suggest combing through his hair several times. If you can get him to watch a video and be still that will help. Also vacuum everything, furniture, curtains and floors. I would also treat everyone in the house. I remember my little brother had it. Mom put sheets on all the furniture after she vacuumed then every night she laundered the sheets after we went to bed. Getting rid of the egg/nits is the hardest part but if you don't get rid of them then you will just keep reinfecting. Take a deep breath and get started. Remember to clean combs and brushes, the coats and clothes need to be laundered also. If you have something that you cannot launder like stuffed animals or toys then seal it up in plastic bags for 2 weeks. You might need to check on that time, I don't remember for sure. Good Luck and God Bless.
After you use the Nix, (or whatever brand) you MUST use the special nit comb that comes in the box (or purchased separately) to comb out all the nits. they are firmly glued to the hair shaft. The teeth of regular combs are too far apart and the nits just slide between them. Using a nit comb, it can take at least 1/2 hr to get the hair thoroghly combed free of nits for a boy with short hair to many hours for someone with thick long hair! Patience is a virtue. they do say to repeat tx in a wk too, 'cause sometimes some survive the 1st tx.
S.:
I believe the best thing to use and the safest is Mayonaise. I use Helman's. The oils in it smothers the lice and also makes it easy to get eggs out. You put it on dry hair and then cover hair w/ a plastic grocery bag or a shower cap and leave on 3 hrs. The down side it is melts and runs down the face. I have used it on my niece and we put it in her hair and put on the shower cap and a band and she went to bed w/ it in and then washed it out the next morning. It also acts as a conditioner for the hair.
Remember to treat pillows, toys and stuffed animals, car seats if cloth and furniture, etc. If you do not, you could get them right back.
Good luck!!
A.
S... do not freak out. Lice is so extremely common and also repetitive. Just keep applying the shampoo treatment and washing the bedding/linens/clothing/stuffed animals/etc... until there are no more eggs. I am a hairdresser, by the way, and I can't tell you the amount of times I encountered it. Don't worry, it doesn't mean that you are a dirty or disgusting Mom. It is just hard to spot until the outbreak is overwhelming and sometimes it isn't all the way gone when it is spread to others. Just be vigilant, but don't make anyone feel terrible about this, especially yourself, as this is a thing you have to deal with when you have children in any type of social setting. Please let any other care takers know so that they may take the proper steps to insure no more recurrences. Take care.
Wondertime magazine just did a great story on lice. Here are a couple links:
http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/how-to-treat-li...
http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/lice-survival-g...
Good luck! (I'm itchy just thinking about it!)
M.
The treatment usually kills the eggs ('nits' -- hence the term 'nit-picking'!) which are individually 'glued' to the hair strand by the 'mama louse'. The day after treatment they'll look sort of dried up and brownish instead of round and pearly-white. If the package recommends a second dose, do it (or use some other more gentle oil-based application that smothers the lice and nits. I'd never heard of Listerine or vinegar being used, but maybe . . .). Otherwise just do what it says. Bag up plush toys for 2 weeks, launder and spray the bedding, wash (or scald) combs and brushes, etc. It's really not that big a deal. Our kids (and I) had them 2 or 3 times while they were growing up (and scabies). You just treat it and go on with life!
P.S. The one 'horror story' I read below sounds as if the parents also had lice and didn't realize it. They're really not THAT hard to eradicate!)
they wont go away after one treatment. make sure you read the bottle normally it tells you to repeat the treatment in a few days. go to the health food store and buy some tea tree shampoo. shampoo let it sit for about 5- 10 mins then rinse and take him to the couch and use the nit comb and just work at it piece by piece until you have done his whole head.... or the easiest way is to shave his head...
First things first....relax! I freak out every time we get them too, my girls have long, dark, thick hair so about twice a year was the norm until I found Arbonne shampoo with tea tree oil. Works great, but we just had an issue, not sure how it came about...anyway, the best thing I have found to get rid of the eggs is to put baby oil on their hair. You have to wash it several, several times but most of the eggs will slip right off. Then you have to go through the hair inch by inch and removed them. I use my fingernails and put them on a paper towel that goes into the garbage afterward. the reason they say to retreat a week later is that the eggs hatch and then the little ones take a week to grow into adults to lay more eggs. It's really ok, I stopped panicking a year ago because it's just something that happens. They love clean hair so at least I know my girls are washing their heads! As far as vacuming(sp) everything, I just wash the linens, spray the pillows with the medicated spray and vacuum as usual. I will say we have tried every shampoo and only RID seems to work. No I don't work for the company, I work for myself! Hope this helps and good luck. Again, try not to stress too much, my husband once said, while deployed, my poor babies....because he knew how freaked I get! I realized then it was time to chill out. Take care!
S.
I feel for you. I have used vinegar on my daughters hair
doesn't smell well but it worked. I put the vinegar on and
covered her hair with a shower cap for about a half hour
I'm not sure a 2 year old will take to that real well.
Makes the hair real soft.
B.
I am a single mom, working as a paralegal and have two great kids a son 22 and a daughter 17
other than nix or rid and i know this may sound bad but get a flea comb from the pets dept and comb comb comb 1 inch of a spot at a time and it has to be tin strips it sux but thats the only thing i know of
We recently went through this with my 8 y/o daughter. She got lice and we treated twice and 5 weeks later, she got it again. Don't know if we never got rid of some eggs or if she caught a second case. I put her pillows in the dryer on high for 20 mins. every day for about 4 weeks. Then once I was sure we were rid of the eggs, I replaced the pillows. I washed her sheets and pillowcases in hot water and dried them on high heat every few days. I sent her comforter to the dry cleaner since it wasn't machine washable, then kept it off her bed for about 4 weeks. I got a plastic mattress cover that goes around the entire mattress and zips up. I combed through her hair with the special nit comb every night for about 6 weeks, pulling out anything I thought remotely looked like an egg or nit. We did do the second treatment about 8-10 days after the first as suggested on the bottle. I soaked her combs and brushes in Listerine. I vacuumed my couch and car seats regularly. Since you have a boy, you may want to consider buzzing his hair really short. Good luck. Stay calm and be diligent.
You just have to keep checking for the nits (eggs) a coupla times a day until you can't find any for several days. Put all stuffed animals and pillows you can't wash into plastic garbage bags and tie them tightly to sufficate and isolate any wandering bugs and lingering nits. Keep washing and changing the sheets and bedding. Change his pillow...put the regular pillows in a bag too. When my kids got them it took about a month to finally clear them out completely. Keep a watch on the whole family's hair, it can spread so easily. Take comfort in the fact that this happens in the cleanest households imaginable, so it is not a matter of hygiene or good/bad housekeeping. Stay vigilent and you will win over these pests. Also if you haven't already, notify any public daycare or church facilities your son has been to in the 2 weeks previous to the outbreak. Someone gave them to him and the facility needs to notify parents so they can get rid of theirs asap. Good luck!
First off, you need to stay calm! That will help. ;o)
It may be that you need to do more than 1 treatment. I've read recently where the little buggers are getting resistant to meds. I also recall from my childhood that you may need more than 1 type of medicine to treat lice. I recall the time that it took my mom weeks to get rid of lice from my sisters & I. We all had SUPER thick hair and nothing would work. I remember her getting a prescription from the doctor and wearing plastic bags on our heads to help soak the shampoo in. Oh, it wasn't fun!!
I'm sorry I'm not much help, but I do hope you're able to nip this in the bud. I know it's a nightmare.
why dont you just shave his head - he is a boy! my daughter had lice last summer. i washed everything in my house and bagged all the stuffed toys that could not be washed. i even washed and sprayed the car. i sat in the tub and went through her hair with a nit comb for 3 days in a row. our baths took over 1 hr but it worked. i gave her the second application, but at the time, i found no nits. as a precaution, i shaved my sons head - just over two at the time. i did not want to deal with both kids with lice. good luck!
Did you use the comb and go through his hair really well? Sadly, it might take a few treatments for it to work. My husband and I lived in an orphanage in India for a few months, and we both got lice. It took several treatments for us to get rid of the lice. Keep washing the sheets, and spray down your furniture with that lice bedding spray, and eventually this will be behind you.
