Lice!

for the strain that went around my daughter's school last year, Lice MD worked for many parents. You can get it at walgreens.

The big thing is, though, to nitpick every single nit out of their hair. My dd has very long hair and it was a nightmare, but we did it daily for a week, washed everything in hot water, vacuumed well and got rid of it!

Good luck!

We went through 2 rounds of the prescripton medication, along with removing the nits, and still had problems. I finally bought a box of Nix and it worked perfectly on the first application.

The only way to truly get rid of lice is to get rid of the nits attached to the hair. The best product I have found is a comb called LiceMeister. You can buy one at Walgreens or get one online. The comb has very close metal tines. It is actually considered a metal device. It will assist you in removing the lice and their eggs. I have found a wonderful method is to use the comb in conjunction with a leave in product to make combing more managable. My daughter's hair is very fine and tangles easily. Combing seems like torture to her. I have tried leaving conditioner in her hair while combing and this helps. What really seems to be most effective is to completely cover her hair in olive oil. The oil lubricates the hair for easy combing, suspends the lice in the liquid so they can't move around the head while combing, and also breaks down the glue that adheres the nits to the hair shaft. I have found that the combination of the comb and the olive oil is the one-two punch we need to get through this.
Unfortunately the school my daughter goes to has a problem with lice and it is an ongoing issue for us. She gets it, we get rid of it and then someone else has it and we begin again every few months.
I have found that the LiceMeister comb is great for even doing lice checks. If there are nits or lice in her hair, a clean comb going through her hair is going to pick them out. Then once we know there is an issue, we can move on to using the oil and comb.
You can get more information about the LiceMeister comb at a website called www.headlice.org which is a non profit organization. They offer advice and information about head lice and can be very helpful.
I would be very careful about using certain products on your child's head. Chemicals can be very harsh and can be very dangerous. This website can give you information about possible side effects some of these treatments can have and give you the risks so you can make a fully educated decision about how to treat this condition in the most healthy and effective way possible.

My oldest had this twice...once when she was three and we never did figure out where it came from. Then it took 2 applications of the stuff recommended by the pediatrician and we finally had to shave her head to get rid of it. Noone else in the household got it, but we had a terrible time getting it out of her head.

The second time she got it was a year and a half ago. It took 3 months of them going and coming back and her finally begging us to just cut her hair all off. Finally a friend told me to use mayannaise with enough white vinegar to keep it a paste but make it especially acidic.

Once applied to the hair, wrap the hair in plastic and leave it in for 24 hours. Then wash out twice...

This worked the first time...I had to take her outside with all the nits falling out during the combing session. There was not one nit left. This time she had given it to my youngest daughter (age 4) and we did the same for her with the mayonnaise with the same results. We had a hard time getting the eggs off her hair even with the lice comb because her hair is so fine, but because the vapor from the mayonnaise and vinegar is able to penetrate the eggs they were dead and the eggs eventually washed out of her hair... there has not been a reccurance (knock on wood) in over a year...

Instead of using plastic wrap I used the plastic head cover you can buy in the beauty supply for when you perm or color your hair and i twisted up the excess and used a ponytail holder to hold the excess twisted up and tight...

This method is inexpensive and between the body heat generated and the vapor fromt he vinegar and mayonnaise the lice simply don't stand a chance. Another plus, you are not putting harmful chemicals on your child's head...

The downside?? It takes a week or two for the stench from the mayo and the vinegar to wash fully out...I may try some lemon juice to help with that next time...

Good Luck!!!! ;-)

I used a product I bought at the feed store. My friend suggested it after her struggle while her daughter was in elementary. Orange Oil is the product. I put a few drops into my daughters conditioner everytime she used it. It kills bugs. You must get every nit out. The orange oil does not strip the hair as bad as the pesticides in the OTC stuff. As long as you have washed (hot water) and dried everything she came in contact with, you should be good. My daughter's hair seemed to attract the darn things. I used the Orange oil/conditioner throughout the school year to prevent further problems. We did not have anymore problems after elementary school.

Hi,
I have been through this before as well... We got rid of them in one day! I used some all natural shampoo stuff, but the real trick is to sit down with a towel, comb and kleenex and comb every inch of hair on your childs head until all the eggs are gone. it is time consuming, but it will get rid of them... I did see a commercial about some new store bought "natural" stuff, so you might get some of that, but again, the trick is to comb, comb, and comb with the little nit comb that comes in the pack. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Lice Free worked for us. Walmart.

Also, if you read the labels, most of the lice shampoos are the same active ingredient and strength as many of Flea shampoos...but they're a LOT more expensive. Most are permethrin or pymethrin. (the Lice Free is supposed to be organic or herbal...or something less toxic. It's been so many years since I used it I've forgotten... but I know it worked when nothing else did.)

I used the Flea shampoos to mop, and in the washing machine when I washed bedding, stuffed animals...etc. Thank GOODNESS my girls are grown and we don't have to worry about those little critters anymore!! I also finally used Flea dip in my carpet shampooer and did the couch and carpet.

Oh, and as a teacher... they tell us that we don't usually get lice even with active cases in the classroom because we adults blowdry/curl...etc. our hair (which kills the freshly hatched nits) AND we USE styling products, which inhibit the eggs from sticking to the hair shaft... Basically, they adhere to the product and wash off when we shampoo. So, I started blow drying and using a little styling gel (Spray Gel can be sprayed closer to the scalp, and lightly done) or some such on my girls' hair every morning. I thought it was worth the little extra effort.

Good Luck!

T.

Use nix lice treatment can be bought at any groc store. Don't use brushes or combs without cleaning them. After you have done treatment make sure all linens have been washed in hot water and dried at highest temp. Also pillows can be put in dryer in high heat and sanitized,literally any place your child lays there heads is game in infestation including parents and bedding. Treatment is easy as shampooing hair.have to redo treatment as there may be nits(eggs)lingering still on hair shaft. Good luck nix em

J.:

Do not buy over the counter lice treatment. Most lice are now immune to it so it is a waste of time and money. The best thing to do is rather tedious, but relatively inexpensive and totally gets rid of them. We did this once and have never had an outbreak again though notes on other kids having lice at our daughter's school have been sent home three additional times.

Take all your children's stuffed animals that you cannot wash and bag them up and place them in the garage for 10 days. You will finish with the lice treatment before they are ready to be released from captivity. The bags need to be ziplock type, not just HEB grocery bags. You want the lice trapped so they die of starvation. (I know, gross)

Then buy the cheapest gel you can buy- the really big tub at Wal-Mart for 1.99 or something like that. Completely saturate your hair/head with it. Then, put a swim cap on over it (1.50 Academy although Wal Mart may have those too) and sleep in it over night. Do this for five nights. Yes, sometimes the caps come off so put a towel down over your pillow.

The idea is that you are suffocating the lice. (again, gross)Some people use mayo or even olive oil or Crisco. All of them are effctive, just harder to wash out. Every morning, shampoo your hair (and kiddos. Everyone needs to do it, not just the children) and use a coconut conditioner if you can. It needs to have coconut milk in it, not just scented. We used Organix nourishing coconut milk conditioner. (yes, the only thing that was expensive, but worth it)Then go over your child's hair in the brightest light possible, I went outside, and check for the nits. Pick them out with a metal comb (Walgreens 6.00 for two) or your fingers. If you go over strand by strand you will have the best luck. Rinse their combs and brushes with alcohol every day.

On day three of the fun, wash all your bedding and towels. I went to a laundromat and got it all done in three hours. That's because we have a king size bed and I had put her head towel wrap in the linen closet and was not sure about the lice so I had to wash every towel in the closet along with blankets. Wipe down your bathroom with bleach and then spray your furniture and carpets with Listerene. Lice hate listerne. Then vacuum everything you can. I have had some people tell me you don't have to do all of that, but I can only go on I never had to do it again and it has now been three months. So you judge.

It is a pain, but I would rather do it once than over and over as some of my friends have had to do.

On day five, before you shampoo your hair, rinse out the gel, and rinse your hair in listerene. If you can stand it, leave it on for five minutes. With kids, be careful you don't get it in their eyes. My daughter was fine, but it did sting her skin ALOT for the first minute. I just kept wiping a cold wet washcloth and it passed. If it really becomes unbearable, then just rinse it out and shampoo/condition as normal.

You also want to put a lot of moose on their hair when drying it. Lice have a hard time sticking their nits to hair that has a lot of moose. Finally after day five you are good to go. Until.... day 10 where you do it one more night, just to be sure. You don't have to wash everything, just spray with Listerne and wipe down the bathrooms.

Be sure to spray the car with listerene and vacuum if you can. If you are really worried (like I was!!) of reinfestation, you can purchase a Robi comb from Walgreens. They are 29.99 so it is not 100% necessary. It detects lice in the hair and "zaps" them with an electric shock. It does not hurt at all. We bought one, but I don't think it was necessary in the end.

My friend however, loved it. She would bring the comb when she picked her kids up from school and before they came inside, she would use the comb to cut down on reinfestation. Just a suggestion.

Good luck! This really does work!
B.

Good Morning!
I dealt with lice for several months in a row. I had the school nurse calling me all the time sending my daughter home. I tried everything over the counter as well as a prescription from the dr. Nothing seemed to work. I finally tried pouring vegetable oil in her hair. I used the lice comb and combed her hour for at least two hours. I then used a vinegar rinse after words. I have not seem any "bugs" for a long time now. Remember to wash EVERYTHING in hot water on a daily basis for at least two weeks. I hope this helps.

I tried the OTC treatments on my daughter without a lot of success, plus I wasn't crazy about all the chemicals because I was pregnant at the time. Finally I covered her head in vaseline and put a shower cap over it for several hours. Then for the next several days I carefully examined her hair by tiny sections and made sure that no nits were left. This worked, but the vaseline was almost impossible to get out. I also ready that baby oil and mayo will do the same thing. Basically it breaks down the shell of the nit and starves them of oxygen, killing them. If we ever happen this again I will try this first.

Oh, and I set off bug bombs in the whole house to make sure that there weren't any in the beds, carpets or furniture.

A few years ago I got custody of a great niece and a great nephew and my sister got custody of their 2 sisters and they all had head lice. We didn't think we would ever get rid of them. It seemed like we got rid of them and then they would come back again. What we found is that you have to really be consistent. Be sure that you use the product and combing the nits out is very important, but then be sure to do it again in a week. The school nurse told us that you need to do it at leat 3 weeks in a row and once we did that we got rid of them and we have not had a problem. The nurse also told us that it does not matter which brand you use, but you have to do it every week for 3 weeks.

Comb, comb, comb and comb again! Unfortunately lice hve built up a resistance to the shampoos/medications and they ar not very effective. I battled this with DD in the fall-- turned out that her best friend in preschool was also having the problem as were his brothers. If you diligently comb with a really good lice comb, that is the best way. It will remove live bugs thus preventing further laying of eggs and it should remove the eggs. One thing that makes it a little easier is to comb through the hair wet and with a little conditioner. I now comb through DD's hair once a week as a preventative/catch it early measure. I hope that helps. I know it is difficult and unsettling.

Hi Juliana,

Oh my gosh...I so feel your pain. Prior to shopping with a green company, I battled lice with my oldest son. It went on for weeks and it was so, so frustrating. Not only can I share with you what would work to get rid of lice but more importantly how to prevent your family from ever getting lice again.

K.
http://www.HelpingOthersGoGreen.com

Have you tried the natural approach? Lice bugs dislike the scent of lavender. Try putting lavender oil on sheets, pillow cases, stuffed animals, hats etc. They also cannot live in oil. Try doing an olive oil treatment, drench hair with olive oil and cover hair with a shower cap for about 2 or 3 hours. Then shampoo hair with dish detergent. After the olive oil treatment comb through very well to remove all the nits.

Good Luck!

Sorry but I did not want to read all the posts!! You can get a Robo comb at Walmart for about $25.
It is battery operated and zaps/kills bugs and nits at the same time and does not pull all the hair out of your kid's head. I have 2 girls w/long hair and they were able to keep their hair.
You might even want to buy one for the school nurse after checking to see if she can use it.
Follow all the other advice for getting rid of them or they will just keep coming back.

The pediatrician can prescribe Ovide which they aren't resistant to - but plan to spend a whole day at home because it STINKS and it takes 8 hours to work. But, Honey, it WORKS. We had tried the OTC stuff and fought those babies for 2 or 3 months. My daughter's school didn't believe in sending notes home so once we got rid of them, a friend would give them back. But the prescription stuff worked. However- it is Malathion, which is a pesticide that has been banned for use in your yard- so that may make you think twice about using it- unless, like me, you and your two daughters (w/ their long, beautiful, blonde hair) had been fighting them for a few months. Maybe try the mayo trick first- which sounds like it also requires a day at home. Also get the spray at the drugstore and spray the beds, wash the pillows, spray the chair backs at home, wash all the bedding and clothes in HOT water, vacuum well and -even tho you aren't supposed to- I sprayed the hair brushes every night. Let me tell you- we may all end up with cancer but I wanted those babies GONE and that was what finally did the trick. Don't forget any helmets (bike) your daughter might wear or headbands....school getting out will help a LOT, also. uggh. I am itching just typing this and it has been 5 years since we had to fight them.....

Hi. This is a LOOONG reply. For most peolpe, this information isn't important, but I feel if you know what you're up against it takes some of the frustration out of the situation. So, I appologize in advance for explaining how lice grow and how this remedy works against lice. Also, through all of this, nobody else in the house got them even though my son, then age 4, and daughter shared a bed.

Last school year my daughter, then age 8, had lice. It took me from the end of Christmas break (when I found them) till about March. As soon as I found them, I went to the school to let the nurse know because my daughter said a couple of the other girls had been talking BEFORE Christmas break about the fact that their moms had just treated each of them for lice. I was told that the school couldn't do anything about the other girls because it's a privacy issue and "lice are only a nuisance, they arent't dangerous because they don't carry diseases" and that my daughter could not come back unless she had NO CRAWLING bugs. I had to fight the lice while the other girls kept coming to school with lice without being checked. It turned out several classes were dealing with this and the teachers could only send one student at a time IF they SAW them scratching. The nurses won't check everyone like they used to. Because the nurse now knew about my daughter, she would randomly call my daughter out of class and check for bugs. If she found any, she would call me to take my daughter home and lecture me AGAIN about how I needed to get this taken care of even though I was keeping her informed of which treatment I had tried the day before. It was like fighting an uphill battle. I actually started crying in her office IN FRONT of my girl because I was being talked to as if I wasn't doing anything!

I started keeping my daughter's hair in a braid EVERY day at school so it couldn't brush up against anyone else and pick up more OR give them to anyone else. While we were fighting this, the two girls (who STILL had lice) were closer than ever and told my daughter "oooh, since we all have lice it's okay that we touch heads", my daughter rounded on them and told them "after what I'm going through, keep your heads away from me! I don't want to get them again!"

First I researched everything I could on lice to find out what to use. I found every home remedy anyone can think of and tried a few.

I tried the different chemicals, short of going to the Dr for the prescription stuff. You are only supposed to use each chemical twice, about 1 week after the first treatment of that chemical. Using the chemicals more than twice runs the risk of the poison actually causing medical problems for your child, but it will not make the lice "pesticide resistant", that's just an urban legend.

Someone finally told me about the Robi electronic lice comb. You can find it at places like Walgreens for about $30 and it runs on batteries.

The way it works is this: it has a row of metal teeth that have an electronic current running through them. When it is turned on, it lets off a high-pitched buzzing sound. If two of the teeth touch a living creature (your bare finger, lice) then the buzzing stops until the finger or louse is removed. THE ROBI DOES NOT KILL THE LICE, it just finds them! It normally does not shock you, but sometimes there is ONE SINGLE spot on the head that will get a shock each time you do a comb-through. My daughter's spot was on the back of her head: she knew exactly when I was getting close and would remind me. Once you find this spot, just be careful around it. You start at the top of the head and SLOWLY comb down the hair, one section at a time, keeping the comb flush against the head (and neck and back for longer hair). The first time takes the longest.

You don't necessarily have to cut your child's hair. My daughter's hair was down to her waist and she has longish hairs on her neck as well, so the lice were actually crawling between her shoulder blades and biting her since the hair on her back was about 1/2 an inch long which is all they need. That's the reason for keeping the comb against the skin until you run out of hair.

As you go through the hair, the comb will pick up the lice and you'll know because the buzzing will stop. Slowly comb the rest of the way down that section. If you just pull the comb out, the lice will be pulled off and stay in the hair and you have to find them again. Once you get to the end of the hair, hold the comb over a white paper towel and, using the "brush" that comes with the Robi, brush the lice onto the towel. You can also do this into a bowl of water to keep them from crawling away (just make sure you don't get the Robi wet). I kept a magnifying glass with me so that I could make sure that I was actually getting the lice out of the comb. This comb will get everything except the eggs; well it will get a few eggs, but it's not made to get them. Do this every morning AND evening.

The lice hatch at all times of the day. The eggs MUST be no farther than 1/4 inch away from the scalp to have enough warmth to hatch. Once the hair grows and the egg gets about 1/2 an inch away from the scalp, the eggs will die without hatching. The bugs must feed within 18 hours or they will die, so if you bag stuff up it doesn't have to be for a whole week. And the spray stuff for your caouch and car is useless, but vacuuming and running stuff through the drier can work if the clothing can tolerate high or medium heat, not low. It takes one day, more or less, for each stage of developement for the lice (a couple of days for the egg stage, one day to go from one stage to the next of each larval stage). There are two larval stages: a very tiny clear one that looks like a tiny spider that is very hard to see and the pre-adult stage that is the same clear color as the previous one but shaped like the adult (long back-end and small body where the legs are attached). The adult is about 1/4 inch long, dark brown and can lay about 6 eggs a day. Once you have gone through the hair the first time and have gotten just about everything out, then you will still have eggs and sometimes a few bugs left. The first time we did it, it was at night and took quite a while (super long hair past her bottom). The next morning, it took a bit less time and only found 1st and 2nd stage larva. Over the next week or two all we found were the first stage larva because we weren't giving them the time to change to the next stage. After about two weeks, her hair had grown enough so that the eggs that were left were 1/2 an inch or more away from the scalp and couldn't hatch. Towards the end of that time, it only took about five minutes to go through her hair. I never had to cut her hair. Every now and again I still go through her hair. I don't know if your children have longish hair or not, but if you don't want to shave their heads, I recommend trying this.

Good Luck!

I just have to add that tea tree oil does work GREAT. It's completely natural and does a fantastic job of killing them without having to use dangerous chemicals. It's also great for other things -- it's really like a first aid kit in a bottle.

Not sure what the best course of action is but there is a $1 off coupon for LIceMD on coupon.com

As soon as I discovered my child had lice, I made an appointment with The Texas Lice Squad. In less than 3 hours, we were done with our lice problem. It costs me around $200 which is a LOT less than what most people spend when they have to fight it for months and months. It was worth every penny and they provided us with really good information. Did you know you do not have to go crazy cleaning??? That alone was worth the price! :) Here is their website http://www.texaslicesquad.com. They have offices in Missouri City and in Dallas.

I was a PTA President of an elementary school and many families had problems with lice. The mayo suggested earlier, was the big secret. They also used it and then picked the hair outside. Remember you also need to vacuum all of your car seats. Your fabric furniture. Wash all of the linens in hot water and try to have separate brushes and combs for each person in the household. Do not share hats.

Nits like fine, clean hair. Our daughter had such thick hair and we could not wash it every night, I think that is why she never got them. It seemed like the most pristine children tended to get lice. Try to find Tea Tree oil hair products, or get some Tea Tree oil and add it to the hair products you use.. It will help.

Most treatments do not work. We ended up at TX Lice Squad in Sugarland. After one afternoon spent there I became an expert in lice removal. (not that I wanted to!) It was so wonderful to have them gone in a few hours and to have rechecked and had NONE! Its well worth the $$.

My son brought lice home from daycare, and it was a pain to get rid of. I treated his head with "Rid", but you still have to treat his room, too!! Put all stuffed animals in a large trash bag, and "quarantine" them in an unused closet or attic for at least 2 weeks. The lice cannot survive for longer than that without a host. If you can get a "mattress bag", which is like a plastic cover for a mattress... that helps too. You only have to use it for 2 weeks. Same goes for pillows, etc. If you have carpet, then vacuum often. If you don't treat the room, they'll just keep coming back again... Good luck!

go to the doctor and get ovide. i sear them things are gone!!

Hello! I feel your anxiety I have 3 girls and about two years ago I had a horrible time getting rid of the lice. They have very thick and very long hair and I cried because I stayed up late cleaning out their hair. This is what I did. I used NIX shampoo and the plastic nit comb they provide. I did the treatment twice ten days apart. In between treatments I had them use the nit comb or a rat tail comb in the shower when they washed their hair every night and for two weeks after the last treatment. I also used a hair serum like biosilk or panteen and combed their hair out the oil makes it easier to get nits and lice out. Basically you have to be vigilant in combing the critters out for about 21 days. I washed all their bedding and stuffed animals and used the NIX furniture spray all over the house, their backpacks and anything they rested their head on. The problem has not come back thanks to God.

Good morning,

I'm sorry your having to go through this. I got them AGAIN years back and I have SUPER thick hair so living on my own, noone was going to take hours to "pick" these bugs and thier eggs out. I was told that soaking in your hair in olive oil and wrapping in seran wrap at night for up to 10 days will do the trick...and it did. I finally got rid of them. Why so long? well the olive oil kills the bugs but it doesn't do anything to the eggs so that gives them time to hatch and then they are destroyed as well before givin the chance to recreate themselves.

try it, it may sound messy but for someone desperate like I was, I was ready to try anything.

hope this helps :)

Lord bless

Hi J.,

I recently experience my first battle with head lice. All the info the kid's school would give is to just shampoo with lice killing shampoo and follow up in 7 - 10 days, picking the nits and lice in between.
Which seems to be the common advice online as well.

I was disgusted that when combing/picking for nits and lice immediately after using the lice killing shampoo, that LIVE lice were being pulled off. Made me wonder what does that shampoo do? Just make them sick? Dry my kids scalp out? Make the kids sick?

And for days after the shampooing, still pulling the live critters off of them. Even used a lice removal gel and a tiny micro lice comb to remove them.

One website I went to (www.headlice.org) advocated spending more time nit/lice picking than washing everything in the entire house. Also advocating vacumming area where the children were like beds, couches, pillows, bedding, etc.

It didn't really recommend bagging stuffed animals and the like because head lice don't live off a human host more than a day or two. Nits (eggs) can be dormant for 30 days, but if you vacuum the areas and stuff everyday while continuing lice removal, then that should be sufficient.

Now I did find a product that claimis it is non-toxic and seemed to be much more effective than anything else me or friends had tried.

It is called LiceFreee (http://www.licefreee.com/) and kills the lice and nits through dehydration (sodium chloride). After using the product on both of my boys and combing and picking I was happy that only DEAD lice were being found as well as the nits being dried up and looking non-viable (that I could tell).

You can use this product more frequently than every 7 -10 days that the pesticide shampoos. I have continued to check all our family daily for lice and nits as well as had the school nurse check us and we seem to be lice free. (Knock wood!)

So good luck! It is a major hassle for sure. My kids were not liking the 30 plus minutes each every night for lice picking I can tell you!

K. Howell

ok...been there and this is what I learned.
Take all bedding off and wash! If your children have stuffed animals or you have decorative pillows, put them in a big garbage bag and close it up for 10 days. Vacuum all carpet well.
Buy Nix treatment. It really works the best. Treat everyone in the family. Now the really fun part. Getting the eggs out of the hair which is really important...with your son you will need to go section by section and pull. Boys are generally easier to treat. I found a great remedy for my daughter...get a flat iron as hot as it will go and flat iron her hair everywhere. You will need to go through her hair by the scalp with a fine comb or your fingers since the flat iron may not reach that close. This is a battle you will continue to fight if you slack on anything. Remind everyone not to share hats, scarves or brushes with others!
Good Luck!
S.

The first thing that I thought of when you made your request was, Have you washed all of the bed things everything. Stuffed toys that they may sleep with, brushes, combs housecoats. They will have them also. Been there know what you are going through.