https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:59:29 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-2338018 Sat, 09 Sep 2023 04:03:38 +0000 Echo 2338018@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This thread is a decade old... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-2337956 Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:38:54 +0000 Lucy 2337956@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gah! Last thing you needed.&nbsp;</p> <p>I am not an expert as my son has never had them. But my niece and nephews were regulars. In Australia, they recommend a thick layer of cheap conditioner, and coming through. I think it works in the same way as olive oil, it is supposed to smother them, but is not quite as messy.&nbsp;</p> <p>The other thing I have heard of the hair straightener kills them. Might be worth using yourself, while you are dealing with everyone elses.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-766887 Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:48:20 +0000 Aziraphale 766887@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Julie, Zapotee -- thanks for the tea tree oil instructions. I might give it a whirl after we get rid of everything for certain. I even quite like the smell (in small doses!).</p> <p>Laura, I'm very interested in this new product you describe. I'll be asking the pharmacist about it next time we're in. </p> <p>Louise, no I don't colour my hair anymore, I've grown quite fond of my natural hair colour...but I do often use a blow dryer, sometimes a flatiron, and almost always some hairspray (even if I don't do rock n' roll hair). I'm sure all those things help keep lice at bay, although are probably not foolproof.</p> <p>Donna, yep you're right. Not only do they share hats and stuff, but at school they all hang up their bulky winter coats right next to each other, so I'm sure there's some transfer that way.</p> <p>Haven't found any lice at all for five days! Still finding the odd nit. I hope I get all of 'em eventually... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-766697 Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:44:24 +0000 DonnaF 766697@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Shared hats, scarves, etc. can spread lice, right? Girls are notorious for borrowing/sharing, at least mine is. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-766523 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:43:40 +0000 RoseandJoan 766523@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I place a couple of drops of melaleuca alternifolia (sp?) tea tree oil (I buy Australian Bodycare) on my fingers and typically rub the hairline above the temples and behind the ears. It is just great to have around the house for general cuts, scrapes and bruises and can even be diluted for mouthwash.</p> <p>It is good to know you are winning this battle Elisabeth. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh/page/2#post-766522 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:43:23 +0000 Louise 766522@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elizabeth do you have your hair coloured? I read somewhere on the Internet (so not necessarily true) that if your hair is dyed you'll not get Head lice. I've had my hair coloured every 2 months for the last 2 years and so far haven't had an infestation *touch wood* x </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-766453 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:32:17 +0000 Anonymous 766453@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@rhubardgirl: I wonder if that's what was in the Rx I ended up using on my DD? Hmmm... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-765124 Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:31:05 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 765124@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hey, I actually have a suggestion for this! My dad, who's a chemist and regulatory scientist, worked on the new drug application for the product Natroba, which is a new way to treat head lice. Apparently it works much better than existing products and doesn't have all the nasty chemicals. I know that it was approved for sale in the US last year, but I don't know about the rest of the world. I think a prescription is required. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-764919 Sat, 03 Nov 2012 20:55:14 +0000 Anonymous 764919@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'd say spot check for signs of irritation on her skin first. If she is fine with it, I would massage the scalp with it, leave on for a few hours ( not overnight - rough to check for sensitivity or any other reaction) and then rinse off with mild shampoo, as to leave some of it lingering.</p> <p>How are you doing with this? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-763933 Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:34:11 +0000 Aziraphale 763933@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Zapotee, you are one of many who has suggested tea tree oil as a preventative -- thanks for the tip! Do you know how I would apply it? Just dab a little here and there on the scalp?</p> <p>Shiny, thanks for your detailed suggestions. I found myself nodding along to what you said. I think I'm doing all those things. Already I can't find any more lice on my daughter, and only picked our four or five nits yesterday. I found nothing at all on my son. I'm not going crazy with the cleaning, either. But the initial discovery of lice meant about nine hours of work -- three beds to wash and dry, tons of clothes, bag up the stuffies, treat with lice shampoo and caaaarefully comb through everyone's hair! Whew. I also have a collection of hats in the freezer at the moment. </p> <p>What you say about the blow-drying is probably true. Also, these days I'm going through a rock-star hairstyle phase, which means I wear a crapload of hairspray. My hair looks really cool, but feels just awful! I bet that's a deterrent, too. :-)</p> <p>Also, what you say about parents being not honest -- REALLY annoying. I'm just finding that out. I dutifully notified the school and phoned all of my kids' friends' parents, and guess what? A number of their families have lice too. Nobody has said anything. At least five kids in my daughter's class have lice, and not one of their parents let the school know. Grrr. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-763861 Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:32:25 +0000 shiny 763861@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You have my sympathies! We had to deal with this when the girls were in grade school; our school district had it bad, and the lice was resistant to the pesticides. You can test for resistance pretty easily: take a live louse and stick it in a cap full of the treatment. If it's still moving 20 minutes later, it's resistant. </p> <p>We learned that the most effective way to deal with the problem is frequent combing and removing of the nits by hand. There is just no other way around this. You do not have to do it every day, except initially. Do every day for a week, then every few days, then once a week. The nits are initially laid at the base of the hair follicle; as the follicle grows, you will begin to see them. This does NOT mean that there are still live lice on the head laying eggs; it just means that the follicles have grown enough you can see the nits that had been laid earlier. Any nit more than a half inch away from the scalp can be ignored as it's already hatched. </p> <p>Olive oil can help - not only is it soothing to the scalp, and helps aid in removal, but you can leave it on overnight (wrap head in plastic wrap) and it may smother the live ones. I tested this out too: I left a live louse in a cap of olive oil overnight, and it was dead in the morning. </p> <p>As for cleaning everything, you don't have to go too crazy with that. Do the obvious things, like washing sheets and pillowcases and hats. And vacuum everywhere, especially the backs of sofas. But understand that lice cannot last long without a human host, and they can't crawl either. So your head would have to be in contact with a nit at the exact moment the lice hatches in order to get re-infected. </p> <p>As for stuffed animals and things that can't be laundered, bag them up and leave them in the car, in direct sunlight, for a few days. The heat in the car should be enough. But again, this is probably going overboard. A good shake out and then vacuuming of the rug should be just fine. </p> <p>As for why you were spared, I have a personal theory on that (this is NOT scientific). Because I was also spared -- even though my kids often slept in the same bed with me. My theory is that if you blow dry your hair every day (as many adults do, but children don't), it blows the live lice out of the hair. If your hubby doesn't blow dry, this may be why he caught it, and you did not. So my other suggestion is that it cannot hurt to blow dry your girls' hair every day for the next two months. </p> <p>As for how to find time to do all the nit picking, I would give the girls a bath, wash their hair, condition it with olive oil, then sit them on the sofa with their head in my lap, while they watched a movie. The girls found it relaxing. It wasn't ideal since by then the sun was down. So then on the weekends, we'd have "lice picking" parties with the neighbors, outside. </p> <p>Which brings me to my last point: it's highly important that parents are open and honest about this issue. My kids are now in college, but that was a huge issue way back when -- parents were ashamed so they would say nothing, and kids would get re-infected. Lice has become such a problem in last decade, I am really glad to see that parents are far more open about it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-763677 Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:55:18 +0000 Anonymous 763677@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh man, I remember this one year when my daughter would come home infested with these things. I finally came across a product based on tea tree oil. I just searched for it all over but it seems to be discontinued. I think it was made by RID on a green packaging. Totally useless info. I realize.</p> <p>However, I'm chiming in to say that tea tree oil seems really effective. I second that as a preventative. </p> <p>I'm doing to look again for the product and I'll post if I find it. I'm really sorry you are going thru this. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-763109 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:38:39 +0000 Aziraphale 763109@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Heleen, I'd like to thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. I've been checking this thread regularly because I'm SO GROSSED OUT by the lice, and worried that they won't go away!</p> <p>I haven't done the combing yet today (kids are at school) but I did a quick head-check this morning on hubby and kids and couldn't find any. I'm not finding any on pillows, either.</p> <p>I just zipped upstairs and checked my lice bottle. No malathion. Phew. Active ingredient is permethrin, derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Just googled permethrin, but can't find anything horrifying. The bottle does have a warning label that it can cause scalp irritation in some people, and also warns you not to, you know, drink it or anything. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-763014 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:21:13 +0000 HeleenH 763014@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Glad to hear you don't have lice yourself, it is very difficult to comb yourself... How are the other family members on the lice department, is it getting better?<br /> Just one more thing about lice treatments, many contain malathion <a href="http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/malathion/" rel="nofollow">http://healthychild.org/issues.....malathion/</a> and it just isn't the greatest thing. It is something you can totally avoid, which isn't the case with the other stuff you mention. You don't need to be a granola type to feel that way </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762973 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:34:34 +0000 Aziraphale 762973@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Heleen, JenA: Too late! I've already washed everybody's hair (mine included, just to be safe) with the pesticide, and let it soak right in. Goodness, JenA, what were you using that ruined your hair? Mine is fine. So is everybody else's. Smells kind of nice, too -- it's just kind of pungent while the shampoo is actually on your head. Maybe there are different products where you live? By the way I'm sorry to hear you were affected by the storm -- hope it's not too bad.</p> <p>However, when it comes to a scalp reaction, Heleen, I can see why you might have had trouble. Skin can be sensitive, and ingredients that are fine for one person can be very irritating to another person. Just ask anyone who has eczema! </p> <p>I do appreciate both your comments. I'm not usually an alternative medicine person, although I will consider alternatives for anything if standard western medicine doesn't work. Living in a city means you are doused with (an inhaling) chemicals all the time. And we slather our skins with sunscreen chemicals all the time. (I'm just waiting for the time when some study reveals that the chemicals in sunscreens cause cancer). I'm going to assume that a couple of lice pesticide treatments won't cause that much additional harm. It's all risk management, right? </p> <p>As far as the greasy home treatment, I've got hair that's short enough that it cannot be braided or pulled back. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. </p> <p>I did get my doctor do double-check if I have lice. She couldn't find any lice or nits either....? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762954 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:03:36 +0000 JenA 762954@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My dd and I both had it twice. I hired a service because I used the OTC stuff (first time) and after it ruined my hair I realized that it is a pesticide and it didn't work. Both of the services I used, the women who came to my house, made a pastes of baking soda (for traction) and Pantene (both used thus brand) conditioner. Then used their version of natural products to wash hair. Both of my dd and i combed our hair each night with our own nit combs and left in an olive oil based product (use olive oil and tea tree if you can't find products at pharmacy) for at least 7 days. Yes its greasy just put hair into braids or pony tail. You can wash it out but need to put it on again after drying. FYI, if your kids have u have it. And most of us (read husbands) can't see nits so use olive oil / treatments on yourself. </p> <p>I can give you product names or more info. I've been affected by Sandy so i'm sorry if this comes off abrupt. Good luck. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762850 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:15:21 +0000 HeleenH 762850@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am glad your scalps can manage the stuff, I used it once and it took months before my scalp was back to normal. I would still advice you to just comb and not shampoo with the poisons, because it is just not healthy at all to put your children in such close contact with an insecticide. But that is your choice to make. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762787 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:49:37 +0000 Aziraphale 762787@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Donna, Heleen, Ruth, Anne -- thanks for your advice! Yes, I do have a sturdy metal comb, and it works much better than the plastic one that comes with the lice shampoo. Actually it's the dog's flea comb, but I read in several websites that those work well. The tines are very stiff and super close together. So we'll give it a try. It seems to me that if the medication works, everything will be fine. Any nits I miss will hatch, but when we do round two with the shampoo next weekend, that should kill them. I don't even mind the smell of the shampoo -- it's not as horrible as everyone says, just medicine-y -- and it hasn't irritated anyone's scalp yet. I imagine it's not good for your scalp if you keep repeating treatments though.</p> <p>The problem is if the lice have developed resistance. At that point I guess I'll have to consider alternative treatment.</p> <p>Donna, I googled "Vancouver lice" and got a bunch of websites offering to delouse your kids' heads! You were right. Anything can be purchased. hahaha doubt I'll use it though.</p> <p>Oh, and I phoned a few of my daughter's friends' parents, to give them the heads up, and guess what? They ALL have it. It's an outbreak! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762775 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:36:07 +0000 anne 762775@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh yes you need a very sturdy metal comb. But I find on my daughters' fine straight blond hair that though the combs get the lice and a good few of the nits that not all nits are caught. I use my fingernails on those ones that are left.</p> <p>Everytime I have one of my children's head near mine and are in a good light, I find myself looking in their hair. They do not find this an endearing habit!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762676 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:05:48 +0000 Anonymous 762676@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The nit comb worked a lot better on my DD that has hair like mine (fine and not too thick). My other DD has very thick hair, and we had to do a lot of combing. My hairstylist even did me the favor of coming to my house and giving her a short hair cut. The hair cut made it easier to comb, but it still took a long time to completely get rid of the lice. Had she been a boy, I would have just shaved all of her hair off.</p> <p>FYI: I meant to say I bought a nit comb--not a lice comb. There is a difference. The one I have now is metal, which is much better for combing thick hair like my DD's than the flimsy plastic one that comes with the OTC kit. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762598 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:21:49 +0000 HeleenH 762598@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am not sure as it has been a while. It depends on the hair, I know it took longer with my older daughter who has hair that isn't as straight as the youngest. But time is one of the reasons I only do it twice a day when I catch lots of adult lice. As soon as I only catch smaller lice that don' t lay eggs, I do it once aday. If you are not usig a nit comb but a lice comb I strongly advice to get a nit comb as it is such a waste of time to let the nits grow into lice before you remove tem from the hair. Nits don't move through the hair </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762388 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:30:42 +0000 DonnaF 762388@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are a couple of small businesses that do the head delousing for the parents. I think some go to the home and others have a physical presence in small strip malls. One is pretty near where I live. If you have the money, seems like you can purchase ANYTHING! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762349 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:53:45 +0000 Aziraphale 762349@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Heleen, how long does it take you to comb a whole head with the nit comb? It took me an hour to do my daughter's. I can't imagine having to do it twice every day. I don't have two hours a day to comb through her hair! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-762215 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:24:59 +0000 HeleenH 762215@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not nice, having lice in the house.<br /> In the Netherlands, we have a new protocol. You preferably don't treat with the stinky shampoo as lice are getting resistant to the stuff and it does horrible things to your scalp. You don't need to deep clean the house, clothes, beds and stuffed toys. Just comb twice a day with a nit comb. Nitcomb3, Nisska and Assy are 3 good brands.<br /> If it is hard to comb, you can use a mixture of 1 part water, 1 part vinigar and 1 part hair conditioner. Work this into the hair and it will be easier.<br /> I am one of the 'lice moms' of our school, we do our rounds after every school holiday. We did have lice ourselves and this works fine. I do have to admit that as soon as I don't catch adult lice, I go back to combing once a day. When I don't find any lice 3 days in a row I do it every other day, because no-one in the house enjoys the combing and it seems to work this way. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-761936 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:42:13 +0000 Anonymous 761936@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OMG do I ever feel for you! I went through that last year, first with one DD and then with another. We even got a prescription treatment after the OTC kit and the mayonnaise home remedy didn't work. I have since learned that lice have become highly resistant to chemicals, hence the reason they're so blankety blank hard to get rid of. I ended up buying one of those really sturdy metal lice combs, as one of my DDs has extremely thick hair. I certainly don't want to go through that again! I came very close to pouring kerosine over her head (another home remedy someone recommended to me), but decided it would be best not to go the toxic route. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-761855 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:59:19 +0000 Glory 761855@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh I completely sympathize with this. Every time that note comes home I feel the anxiety. I have since bought the Robocomb so that I can check my own hair as my husband is often away. It electrocutes any live ones so you can be sure whether you have/ or do not have them. Then you can treat them. They say you can simply use the comb as well. I got it at the local pharmacy - took the guess work out. Hopefully you will have this under control asap! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-761549 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:27:28 +0000 Aziraphale 761549@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Brilliant, Kristin, great idea about the olive oil! I'm going to try that. I am so utterly grossed out by this whole experience. I found a few tiny nymphs on my son's head today. So that makes me the only one in the family who doesn't have lice -- or so I hope. My husband checked my head pretty thoroughly, but I'm going to get the doctor to check tomorrow. I happen to have an appointment for something else, but the first thing I'll be asking her about is the *bleep*ing lice. </p> <p>Thanks for all your commiseration. Anne, I empathize with you as well -- THREE daughters! I can't imagine how many hours you must have spent with the nit comb. (I've actually been using the dog's flea comb which I unearthed from the basement!). I spent an hour on my daughter's head on Sunday, and another hour on Monday, and I haven't yet done it for today. But people tell me it typically takes at least a few weeks to totally eradicate, because you usually have to re-treat with the medication a couple times.</p> <p>RoseandJoan, I might be getting a bottle of tea tree oil too. Thanks for the tip. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-761446 Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:27:13 +0000 Kristin L 761446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I remember when I got head lice in school. My hair was little bit longer than your daughters. I still shudder when I think about it. It was also when my grandparents were living with us, so 7 of us had to use the shampoo and combs. </p> <p>One thing we were told to do was oil my hair down (I think we used olive) and let it sit in a shower cap for about 20 minutes and then comb through again to make sure all of the eggs were out. If you haven't done that, I suggest you do. We were warned that with long hair, the chances of a few getting missed and coming back were much better than someone who had short hair. A benefit of the oil is your daughter's hair will look wonderful. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-760969 Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:30:20 +0000 Louise 760969@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I feel your pain!!! I work with children, coming into contact with around 50 children a week!!! The previous head teacher encouraged Friday night to be nit night whereby all parents checked their kiddy winks heads and treated any found over the weekend. Since a change of HT this has fallen off and we've seen an increase in cases. Like R&amp;J I'd heard using pure tea tree deters them though I've never tried it x </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ing-head-lice-aaargh#post-760904 Tue, 30 Oct 2012 04:49:33 +0000 anne 760904@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elisabeth, you have my utmost empathy!! I have 3 daughters and they get lice regularly!! I have literally spend years of my life on them. And twice I have lost patience with long hair, marched them outside and bobbed or shortened their hair myself!</p> <p>They can totally derail your day ( and you know you have to keep going with the eradication, it isn't just a one day thing - one egg left behind and it can all start again) </p>