Lice Eggs- HELP!!!

Updated on March 07, 2012
S.J. asks from North Hollywood, CA
14 answers

I had asked a question about lice almost a month ago. Thank you for all that replied. We treated it with Licefreee and washed the entire house (or so it felt). We were all good for 2 and half weeks. Then a week ago there was another child with lice and then my daughter had eggs in her hair 3 days later along with two more girls at school. So on weds last week I used Nix and washed and bagged everything again. And then tonight I found three little eggs! They were white. It has been 6 days sense I treated her. Do you think I need to treat her again or just continue to remove the ones I find? Do you think they could have been missed during the last treatment? This is so frustrating!!!!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Just remove them as you find them. It's entirely possible that you just missed them. Keep her hair "greased" up so that nits cannot attach to the hair shaft. I use Blue Magic Coconut Hair Conditioner on my granddaughter. Not only does it do wonders for her hair, it makes it so that lice nits won't attach to her hair shaft. She has had lice several times so I'm not being proactive instead of reactive!

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

The babies have been born, there are tiny live bugs on her head.

Go to headlice.org for some support and good advice. They are factual and not old wives tales.

Head lice are everywhere and almost everyone has them or has had them. They like clean people so in a sort of painful way it is a compliment they get on her. It says you keep her clean.

Here is my rountine:

Kids in school or child care I do this regularly. It is routine to us now.

I put the 8 yr. old who had thick waist length hair in the shower and wash her hair with regular shampoo very very well twice. Then I condition it and comb out the tangles. I hand several wide tooth combs on hooks in the shower for just this reason.

Then I rinse her hair very well. I don't towel dry it much, I want it to stay pretty wet.

I sit her down in front of me in a little tykes chair and section off her hair into 4-6 different areas. Then clip them off tightly against the head so they won't dry.

I take one section and using a rat tail comb with narrow spaced tines I comb and intently examine about a 3" by 1/8" section. I look at the hair using a magnifying head gear. A table top magnifying lamp or glass can be used but I find that the head gear frees up both of my hands.

I use a natural bristle brush too, it smooths the hair shaft out all the way to the end and a nit or bug is very obvious. I take my time. A shadow or dark spot means a large bug, I take the bug out using tweezers or some other item with an edge. It will be moving very slowly since the water stuns them and pretty much makes them go to sleep. They are easy pickings when the hair is saturated wet. Almost dripping.

Once you remove the bug you can drop it into a cup of regular water, it will drown, or smash it in a bowl. The kids like me to do that so they can see them.

I don't often find bugs because I am diligent about checking hair every few days. It is our routine any time the kids take a bath. It is pretty calming to sit and have your hair messed with. Although they are sitting in the living room in a towel with drippy went hair it is pretty relaxing.

If I find a black nit, it has a baby in it, I often just use my nails and force the nit to slid down the shaft of hair and drop the egg into the water too. If it is white then a tiny little new baby is somewhere. It needs blood to live on so it may be hard to find.

It takes me maybe 30 minutes to do her hair because I am used to doing it. She sits still and is patient now. It was hard at first due to sitting with her head leaned back for me to get to the top or leaned over for me to get to the lowest point in the back. It takes patience on both parties sides.

Sometimes my back and neck get to cramping and I can get annoying but then I remember she is the one who is having bugs on her head and then I can feel more compassion.

I don't often find critters or nits since I check often but when I do I do NOT use a pesticide shampoo. They are poison and I am allergic to the plant that is used to make it.

If you are seriously infested I would suggest calling the doc and asking for some Lindane Cream, you put it on clean dry hair and leave it for about 10 hours then wash it out. It is very low dose and works well to prevent them afterwards too.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

just remove them with the comb. treat again 2 weeks after the previous treatment

1 mom found this helpful

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

Go through her hair strand by strand in a well lit room or with a lamp shining on her hair. Its time consuming, but its the best way to get rid of them.

We dealt with it for 2 months with my daughter. I was going crazy washing and rewashing everything! But what fianlly worked was me sitting there with her every night doing strand by strand and getting the ones I missed the last time with my fingers, not a comb. When I found no more I treated her hair one more time then waited a week and checked for eggs again, then again in two weeks to be sure they were all gone.

It was a struggle getting a two yr old to sit there for an hour at a time while I did this, but it had to be done.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would definitely treat her again and check everyone in the house. Lice get transferred from hair to hair contact so remind your daughter not to hug anyone at school or use the same hat or brush. The eggs can get transferred on fabric couches and pillows (not plastic or leather). My son is always wrestling with his friend and I think that is how he got it, He then gave it to me but my husband didn't get them. We went to Hair Wizards in Encino. They made sure all the eggs were out and we used their shampoo and conditioner for a few days then got rechecked. Their shampoo kills the eggs. I also used their spray on my furniture and washed everything twice. We also gave the cats a bath to make sure they were clean. It was expensive but worth it. Hope this helps.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.H.

answers from Chicago on

1) I highly recommend going to a company that removes the eggs/live lice
2)there is a very special unique comb that is WAY better than what you get in the NIX box~if you want the exact name let me know, it's only $10
3)Keep her hair pulled back at all times
4)There is a special product that is *heavy* on any live lice so they are not quick to move while you are looking, it makes them not be able to move much, so you can find them quickly
5) Lice don't like the smell of Suave Rosemary Mint shampoo
6)You MUST comb thru her hair twice a day till you see no more eggs, then comb thru her hair every other day etc. BUT if you see any eggs then start again with combing twice a day.

To comb thru her hair, section her hair in four sections, have next to you a white bowl (not clear, but white), filled half way with water, comb thru tiny areas of 1 section, it's very important to comb each area in 4 motions like a 4 way stop sign. Each time you comb thru it's important to put the comb in the water. Repeat this with all 4 areas.

My daughter has medium length hair and very thick. It took me an hour each time. I put a chair in front of the t.v. with a movie on. If you really are meticulous about getting rid of these pests, It's important to do it right. Boest wishes

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

don't spend all that money on NIX. Get the Suave coconut conditioner. Less harsh and works the same. REALLY!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I heard Melaluca Oil (Tea Tree oil) works. I don't know the concentration of it is, but It is worth a try. (Trader Joes has a small bottle of it)
You'll have to look on line for the info.
I'm dreading this part of parenthood! I pray it never happens to us!!!!!!!
Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

We've been there - twice!!! No fun. I did a lot of research online while we were going through it. One thing I found that seemed strange was that your child can have lice eggs on her head, but may not necessarily have an infestation. I thought hmmmm, how can there be an egg without a mother?! But, my youngest came home from school with the lice actually crawling on her head. We did all the usual treatments, cleaning the house, etc. Then my oldest asked if I would check her head (like me, she was getting paranoid that if little sister had them, so would she). However, she had NO itching whatsoever. I checked her head and sure enough found 3 or 4 eggs. I did end up treating her with Rid, but never found a single louse (dead or alive) Then I did the research and that got me thinking, maybe a louse can climb onto a kid's head, lay some eggs and then wander to another victim? I checked my oldest's head a week later and found some more eggs, but again, no lice and no itching. I just kept removing eggs whenever I'd find them.

I guess the moral of the story is maybe you should wait and see (before putting anymore harsh chemicals on her head). I swear by the chemical treatments - they seem to be the only thing that really works. But obviously you want to use them as little as possible. Keep picking out the eggs you see. Go through her hair every single night until you see no more eggs and no more live (or dead) lice. Personally, I wouldn't treat again unless you see a bug. Good luck - I know it's an awful thing and I feel for you!!!!

ETA - one more thing! It is very hard to tell if the egg sac you find is empty or full. You might just be finding the empty shells of a louse that already hatched (and that you killed when you treated her)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.M.

answers from New York on

This is my worst fear! I am a teacher, so deal with it at work and am always so scared I am going to bring it home. I don't know much about removal, as I have never had to do it; however a way to avoid it once you get it under control is to use "Fairy Tales"...it's what I always recommend to parents...

http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.H.

answers from San Luis Obispo on

We currently have an outbreak at our school. After multiple times getting this nasty creature (3 girls with LONG hair) I now treat prophylactically with organic coconut oil as soon as I get the notice or hear an inkling of it going around. Just rub it into their hair until it's greasy then braid their hair (for school). It smells good and for us works much better than olive oil (even with tea tree & rosemary oils added) or mayonnaise... The reason my youngest daughter doesn't like mayo anymore... yuck! After trying Nix, Rid, etc. in the past I just couldn't put poison on my kids' anymore. Enough! Read up online and found about every home remedy. For us, this is the only one that works. (And it smells like a day at the beach!).

If I find any lice, nits or eggs, I add in the combing (and combing, and combing). I bought a special one (Rid or Nix?) that is very fine toothed metal. It's time consuming but the combination of coconut oil and combing really works. Oh, and blow dry their hair after washing it with coconut scented shampoo/conditioner (Suave is $1 at Dollar Tree).

Of course, all the other stuff goes as well... wash items in hot water/dry on hot or bag in black plastic and put in the attic or sun (more heat), vacuum carpets and beds repeatedly.

Good luck.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.C.

answers from New York on

I would douse her hair with olive oil each night for 3 weeks. Place a shower cap over her hair and let her sleep with the oil in her hair, with a towel over her pillow. Wash the oil out each morning with dish detergent (the best grease cutter), followed by her regular shampoo. Do this every night for 3 weeks, all the lice/nits/eggs will get suffocated. My daughter had lice 4 years ago. We did this on the recommendation of Licebusters, and the lice never returned.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've read that over-the-counter treatments have a very high recurrence rate so when my daughter got lice last year, we used Lousey Nitpickers (louseynitpickers.com) which is based in Southern CA.

The company was highly recommended by some friends and we were very pleased with them. It was a bit expensive but was worth it, especially when the owner said with 100% certainty "they're gone" when he left.

They also did a follow-up check a few days later to make sure the lice hadn't returned (they hadn't). The lice removal is guaranteed for another couple of weeks after that -- just note that the company doesn't clean your house!

Hope this helps ...

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.K.

answers from Appleton on

Put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and add water. The rubbing alcohol helps take the sticky stuff off the nits. Use a nit comb and comb the hair in small sections, making sure you get all the nits. Wash hair.

I would clean and bag everything again. I know what a pain. Don't forget to vacuum and clean your car. An adult louse can fall of a person and live in carpets for a month without needing to feed. Then will attach to someone and you start all over again.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions