Well I have offically become a member of the parents with children whom have had or have lice.....I didn't even apply ;) I've done a fair amount of research already but I'd like to hear from fellow momma's who have successfully battled this little pest. What was your weapon of choice? Did you use chemical treatments or natural ones? If you used chemical treatment, did you retreat in 10 days? DId you treat everyone in the family or just those whom have the creepy crawlies visible. I don't know why but I can hardly stand the thought of these little blood suckers in my house much less on my little girl! It so grosses me out! Thank you to all who are brave enough to share their experiences!
Jeanie had such a wonderful response and said everything I've ever read. I've never had to deal with them ever but from what I've read if I ever have to deal with them I'll be using olive oil, coconut oil and a good comb... and a washer and dryer. Nothing more. I've read more success stories with these than with things such as RID.
OK...didn't read all other posts, so my apologies if this is repetitive! In May, my daughter's BFF spent the night here (and we had a total of 6 kids spending the night) and she had lice, knew she had it and didn't say a word! (mom should have kept her home!) A few days later, her head was itchy, I didn't think much of it...trimmed her gorgeous, blonde, down to her waist hair on Friday night. Sat, she was still itching really bad...so as a precaution, I thought I should check for lice...and OMG...she was infested! I was horrified, not knowing where they came from! I went into hyper clean mode! Hubs, son and daughter all power cleaned...we washed every piece of bedding, rug, curtains, and toy we could (and everything else went in plastic bags in the garage...O, and we thru all brushes, and hair things in the freezer for a week) I ran to the drug store for the shampoo (had to buy 2 kits since she had such long hair.)
**I should say that we went so overboard w/ cleaning because I run a home daycare AND we were leaving for a Disney trip in less than a week w/ FOURTEEN people!!!!!
So...I treated her w/ the shampoo, and spent 4 long hours combing through her hair. The next day, I called the pharmacist and doc for advice...both said I could treat her again sooner than directions said and that it would make my life easier if we cut her hair (the reason it was so long was because she planned on donating it to Locks for Love.) After many tears from her and I, we cut it and then I continued to comb through it 2x a day and I also made her sleep w/ Olive Oil in her hair, covered by a shower cap for 3 nights. (a friend, who is a hairdresser and has dealt w/ this suggested it...it suffocates the lice.) I felt awful making her do this...it was gross and uncomfortable!
I had to close the daycare and she missed school...so there was a lot of cost to this! All because a mom was irresponsible and "didn't think" when she let her daughter spend the night! Anyway...it can be gotten rid of...but I will tell ya...I hope to NEVER go through that again! Best of luck!
Hi. We have not gone through it yet, but my pharmacist told me that CETAPHIL -- yes Cetaphil is a gentle non chemical way no fumes -- to get rid of it. It apparantly kills the eggs too. she said to put it on the head, come it in, leave it in for an hour or so and rinse.
she said the company galderma came out with a study on this, so you could even call the company.
good luck, jilly
p.s. i have no connection to the company whatsoever!
We have used a product called Lice Freeee (yes, with lots of "e's"). Bascially it's an oil (nonchemical) that makes it easy to comb through the hair. It comes with a plastic comb, but invest in a metal lice comb. They are awesome. Treat as directed in the Lice Freee directions. (Basically you comb, comb, comb...) Then vacuum bed, couch. Seal stuffed animals that may be on your child's bed in plastic bags for 2 weeks.
Treat your child again after 9 days - this is to catch any nits that have been missed that now have hatched. In between the 2 treatments we would also comb with the metal nit comb daily. If you can do this in front of a sunny window, it really helps.
My daughter has had lice on 3 occasions. My son and I got it from her once. (Ugh!) I think the problem is not the sharing of combs, hats, etc., but it's HUGGING! I've been telling my daughter--I know it's hard but don't hug your friends!
Lots of kids and their families deal with this. You'll get through it. I feel for you because this is a very annoying and time-consuming process. Good luck!
Hi - I've answered this question numerous times recently, as we just came through this over a month ago. You can check my profile for my original Lice post (Ack! Lice! Help!) and the various answers I received - some were very, very helpful.
We went with the lice shampoo and retreated 7 days later. I have also heard good things about Cetaphil, but we used olive oil instead.
I know you can't buzz cut, since you have a daughter, but my 2nd biggest recommendation is to buy the Rid metal comb. That thing is a damn lifesaver! Comb your daughter's hair every day and I would also use it on other family members (after boiling it, of course!) to make absolutely certain they don't have it too.
Just to share a story on lice prevention for next time :). It is going around my daughter's kindergarten class right now. I think probably about half the class has had it in the last two weeks. We have managed to keep it away from our family. What we have used is a lice prevention product from the company Fairy Tales. They make an all-natural rosemary shampoo and spray leave-in conditioner. I know they also have natural lice treatments, but we haven't needed those yet. We use the shampoo and then every morning before my daughter goes to school we spray her hair with the leave-in conditioner and then put her hair up in a pony tail. Then I spray her neckline and the hair behind her ears. (These are the favorite spots on the head for lice). It seems to be working, so maybe something to try next time there is a outbreak in your school.
Oh J.-
Welcome to the world of lice-- and you will be creeped out forever any time someone mentions it too!!!
We along with friends did the journey and did a lot of wrongs and some rights- and sadly in that order.
We started with Walgreens off brand and RID trying to go cheaper with bogo offer- don't bother-- not only is is harsh and burned my head as yes I was a participant with the critters-- but was told later it doesn't get the nits or eggs. The product hasn't been reformulated since the 60's and it's outdated for the new resistant bugs. If you use this- it takes up to 2 weeks of possible reinfection between. And the comb isn't ribbed in either kit so it doesn't pull out the eggs as efficiently.
Then-- we bought ladibugs and did home treatments. There is another product at Ulta that is 1% less effective and good Fairy something-- both nearly 97+ against the eggs and nits too but you do have to do 5 consecutive treatments.
The key to this-- having good combers. While me combing kids was effective and yes we did treat even nearly bald men as we didn't want to EVER do this again by this time..........., no one was able to do mine. In fact the two men in my life couldn't even see the nits much less do the intensive comb in my hair without getting it stuck and tearing out clumps of hair. My one twin was able to escape any of the disease so she only had one treatment- yay- as she has very thick hair.
I finally crumpled on the floor in tears one day after going to kids cuts after my 3rd round to find out I had missed some of them in the back of my head trying to do my own comb out. And-- it's not easy to find a friend willing to get in the mix. So I called Ladibugs and went to them to do my first of the next 5 treatments/combs.
We never bagged the house stuffed animals- just quarantined them for the 5 days.
The critters die within 48 hrs once detached from the scalp/hair supply.
We did do 2 very intensive cleanings and put most of anything we had come in contact with in the dryer for 30 min cycles-- washing is more for your own piece of mind.
We made it thru- I was the worst outcome due to lack of help-- and it would have otherwise not been as bad other than stripping my hair of all color I had just done to the tune of $$$ with my hairdresser 3 days prior to the start of this.
It cost us nearly $300 to rid the bugs- so you might just want to think about calling Ladibugs right out. They do home parties!! Or you can all go there for a one time treatment of $200? or a first comb for more and then do the other 4 yourself.
Hang in there- you will survive.
We just got another notice at school this week-- so the cold isn't fighting this years strain yet.
Ask your kids hair people-- they use preventative hair products all thru school. So do we now- at least 3 days a week.
hugs from one to another-- you are not alone -- many just hide the truth as they feel it's shameful........but know-- lice like the people who have CLEAN hair -- gotta love it!!
About me- 51 yo perfusionist, wellness coach, mom with 10 yo fraternal twin girls
B. J
Just wanted to say, if you have some disposable income... I read about these ladies in MN called ladibugs
and here was an article on CBS about the lice picking businesses in MN
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/02/25/nitpicking-busin...
I have been a hair stylist for 10 years and the biggest mistake I think people make is forgetting about washing bedding, hats etc.. We had a guy come in who's daughters had it so bad that they were finding the nasty little things in there car. Rid works great. Good luck
We washed everything on HOT. We bagged the toys we could not wash and put them in the attic. We got a spray for the couches and vacuumed. This was about 8 years ago, and we used Rid and left it on overnight (with the pediatrician's blessing) with showercaps on. We also combed through SD's hair nightly and braided it tightly for school for about a month. We did retreat in the timeframe on the bottle. One of the things you should consider is what might be the source? In our case, it was someone that SD was in close contact with so SHE kept getting them vs everyone else. I never got them.
Tea tree oil and tea tree oil shampoo can help prevent them. Teach your children not to share brushes, combs, hair accessories, hats, jackets, etc.
We have had lice several times unfortunately but each time it gets easier to treat. I found LiceLogic treatment products that are natural and smell nice. My children actually like using them! These products are awesome and powerful. they are made by a great company called Logic Product Group and on their website they have free detailed directions on how to do a comb out correctly and other helpful info. The owner will actually speak to you if you call her and she spent 30 minutes on the phone with me. By far the best products on the market and I keep them on hand now just in case.
Whatever you do -don't use Rid or Nix or any other pesticide based treatment as they do not work on lice anymore. Lice have built up a resistance on them so natural is the way to go. Also, you need to have a very good metal nit comb. Without that you cannot get rid of the lice and nits!
Go to headlice.org. They offer sensible options for treating the issue. They also tell you much of the old wives tale treatments are just that, and not necessarily true.
The first time my daughter had head lice, I freaked out inside, too but most of the kids in her class had had it, so it wasn't a big deal for my daughter. I currently live in England and they don't take the precautions here in schools that I have seen in the U.S. And, joy of joys, I found signs in my hair too which is no surprise because I lay with her every night before she goes to sleep. I treated her using the Cetaphil method, based on the recommendations of a mom on this site answering another mom who, thank goodness, asked the question first! Here is the "how-to" website:
http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/
It did work, but it was soooo expensive! I also washed all her bedding, ponytail holders, jackets, anything that touched her head. Water about 180 degrees is hot enough - it doesn't have to be boiling, and then put everything through the dryer on high heat. I washed all our combs in the dishwasher. The second time (yes, there was a second time), I tried a otc store treatment that was just spray in, comb through, leave on for 15 min. and wash, but I had to do 2 treatments to be successful..Oh, and did all the other stuff with her sheets and the combs...
The key is to use a nit comb after treatment every week. Eggs can survive the treatment and have a 2 week hatching cycle and can lay new eggs only a few days after they hatch, so stay on top of it. When you see no more nits, do a regular check every couple of weeks (I say this, but I haven't done it)...
just dealt with this for the 1st time, it's awful & expensive
i ended up going to a company that specializes in this, WELL WORTH IT......my girls went there once & that was it.....i really wish i did this from the start
find a place that only does the shepherd method......don't buy a comb from just anywhere, the RID comb sucks compared to the NIX Terminator, ONLY use this one, it's the same price as all the others, but you have to see it to understand why it's so much better
there is a special product that weights down the lice so they cannot move fast, USE THIS, otherwise you will never see the lice, they are too fast....you can go to shinystrands.com to see what it is
also use shampoo by suave called rosemary mint, lice hate the smell & it's very fragrant
no need to chemically treat the hair, plus all the treatments are just pesticides that get absorbed into the body.....i did 2 treatments for safety & my scalp got burned
When both of my daughters got head lice last year, I went online to research what the American Academy of Pediatrics says to do (because people will tell you all kinds of wacky things that you "should" do, but I'd rather take a clinically proven approach, personally). Here is the article I found:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/3/638.f...
Bottom line, Rid shampoo on day 1, and again on day 9. No other treatment necessary. Fact: even if you share the pillow of someone who has head lice, you will have only a 4% chance of getting head lice yourself. Head lice don't willingly leave a healthy host, so they are actually pretty easy to eradicate. Most kids have head lice for over a month before anyone notices. If you don't have head lice yourself yet, then you don't need to worry, Shampoo the kid and forget about it. You don't even need to pick the nits, as long as you re-treat 9 days later.
Good luck. It's actually a pretty easy fix, even if it does make your skin crawl! ;)
