LICE

lilwashee
lilwashee Posts: 222 Member
edited September 29 in Chit-Chat
OK THIS IS TOTALLY OFF THE TOPIC BUT I NEED AS MUCH SUPPORT IN THIS MATTER AS POSSIBLE .I NEED ANYONE WHO HAS EVER HAD A KID CATCH LICE TELL ME HOW TO GET RID OF IT ..I BELIEVE THE STORE TREATMENTS BARELY WORK.MY DAUGHTER CAME HERE FOR THE SUMMER AND HAS A CASE OF IT AND I AM SOOO FREAKIN TIRED OF BATTLING IT..I RUN A DAYCARE AND I NEED TO GET THIS UNDER CONTROL !
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Replies

  • ckncj
    ckncj Posts: 183 Member
    Wash her hair with kerosene.
  • cobarlo14
    cobarlo14 Posts: 582 Member
    strip the bed sheets
    Get RX from doctor for something RX strength to kill it
    If you have a pest control company have them out to spray/bomb the house.

    Sorry - That's all I know...
  • sweetCJ
    sweetCJ Posts: 144
    I got a prescription for something good, but I also used teatree oil from melaleuca.... good luck.
  • Ok so I had lice twice in my life, and for starters you have to get the shampoo treatment (available at any CVS or walgreens)and follow the directions it comes with, and its best to treat everyone in the house just incase. But warning, if you color your hair it can strip a lot of the color off. Then you have to wash all of your fabrics that can be washed (clothes, linens, everything that you can). And remember that lice can live off of its host for about two days.
  • Go to the pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist. RID seems to work pretty well, but it may require more than one treatment. Be sure to wash all of her bedding, hairbrushes, bath towels, headbands, coats, etc. (You need to wash everything that her head has contacted.)

    I recommend against the kerosene.
  • azamber3
    azamber3 Posts: 5 Member
    mayonnaise or olive oil
  • Buddie616
    Buddie616 Posts: 167 Member
    Wash her hair with kerosene.


    Are u serious??? That is crazy! A lady in the town here where I live done that and didn't wash their hair out good.... guess what they were burned badly from a gas heater because she was that stupid!!! CRAZY!!!!

    I kept my neice some and everytime she came to my house she had lice... I went to walgreens and bought this comb... worked great!!! Totally recommend it! Here is the link on it!!! Like I said you can get it from Walgreens...

    http://www.liceguard.com/robicomb.aspx
  • savvynurse
    savvynurse Posts: 292
    I battled this this past school year.... Get a shower cap, olive oil, and a gallon of white vinegar. Soak her head in the olive oil...comb it through REAL good.... cover it with a shower cap and sleep on it over night. In the morning throw her in the tub and pour the vinegar all over her hair scrubbing as you go. Then wash her hair with shampoo till al lthe vinegar smell is gone
  • mayo in her hair over night lice cant live in oily hair.. but the last time my girls got it i put baby oil (the purple kind) in there hair. cause they didnt like the smell of the mayo and it is really messy. it works and they havent had it since knock on wood lol.. hope this helps
  • anotherana
    anotherana Posts: 16
    call the doctor and he can just send a prescription of it to your local pharmacy. its better then the store stuff.
  • donnasue70
    donnasue70 Posts: 9 Member
    Sounds crazy, but cover her head in mayonnaise. It suffocates the lice and eggs. Cover her head and wrap a shower cap over it (A walmart bag works too) for about an hour. Hr hair will be extra oily for a few days, but it is worth it. The over the counter things don't work as well. Plus this less expensive and not harmful (although smelly) to your child. Good luck!
  • ANeWcRe8N
    ANeWcRe8N Posts: 1,180 Member
    My sister used tea tree oil on her daughter and it works... she said it smells really strong but works good.
  • i have heard of oiling down the hair. the oil reportedly suffocates the little buggers. wash everything that can be washed and dry it. all soft toys and pillows can be put in the dryer for around 30 minutes to kill the bugs. i would put any toys and pillows that are absolutely not needed in garbage bags for two weeks after washing. then inspect to ensure they are all gone. there is spray available for furniture. vacuum the furniture, carpet and mattresses. then spray. do not forget to empty to vacuum after vacuuming. if there is a tank versus a bag, wash it out. do not forget the car seats and seats of the car.

    since you run a daycare you could always make a craft out of making individual head kerchiefs. let the kids decorate them and them tie them on. it will be a cute barrier until you can get it under control. keep the girls in pony tails and braids. the hair being pulled tightly works as a decent barrier as keeping most of the creatures from reaching the scalp.
  • DeviantDarkwolf2
    DeviantDarkwolf2 Posts: 363 Member
    After getting a shampoo treatment from the pharmacy use a cheap conditioner in the hair, just smother the hair and comb through with a fine tooth comb. Also get some tea tree oil add to a spray bottle and spray hair daily, they hate tea tree oil. My children have had lice often and I have found this to be the best remedy. Make sure you wash all bedding and clean hair brushes etc as well. Good luck always a pain.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I've heard that tea-tree oil works really well (but couldn't try it because of household allergies)

    We used the store-brand in store treatment.
    But you have to clean everything else too. Wash bedding in HOT water. Put all pillows, stuffed animals, etc, that can't be washed in a big plastic bag for several days. Spray couches and even carpets (they sell a spray, too, but I bet Lysol works as well). And watch everybody. We had it moving from person to person for about a month.
    Also check her hair daily. After the first treatment, comb through it with a very fine comb to get all the dead bugs (and any survivors) out. Make sure you follow up with another treatment in a week (I believe that's the directions). And keep checking everyone's hair.
  • KMcBandit
    KMcBandit Posts: 65
    I had it when I was little my mom washed my head with Rid and then put me over the sink and picked all the nits out with a fine tooth comb it was so disgusting i hope my kids never get it! Also she washed everything and made me throw out my stuffed animals Good luck :( OH another thing that works as weird as it sounds it perm solution
  • Marleneaa
    Marleneaa Posts: 16 Member
    ok it sucks, my kids had it when they were younger, but everyone survives. the shampoos etc work but what really helped was the combing hair with a nit comb. Getting everylast one and killing them. Also look online, the shampoos work but very heavy chemicals and some lice are getting resitant. We used a rinse of listerine and lots of combing. Also when gone or on anyone who didn't have it yet used listerine rinse they don't seem to like it. Use original flavor (less sugar)
    Also bag all stuffed animals, wash linens in hot water and hot dry. Vacuum a lot!
    Good luck!!!
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    We've always had great success avoiding it it tea tree oil in our shampoo. Since we've never had it I can't speak to the remedies for getting rid of it but I have heard the oil remedies work (Including one with virgin coconut oil.) I do know that if you really want to eradicate it you'll need to be diligent to get everything that could harbor mites or lice and bag it up or wash it in extremely hot water. Stuffed animals and things of that nature that can be bagged up need to be kept bagged for at least two weeks. If you have furniture that the kids have been on that could harbor it (such as a fabric couch) there is a spray you can get for those types of things. Think about EVERYTHING that the kids could have come in contact with! Car upholstery, toys, furniture, hair brushes...everything! As another poster said, the lice can live off host for several days. Nits can hatch and give you a whole new round so either make sure you get spray that takes care of the nits or you are diligent to retreat within the timeframe specified on the can. I don't know how effective tea tree oil is at getting rid of lice but if you want to go a non-toxic route try looking for an herbal spray of some sort.

    I know people will say the herbal stuff doesn't work but there are also issue with the chemical treatments as the lice develop resistance to it and pass it on. That's why lice is such a major pain to get rid of! It almost seems like you need a silver bullet to get rid of the darn critters. My SIL had a daycare a few years ago and went through exactly what you're dealing with. Her success finally came when she dealt with the entire household.
  • Forensic
    Forensic Posts: 468 Member
    Cover her hair in mayo (slather it on) overnight and then comb nits in the morning. Repeat. Wash ask bedding repeatedly until all lice are gone.
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
    wash everything fabic; her clothes, linens, etc... and as far everything else her head has touched (couch; or even the floors if shes been playing on the floor), you can bug bomb the house; get the bombs at the store and put one in her room for sure, and in play areas and such to kill any living on fabrics... except the chemicals arent safe to touch afterwards, so make sure your cover cabinets with dishes with palstic and give your house a good wipe down with clorox wipes... can get rid of the lice on her easy enough with what other people are suggesting... but if they just come right back because she sat on the couch and they jumped back on her head, thats kinda pointless.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    Lots of good advice here, but don't forget to thoroughly vacuum your upholstered furniture and carpet - and that includes car upholstery - anywhere that her head has touched. Wash all the bedding, pillows, clothes etc. in super-hot soapy water. Do the came with combs, brushes, hair-bands, barrettes etc, or dip them in rubbing alcohol. Bag up any potential "carrier" items that can't be treated and leave the bag sealed for 2 weeks. The lice can't live without a human host for over 24 hours, so if there are any hair strands with nits on them, that gives ample time (7-10 days+24 hours) for them to incubate, hatch and die.

    The combs work great to get the stubborn nits off the hair strands. The nits are hard to see in lighter colored hair, so if you're not sure you've spotted them all, take her out in the sun and go through every inch of her hair. The nits really sparkle and are much easier to find this way.

    Keep inspecting for re-infestation for awhile too. All it takes is one pregnant louse to start it all over again.

    Good luck!
  • Giraffe33991
    Giraffe33991 Posts: 430 Member
    No matter what you use to kill the live bugs (RID, Mayonaise, etc), if you do not pick out all the nits (eggs) they will return.

    The nits stick to the hair shaft and don't rinse off when you wash hair. I was obsessively picking each strand of hair--first with a comb & then just with my nails (yuck!) for at least a week. It does take time, so find a comfy chair near some good lighting and settle in. Makes you feel like those monkeys at the zoo that always groom the other monkeys. LOL!

    Then use tea tree oil shampoo a couple times a week as a preventative. Apparently they don't dig the smell.

    Good luck!
  • Rid makes a spray and you need to make sure you have all the lice out of her hair and use the comb and get every single nit out of there. It can take hrs to do. Then use that spray on every area of the home she has been in, put the sheets in a plastic garbage bag and seal it airtight and after 48 hrs wach them on hot water. Any other fabric items you can seal off in airtight plastic bags is a good idea also like the clothing she had on. You will have to shampoo your carpets because they will live in there kinda like fleas can. I have been blessed to never deal with it in a childs hair but run a hair salon and anytime a customer has it then I have to go thru quite a mess to make sure its not in the salon!!!!!
  • another good tip is once they are gone everyday spray her hair with hair spray or put a hair product like a gel in it , lice dont like chemicals!!!! It will keep her from regetting them!!!
  • pixxistiks
    pixxistiks Posts: 10 Member
    Rid with a Shower cap. Don't just wash everything, wash it in the hottest watter possible, and with bleach or color safe bleach. Treat everyone in the house INCLUDING pets and ANYTHING that has touched the head or hair of anyone you live or come in close contact with. Shampoo carpets and furniture, and anything made of fabric, or you'll never get rid of them.
  • Make sure you wash all bedding and clean hair brushes etc as well.

    Pillows are the hardest to clean. If you can't afford to pitch them and buy new, there is bedding spray. Walmart sells it along with the other lice treatments (shampoos, etc.) Spray them good and keep them sealed in garbage bags for several days ( follow directions on can)
    Same with hair accessories. Nits are often embedded in them.

    I have also battled this when my kids were little- and it was expensive and humiliating. I finally realized that dog shampoo- for ticks and lice- has the same ingredients. That's what I ended up using after the 4th round...
    It's not as nuts as the kerosene.........and tea tree oil is repulsive ( imo)
  • teacherkatz
    teacherkatz Posts: 101 Member
    Please don't use any kerosene or any other stinky chemicals. They don't work anyway. I am in charge of taking care of the lice problem at my kids school. I learned how to do it from an expert with years of experience. First wet the hair. Then apply a ton of conditioner to the hair and leave it in. Sprinkle baking soda on a small area. Dip a steel fine tooth comb into some water to keep the hair wet as you comb through section by section. Keep the section that you have combed pinned back separately from the sections not combed. Keep repeating twice a day for a week. Washing everything will not do much to the problem unless you wash everyday. I have not found that to be effective. Constant combing is really the ony way to get rid of them.Also, make sure you really know what you are looking at. Some bugs look a bit different depending on where they are in their life cycle.Being dilligent is key here. Good luck.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Maybe you could rent a monkey?
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    Maybe you could rent a monkey?

    Or borrow one. Cheaper.
  • lilwashee
    lilwashee Posts: 222 Member
    thank you all soooo much wow i got alot of responses thats great ...and i believe i will def be buying tee tree oil :) im trying not to stress and just take it one day at a time!
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