the dreaded head lice

raven83

hi don't know if this is the right forum so feel free to move, i just want to know has anyone got any natural alt ways to banish headice? shop brought stuff is quite dear and with 3 lots of hair to treat can cost a fortune plus would prefer something natural and chemical free, ive heard t tree is a good nit killer anyone else recommend anything else? any advice would be greatfully recieved thank you!:)

nicole.17

I don't have any treatment ideas but i'm sure someone else will.

Make sure you buy a nit comb to remove the eggs or else these will 'hatch' and the cycle begins all over again :mad:

Do this today.
Follow by treatment.
Comb the entire head of hair every three days for at least two weeks as missed eggs will take 7 - 10 days to hatch.

Then fingers crossed

snugglepet20

Tea-tree works as a deterrent for head lice but it won't kill them unfortunately if your kids already have them. Combing will remove them but it's not as effective as the chemical stuff because they can crawl around whilst you're doing it. Hair straighteners at max heat will literally fry them if you do the entire head along with the combing over a few days it works. I agree the stuff is way too expensive it's no wonder so many kids have them... It is on buy one get one free at Lloyds Pharmacy at the moment if you do need to buy some.

Gillyx

The nitty gritty comb

*onlyme*

Gillyx wrote: »

The nitty gritty comb

Yes another one here for the nitty gritty comb!

You can get this prescribed on the NHS so if it is for your children, ask your doctor to prescribe one and then it is free...

415SanFran

I am not going to recommend this, but it did work.
My son is 18 and has a girlfriend who has a young sister so the girlfriend catches them often.
He made her cover her eyes and mouth with a tea towel, and sprayed her hair with ANT KILLER. then did it about a week later.
It actually worked.
As I said this is NOT a recommendation, just thought I would tell you about it for a smile.

gone4gold62

hi when i was a child my mam used to soak our hair in vinegar over night then do it with a nit comb and conditioner ,always worked .

judeee

When my daughter got them years ago I refused to use the chemical stuff, I washed her hair as normal, smothered loads of conditioner through, got a nit comb, some kitchen roll to wipe it on, and just went through the whole of her hair. I got loads out, repeated next night, by the third night they had gone!

VfM4meplse

415SanFran wrote: »

sprayed her hair with ANT KILLER. then did it about a week later

Probably contained permethrin, the same active ingredient in head-lice preps.

OP - now is not the time to mess about with unlicensed products of unproven benefit, just bite the bullet and by a family-size pack of headlice lotion (ask your pharmacist for advice). Only treat where you find living lice or eggs - not as a preventative - and make sure your kids understand that sharing combs and close contact will propagate the problem.

VeLoCiTY

I know this probably won't be a great help as you are looking for something natural, but having seen a couple of posts concerning the cost of these treatments- I was just wondering if your local pharmacy possibly offer a Minor Ailment Service? I have used this service several times when I've needed Calpol etc for the kiddies. Basically, to avoid going to the doctor when it isn't neccessary and especially if you already know what it is that you need ie, Calpol, Cuprofen, lice treatment etc, the Pharmacist can prescribe it for you free of charge (providing you fall into that category, be it under 16, or whatever the criteria usually is where you get free prescriptions ) I hope this may help parents/carers who weren't aware of the service available, as it's not usually advertised

VfM4meplse

judeee wrote: »

When my daughter got them years ago I refused to use the chemical stuff, I washed her hair as normal, smothered loads of conditioner through, got a nit comb, some kitchen roll to wipe it on, and just went through the whole of her hair. I got loads out, repeated next night, by the third night they had gone!

Bug busting is evidence-based if thorough, but needs to be repeated frequentlly - if you miss the tiniest egg you find it becomes a problem again within a fortnight..