Head lice and bedding

yellowbear

This may be on the wrong place, so forgive me...

If/when your children have nits do you change the bedding every day? Just the pillows?

We have 2 sets of bunks and I hate changing them at the best of times.

lobbyludd

The "official" advice is not to bother as the adult lice cannot live for "long" away from a human head. After repeated reinfestations and at the end of my tether I researched how long that is and it can be up to 24-48 hours, so I change pillow cases. I don't bother usually with the rest of it, but have been known to change the whole lot daily when we have periods of particularly difficult-to-get-rid of creatures.

Broomstick

Just pillowcases here too when things looked bad.

What I also did, when headlice never seemed to stop amongst DSs' friends when they were little, was to wash their hair twice a week, then use conditioner and a lice comb rinsed in a bowl of water to check for evidence of wildlife. It was just a regular part of bathtime and if I did find anything I'd do it the next day as well. Headlice just stopped being a problem and then I didn't even bother with bedding.

B x

themull1

I changed the pillows when i used the first lot of hedrin, then changed the pillows after the second lot of hedrin, i get it on prescription - im not paying £10.55 a bottle!! hopefully thats the last of the little blighters!

mummyyof5

If possible change your regular shampoo and conditioner to tea-tree ones ..the one I use is just £1 a bottle...I changed 3 years ago and despite lots of little visitors in school,my 2 have never caught it since...they are 7 and 4 one girl,one boy and both have waist length,thick hair...yes I did say both lol....but try it ,it does work ...and saves using all those chemicals on them too xx

burtha

If you do need to use a product to get rid of them,check if your area are running a pharmacy first / minor ailments . you need to take a sample of lice per person,stuck on tape into pharmacy, then you receive product free of charge, simple and free . some quick questions that's it .not sure where its running,northeast do .

zippychick

I've moved this to the families board for you to see if you can get some other input

Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com"]forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

We also have an older head lice thread which may help

Zip

jackyann

Yes, most pharmacists will give you the product for free if you take along evidence of lice. Check on the NHS Choices website, but all "NHS" pharmcists are in the scheme.
It's a good idea as they know what product is most effective locally at that time. Tee tree oil can be hit or miss.

The point about bedding is that it needs to be a hot wash - at least 60 degrees. They don't drown, and indeed may live all the better in nice warm water & a warm airing cupboard.

It's not effective against nits, which cling, but a good vigorous pre-bedtime brush will usually dislodge lice picked up during the day, and as they usually lay eggs at night, it is a good although no fool-proof preventive measure.

yellowbear

Thanks all.
Bedding is always washed at 60.

I didn't know that about the chemists. Thanks very much for that info. :beer:

GwylimT

I have never changed bedding when our son or daughter have had head lice, I've never bothered with special shampoo either, combing through their hair with a bit of conditioner has always worked for us. My son had head lice twice, but with well over a year between each out break, my daughter had them for the first time in October.

meer53

Buy a Nitty Gritty comb. Asda and Tesco sell them. No need for expensive treatments that don't work, just cheap conditioner and a Nitty Gritty comb does the job. Removes everything, eggs and lice.