Headlice (merged)

skyrocket

neem oil from health food shop. they hate that stuff!

*zippy*

Another vote here for the nitty gritty combs and if they can stand the smell there is a herbal product called delacet that we found very good. I got it off their website and i've also seen it on ebay. For those with long hair its good as you don't have to do any combing.

tazzababe

I came back fom holiday on Sat only to find my 5 year old infested with lice. When I say infested- I mean you couldn't actualy see her scalp, God knows why my parents didn't do something. Anyway, I have treated her with Full Marks solution and managed to get most of them out, but I've looked at her hair tonight and she still has quite a few. The problem is, that I have 4 different combs and the don't seem to be doing the job. Dds hair is extremly fine, so it slips through. Any ideas what I can do? Used conditioner tonight, but have had to pick them out, and dd won't sit still.

TAG

If she had that many then I'd say she's probably had them for a while.

All you can do is keep combing her hair through with conditioner. If you do it as a matter of course then eventually you will get rid of them.

I had years of this with DD1. Unfortunatley she played with a particular child that always had them at school. Therefore was constantly re infesting herself all the time.

You need to check all members of the family and granparents too.

DD2 stated nursery last September, and, touch wood has been clear so far. I comb and condition her hair every time it's washed. I've also explained how she could get 'nits'. By her hair touching someone elses that has them. Which she's understood.

It's a long haul I'm afraid. But unless all parents check regularly and deal with
anything they find straight away your fighting a losing battle.

mae

I would recommend you inform the school so they can send out a letter (obviously they won't name your daughter) saying that they have had reported cases and that all parents should check and treat to eradicate the problem of re-infesting.
I used a comb and conditioner and kept perserving with this til they were gone. I also used tea tree oil in his hair for a while afterwards just a couple of drops a day as its supposed to help? He never got them again but I do think its probably for girls to get them so keep her hair tied up tight for school.

outrageous_monkey

I use either full marks mouse or there is an oil based one, that only has to be on for 10 mins and that works well. But I must admit, his hair has never really been that bad......the most I have pulled off has been 3.

A few drops of tea tree oil is good, massage into the scalp. You can buy anti-nit products out of Home Bargains quite cheaply too, if you have one close by. My lad now uses an anti nit shampoo and if we run out of that, then he uses a tea tree spray that I got out of HB.

Definitely tell school, they will send out a standard letter informing parents that they have been informed headlice is going around. No names are ever mentioned...........well not at the school my lad goes to.

MoaningMyrtle

At my daughter's school, the letters come home so regularly, I suspect the main culprits don't read them and therefore they continue to spread them.

The best nit comb we have used is white, from Lloyds chemist, £2.99 for two. It has a very fine side and a fine side. We always use the conditioner method and I pick the nit eggs out with my nails afterwards. Nice eh?

Nitty Gritty lotion is meant to be very good.

tiamai_d

Funnily enough I just answered a post on a web site I help to run, about head lice. (its not a web site on head lice)

http://www.chc.org/ have a set of combs, including on extra fine for very young kids with fine hair, and to catch the newly hatched lice.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]They cost about £6/7 off the website and can be requested on prescription by your GP who probably doesn't know that!!! (so free if you get free prescriptions).

All the chemical treatments need to be re-applyed after so many days, and the lice become resistant to them.

The old fashioned comb used twice a day is 4 times more effective, but takes more work and patience.

Unfortunately if the original source of the infestation is not treated chance are this is will be an ongoing problem.

and yes my head is itching now...



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angel

I agree, just comb, comb and comb again for weeks and weeks. That way you break the breeding cycle. Me and my son comb most times that we wash our hair now just so that they don't get a chance to take hold again.

Btw, his school don't ever send out letters as it's so rife there that they'd be sending letters out every day!

Meatballs

Tried mayonnaise?

Washed sheets/pillowcases/toys etc?