Head Lice-help !

Subject: Head Lice-help !
From: Menita
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 11:49 AM

My little boy (8yrs) has had head lice for 12 months. Don't ya think I'm brave coming out with it in public? Anyway we've tried most of what the pharmacy has to offer and I don't want to use organo-phosphates, so now what can we do? These must be super bugs. Trouble is if I distroy this infestation how can I persuade the rest of the kids' mums in his class to do the same? And so we go around again! Any old remedies that won't harm my boy?

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 11:55 AM

Man, this was a terrible time in my twins' preschool years. Less of a problem now that they are in a school with predominantly partially African ancestored students, since lice don't like kinky hair, it's really a white kid's problem. Don't suppose a move to Africa is available for you...

I found that I had to go through all the possible chemicals before it really worked. Willie especially liked to save the ones in front of one ear for later, apparently, since that was the spot where they kept recurring. What it took in the long run was a lot more patience than I had available - you can't just comb through the hair and say you're done. You really do have to comb each individual hair, separately from the others, and keep track of the ones you've combed and which ones you haven't. It took HOURS each time, literally HOURS, with poor Willie leaning over the sink. And yes, we did disenfect the whole room, all the animals they liked to sleep with, the bedding, the linens, the bed itself, the pillows out of their linens, and so on. It was a ROYAL PAIN but once I really did what they said, instead of coming close and hoping, it really worked. Good luck!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 11:56 AM

Argos sell an electric comb that electrocutes the little beasties, I don't know if it works, but Argos have a policy where if you don't like what you buy, you can return it within 2 weeks for a full refund.
Also, one of my friends called Catherine used to have headlice, I will ask her how she got rid of them.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: guinnesschik
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 12:42 PM

One thing that worked on my kiddos was the blowdryer and styling products. Gel clogs up thir respiratory system, and the blowdryer cooks 'em, nits and all.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Jeanie
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 12:42 PM

Fun, fun, fun. Not a junior school class in the land without them. When my daughter was that age, someone told us that the little beasties detest Tea Tree Oil - it certainly worked for us, and we still use it as a preventive measure (e.g. Waitrose own brand shampoo and 'Tea Tree Plus ' conditioner). Best of Luck !

- Jeanie

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Ditchdweller
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 12:49 PM

The Tea Tree Oil shampoo and conditioner does work. We use one with mint oil added too. Wash, rinse, conditioner, rinse then comb through when wet. Combing only takes a short time, about 5 or 10 min per child. After the visitors have been cleared out, keep it up every couple of weeks as a precaution. Glad to say we havn't had an infestation for over a year now.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 01:03 PM

The wee beasties can be persistent, because they burrow in the skin and get on everything in the house. There are good recommendations on the Mayo Clinic website: Mayo
In the search box, enter head lice. Articles with useful information will appear.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 01:33 PM

I guess you could shave his head........

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: catspaw49
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 01:51 PM

LOL.........Ah, lice...........yeah....................

When I was a kid, lice was associated with "the worst type" of people. What a laugh!!! Basically though I never thought about them for most of my life and still believed the myth. Then we had kids and got into foster care. I'm not even going to tell you about the first time one of our foster kids was discovered with lice because it was really ridiculous.......we cleaned everything and everybody....LOL!!

Lice have become a common problem in schools and Karen and I could write a book on our experiences. At one point I was ready to buy stock in Nix since we were undoubtedly there biggest customer. The info at the Mayo site is good and as others have said, they dislike "goo" in general and we too had some success with Tea Tree as a preventative. The irony of lice is that they love straight clean hair, not filthy hair....way too gooey for them. It is also MUCH easier to work with short hair.....which leads to my first story.

One of our girls had VERY LONG (waist length) hair and she was a lice magnet. No matter what we tried or how often, nothing worked. At that time we had 6 kids in the house and NONE of them (including her sister) ever had a problem, but "A" really did....We just couldn't stop the damn things! The long thick hair was the real problem because it was frankly impossible to get the nits no matter how hard we tried. Poor "A"......We'd have her showering and treating her hair every three days and then Karen or I going through the hour+ long process of combing through it........Still, she had lice.

Something you probably don't know, but one rule in foster care is that you cannot cut a child's hair without the parent's permission. They are still the parent and as many decisions as possible are always left with them to maintain some degree of their own parental involvement while in foster care. "A" had a mother who wouldn't hear of cutting her hair! The fact that her Mom wasn't even making the visits and the kids visited Grandma and Aunts instead finally allowed the agency to get Grandma's approval and we had her hair cut. "A" loved it and it was really cute.........and within three weeks we had done away with the lice, never to return.

The other story is about a training session we were at. Foster parents are required many hours of training every year to maintain the license. Karen and I were taking a class for 6 hours of credit on dealing with the kids when they came back from parental/home visits. This affects some kids a lot and they all react in different ways......I could do a book on this one.......and what happens when they return can have serious effect on the entire foster family. Anyway, there were about 35 or so of us in the class and the trainer was trying to elicit some anecdotal info about how kids react. She said, "C'mon now......Tell me.....When your kids go home for visits, what things do they bring back?" And from the back of the room came a woman's voice....."Lice."............The entire group just fell apart in laughter because it was so often true.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Hollowfox
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 04:14 PM

I just went through this with my 13 year old. It was a week before the kid was let back into school (no nit policy). What finally worked was obsessive cleaning (new bedding every night, wash coat every time the kid "flunks" the test at the nurse's office, etc), using the best comb money can buy (mine has what looks like gold-washed steel teeth in a removable section), and obsessive combing. Think of it as examining every hair from the roots out. I also used a lamp I bought for doing close work; it has a magnifying lens and a good light. I also used a pin to clean out between the teeth if I saw *any*thing - dandruff or whatever, so I could keep up with the obsessive hunt, making sure that whatever I found was disposed of. In the end, the home remedy that worked (recommended by the school nurse) was to slather the head with mayonnaise for at least eight hours, cover with a cheap shower cap you never want to use again, wash the mayonnaise out, and then obsessively comb. Whether it was the week of obsessive combing or the mayo, I can't say, but the next day my kid was let back into school.
Unless the other mums agree, it's long odds that this problem will end. Perhaps the school nurse could do something to change their minds? Or the health department? In the meantime, make sure he doesn't share/trade hats, combs, etc with friends. If the school has headphones, they should be wiped clean before using. Kids shouldn't work so close together that their heads touch (that's how mine got infected).
I don't know about organo phospahates, but I checked in a useful library book said permethrin (USA brand name: Nix) is thye best commercial treatment at this time. Products with pyrethryns as the active ingredient (all other brands, apparently) lack residual activity and lose their potency within 12-24 hours after exposure to light.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 04:24 PM

Okay..you may think this is an urban myth but... lice do lot live long out of hair...that is if they are head lice. Fleas and scabies are different. I helped to set up a project for homeless kids and believe me... lice (head sorts) are easy to suss out... the bar chord types i e fleas! OMG!

Anyway...what an interesting site.. I only came here cos I heard I could get my experiential tunings sorted! Now..

Wild! (I scratch as I write!!)hehehe

Must work out how to become a member of mudcat.. I come bearing Derbac gifts......heheheh

All the best, Sandy...(scratch......fretboard...)

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: catspaw49
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 04:24 PM

Nix is far and away the best product out there.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 05:16 PM

Combing with a really fine comb is by far the best way to dislodge the little buggers. Combing with half a bottle of conditioner on is best. It makes the hair smooth and slippery so they (the lice) can't grab on. It also makes the eggs (the nits) more likely to slip through the comb so you have to make sure you comb in a different direction - up instead of down, to the front rather than to the back etc... Try and get a white comb rather than a silver or grey one, because you will be able to see them better against the white. It may sound horrid, but a cat flea comb is really the best. If it catches fleas, it's gonna catch lice.

Tell the rest of the class - although you may have a bit of a problem there. Bratling Phoebe attends a school where there are many kids from Indian families. Amongst these were two Jain children. Jains are a nice, pacifist, vegetarian group who believe that killing anything is against the teachings of their God. This includes parasites such as fleas, ticks, crabs and lice. Yummy. They were sent home with the standard 'a case of head lice has been found in the school please treat your child with Agent Orange' sort of letter, someone got snitty and now the only way of reporting headlice in her school is by word of mouth, because sending the letter out "was causing unnecessary distress to several religous groups". This is more important than the general health risks posed by headlice (where do you think the term 'feeling lousy' came from?). A serious infestation can cause anaemia, general lethargy, not to mention the risk of transmitting diseases carried in the bloodstream.... A case of PC gone potty again. Coincidentally, the Jain family moved away three terms ago. Since last autumn, there have been no lice in the school.

Oh, a pubic louse is just a head louse that lost its way. When you treat your child, you need to treat the whole family. And when you treat the whole family, don't forget those more 'intimate' areas. They can't travel very far away from hair, but if you have long hair that reaches down to those bits, or armpits, they will find a way.

If you keep getting infected, then there is someone at home or at school not treating them correctly or often enough. Is it possible to wear a bandana or head wrap?

LTS - who had them last year (thanks Phoebe) and survived with waist length hair.....

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 05:30 PM

My niece has three boys. Being allowed to grow hair became a rite of passage for them. At this point, only one of them is still shaved, and she thinks he's *almost* old enough to take care of himself.

A little extreme, I think, but it seems to have worked.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Hawker
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 05:58 PM

The comb sold in Argos is also sold by Boots the Chemist its called a Robi Comb and is basically a nit comb which is powered by a battery with a small electrical charge that will kill any lice it comes into contact with. My daughter was badly infested a while ago and after spending a small fortune on varous preparations I invested in this comb, you have to persevere, coming morning and evening, as the buggers hatch, you zap them with the comb and after 2 weeks you should have broken the life cycle and stopped the infestation, if you then use it every morning and evening, when you comb you son's hair, any he may have picked up in class from his mates with less informed parents will get eliminated before they have time to lay eggs.
Also, using lots of conditioner on the hair makes it silky and more difficult for eggs to attach to, so when you wash your son's hair try using a good helping of conditioner!
I was also told, like Sapper, that Tea Tree Oil was good, but it is best used as a deterrent once you have knocked the infestation on the head ( pardon the pun) Hope you have success, I'm off for a gooid scratch, why is it talking about headlice makes you itch!
Cheers, Lucy

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 06:13 PM

This may seem a little draconian, but it may work for you, considering your criteria: The oldest remedy with which I am familiar is shaving the head. No chemicals at all on kid. Make sure no one else has any signs of the beasties. You may need to treat others in the house at the same time. I guess you'll have to decide if chemicals for others is acceptable.

However, If you *really* want to be sure to get rid of them all...you will need to treat *everything* in the house. And I mean **everything**. Wash everything made of fabric. All your clothes, all the towels, all the sheets and pillow cases. Then, toss everything else made of fabric into garbage bags for 3-4 weeks. Stuffed animals, pillows, everything. After that, you'll need to either treat your mattresses with something, or find very large plastic bags to throw them into for 3-4 weeks (seal 'em into large plastic sheets with duct tape if you can't find bags large enough). But wait, there's more...You'll need to do something about your carpets as well. If you are absolutely adamant that you will not use any chemicals, you'll need to steam clean them, maybe several times, with lots of REALLY HOT water and carpet cleaner. Keep at it until they are all gone. This may take more than one try...sorry, that's the best news I can give you for a chemical free treatment.

And the real killer is, there's no guarantee that the kid won't pick up the very same problem 6 months or a year later.

One of my sisters (not CarolC) went through this *3 times* with her daughter over the course of a year or so. I went through it twice for scabbies. Nasty blighters, them.

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dorrie
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 06:46 PM

if all else fails i thought not washing your hair got rid of them because they dont like clean hair! may be not i'd try the comb first

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: JustWondering
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 07:35 PM

Ah the joys of having hair! Shaving (if possible) is the best for all stages of lice. Drowning the hair in some insect pore clogging goo (from veg oil to designer hair gel)is also effective for HATCHED lice. If the infected head can be kept away from new sources of infection (ie, adult lice on another persons hair), repeat insect pore clogging treatment every few days to catch all those nits (eggs) that hatch out. Just leave it on long enough so the little buggers suffocate. There is not much else you can do that is not time consuming or poison-using to get rid of the nits. Contrary to what some have written here, you do not need to disinfect the whole house and contents if your problem is lice. Lice are NOT transmitted by any other means than direct contact, ie, a person has to be right up against an infested person to get them. You can not get infested by them off of bed clothing, someone elses clothing, comb,etc. Lice are very dependent on the high body temperature of their host for their survival (they only occur in warm blooded animals). They can not survive for anything but very short periods of time off of the body of their host. The reason kids get them more than adults is that kids tend to talk with their heads down, pressed together, more than adults do. Lice are not at all like, for example, fleas, which can survive off of a warm body for long periods of time. They are very highly adapted to their host, and even to parts of their host. So, human head(body) lice are an entirely different species from say the human pubic louse, and from lice of other animals. So direct your efforts at cleaning up the head of the infected child and forget the rest. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: kendall
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 07:43 PM

I never had any of those childhood problems. Never knew anyone who did. Maybe they don't live this far north!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Abby Sale
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 08:39 PM

Kerosene. Then the above-mentioned shower cap. Better than mayo. You'll need a louse comb (extra fine teeth) for the nits. Never mind electric - you'll get one at most drug stores. Learned this from the old wives in Glasgow when the whole primary school got 'em. Worked fine.

Try to treat it as you would the flu - "these are the steps you take," etc. so as not to rattle the child too much.

Learn to sing "THE LOUSY MINER" or other appropriate songs.

Enjoy

(You can also just ask your pharmacist what the latest shampoo thing is.)

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 08:41 PM

Some of the posts here have incorrect information, such as the one by Just Wondering. Head lice can live 3 days away from the human body and the eggs survive for a week.
Sheets, clothing, etc must be washed and carpets, mattresses and upholstery must be vacuumed. To state the obvious, if you have a large house, put parts off-limits- I know, that's impossible.
The grease and cap method proposed by a nurse may be an alternative for those who are afraid of lindane and pyrethrins (Nix is a pyrethrin; many variations to formulation so some may work better than others). However, check scalp carefully, absence of air will cause skin problems over time. Short or no hair is a help.
Head lice are currently a problem in Calgary, Canada, and we just had the coldest March since eighteen hundred and ought ninety-nine. (They may always be a problem, it's just that teachers we know were complaining last week about them. Maybe the kids are sticking closer together because of the cold)
Pubic lice are a different species- but that does not mean that head lice won't invade their territory.
Lindane is a complex hexachlorocyclohexane. Use with care and the advice of a skin specialist. Harmful to many animals. Do not spread beyond the area of treatment.
Nix (and other pyrethrins?) is toxic to cats but the environmental effects are relatively short-lived.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 08:45 PM

Eww. My niece had some invincible lice for quite a while. She'd kill them, but they'd come back, over and over, for about a year. Then she moved to Florida for a few months, and they disappeared on their own. (The lice, not my family) No idea why.

So, move to Florida for a few months.

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Shantymanuk
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 08:48 PM

Head lice are no respectors of persons. They prefer short hair, and hygenic conditions, otherwise other parasites tend to wipe them out. i.e. dirty kids are not the main source. With my kids, I have always found that a daily combing with a fine comb sterilised in raw alcohol has done the trick. The technique is that you take layers of hair, comb right out from the scalp, and pull right out to the end in one stroke, and after each stroke, wipe the comb on a piece of WATER WET TISSUE. If there are Nits, they will show red rather than a normal grey.

Please make sure that the comb is dry after sterilisation, you just need to blow on it, otherwise you will strip essential oils from the hair.

In UK we can buy "Surgical Spirit", which is ok, but in most other regions, it is best to buy good strong vodka. All you have to do is to saturate a bit of (cotton) cloth with vodka and put it in a plastic bag so that it doesn't dry out. Use that to sterilise your comb, make sure the wad doesn't dry out. Renew the wad each week. Don't share combs or brushes.

Look at the condition of the hair to see if it needs feeding.

If this doesn't work, I'll eat my hat, but at least then you can resort to chemical treatments.

Kindest regards,

Alan.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: pict
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 08:59 PM

Use a louse comb and conditioner on everybody in the family(you may find a magnifying glass useful).Step one apply conditioner this clogs their breathing apparatus and causes them to remain totally still.

Step two comb,starting from the back of the head from the roots up,every part of the head paying attention to the back of the head and around the ears,have some newspapers spread on the floor.Comb through until you can't find any nits or lice burn the newspaper and it's contents.

Repeat 4 times at 3 daily intervals at the end of this time check thoroughly if something is found repeat the whole process from step one.

This method works if followed strictly also tell the school so that they can alert other parents and tell them to use the exact same treatment advise them that unless it is universally adopted and strictly adhered to then you will have continued outbreaks.We had similar problems my wife is a teacher and she caught them from one of the kids in her class and after we got that under control our kids got them we found the above method to be the most effective the pesticide shampoos never get them all and one intact egg or adult is all it takes.

The schools in Denmark hand out information leaflet to all the kids in the school to take home to their parents showing them step by step with pictures the above method.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 09:03 PM

Useful information and cautions at: LICE
Over 12 million cases a year in the U. S. The possibility of lice mutating to resistant strains because of improper use of treatments may be a real problem. Lindane is harmful to the environment. As I said, use with the consultation of a skin specialist.
The alcohol-vodka treatment is OK for most people, but some develop a bad skin rash. Note- most plastic bags "breathe" so you end up with water vapor in the bag. Drugstore alcohol is cheap, so use fresh each time.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 09:23 PM

Thank you, Dicho...yes, my sisters testimony bears out exactly what you say. She tried and tried to get rid of the problem, and it took cleaning everything made of cloth, and keeping pillows, etc. in bags for several weeks to end the infestation. Even if the bugs themselves don't live long off of the human body (and my understanding is exactly yours...3-4 days), the nits can hatch out a couple of weeks later, and if they're on your pillows, you have a problem again.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: pict
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 09:55 PM

You can also place suspect clothing in the freezer overnight to kill the nits.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: DancingMom
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 10:00 PM

Oh, man. With 4 kids we went around and around with this for about a year. It's incredibly aggravating and time-consuming.

Get a long-toothed metal comb (We found one called "Lice Meister") You need great lighting - I took my kids outside, and the sunlight helped with spotting the little devils. We had the best results with the homeopathic remedies, and one called "Hair clean- 1,2,3" containing coconut oil, anise oil, Ylang Ylang oil, and isopropyl alcohol.

We also have not had a problem since we joined a fitness club where the kids swim in an indoor chlorinated pool.

Good luck. Sharon

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: catspaw49
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 10:01 PM

DO NOT USE KEROSENE!!!!!! A little girl over in Indiana was critically burned when it was accidentally ignited during ons such lice treament......not a wise idea.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 10:18 PM

Anyone who uses kerosene on human or animal is brain dead. Toxic hydrocarbons plus the fire danger. Like washing paint-spattered clothes in gasoline in the washing machine. Guaranteed to reduce the population!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 10:47 PM

I was about to say the same thing, 'Spaw. No kerosene! Dicho's link is a good one. Here's a direct link to the Mayo clinic site on head lice. My only reservation on their recommendation is that I no longer prescribe lindane, as I think the risk of adverse reactions far outweighs the benefits. It is true, however, that Nix-resistant lice are on the rise. One drug company has been trying to push malathion for lice, but I refuse to prescribe anything for my patients that my dad used to spray on our cherry tree!

Here in Hawaii, lice are called "uku" (same word for flea..."uku lele"="jumping flea", with two theories of how the little guitar got that name...ha! turning it into a musical post again!), and not a day goes by that I don't get two or three requests for "uku medicine". Contrary to what Liz said, head lice DO NOT cause any health problems. They're itchy and annoying, but not harmful. But they can cause a full-blown panic in otherwise sane adults, that's for sure!

For what it's worth, if Nix doesn't work, I recommend the mayonnaise and shower cap routine overnight. Somebody told me that it has to be real mayonnaise, not the lowfat variety, but I haven't seen that confirmed. And I don't think that treatment originated in Rochester, Minnesota... But, to keep up with the illusion that this is a musical thread, I'll leave you with another version of the Marty Robbins song, "El Paso":

Down in the West Irish county of Mayo
I fell in love with a Mayonnaise girl

(Whoever was about to say this belongs on the Nit Parade...don't you dare.)

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: sophocleese
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 10:48 PM

Well with two kids one of whom is a daughter with "Hermione Hair" (from the Harry Potter movie) I've had some experience. Orillia is having an epidemic of the problem (don't you hate how your head starts to itch as soon as you hear the word 'lice', scratch scratch). I used all the pretty chemical stuff the first couple of times and then decided I didn't like putting pesticides on my kid's heads. A doctor at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto recommends using half and half mineral oil and vinegar. Mix 'em together, really shake them up, glop the lot on the head, getting it all through the hair and on the scalp and then put a shower cap on for an hour. After that wash it out and then comb and pick nits for a long while (listening to goon shows or books on tape while you do this is a good idea). Check again every couple of days and keep removing any nits you might find. You will get rid of them.

Don't be embarassed to write a note to your child's teacher about it. If he's got it so does somebody else and the best way to get rid of the problem is for everyone to be vigilant at the same time.

I got desperate a couple of years ago and started looking around on the net. The biggest thing I noticed was that those sites that sold stuff wanted you to steam clean your entire house using what they sold. Those sites that weren't selling anything tended to be a lot less paranoid. A doctor in Australia checked all the hats of kids in a school where a hundred or so students had head lice. He didn't find a single louse in a hat. Lice don't like to leave a head without going straight to another head so if they fall off they are usually sick and dying anyway. Lice can live for a short while off of the head but it depends on environmental conditions. Basically higher humidity means they live longer. Putting clothes and bedding in a dryer on high for twenty or so minutes should kill anything.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: pict
Date: 01 Apr 02 - 11:10 PM

Liz pubic lice are different from head lice there are 3 types of louse that infest humans Pediculus corporis(body louse),Pediculus capatis(head louse the one we get most bother with),and Pediculus pubis(pubic louse).

"Lice convey the causative micro-organisms of typhus fever,one form of relapsing fever,and trench fever,and it has been estimated that in this way the louse is responsible for more human deaths than any other insect barring the malaria mosquito" from Black's medical dictionary

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 12:23 AM

What a lousy thread! *G*

~S~

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: DancingMom
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 12:28 AM

For my kids it was more than an itchy nuisance. They developed skin infections with an inflammatory response on their cheeks, ears, and neck from constant scratching.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 02:03 AM

And the little girl in Phoebe's who fainted due to anaemia, caused by such a severe infestation she was literally crawling, wasn't too happy about it either.

There are as many conflicting stories as there are breeds of lice, I've known cases of head lice in pubes and pubic lice in armpits and body lice and crabs on heads, so there we go.

Some lice can survive for a few days, others can't without a warm body nearby. Headlice do not drown, the only way to make sure they are dead is to squish 'em. Nits are the same. Squish 'em till they crack and then you know they are dead.

No-one has said anything about where they lay, which tends to be mainly at the edges of the hair, along the hair line, so look carefully at the temples, the back of the neck and behind the ears. Also look along any partings.....

Combing over newspaper isn't really sensible, as you won't see them crawling off the paper over the print. Use plain white paper or a cotton sheet.

Have fun!

LTS

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: mooman
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 03:08 AM

Our daughter Hannah (who has long hair) suffered from nits/lice a couple of times when there were outbreaks in junior school.

We resorted to a pharmaceutical product for one particularly bad infestation but as many have indicated above working very carefully through a few hairs at a time with a proper nit comb usually works although it is time consuming. We used to rinse the nit comb in slightly diluted vinegar between each combing session.

It's true lice prefer clean hair and its also important that the school is informed so that the problem can be dealt with classwise otherwise you quickly get reinfestation.

Off for a scratch now!

mooman

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Watson
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 06:38 AM

Having come to this thread fairly late, I see tea tree oil has been mentioned already.
I agree, it is effective. I think it's best used with a nit comb. Rub tea tree oil into the scalp - all over, but paying particular attention to the danger areas, like behind the ears and the nape of the neck. Leave it for an hour or so, then comb through thoroughly.
An alternative that seems to work just as well is lavender oil, but other essential oils would be harmful to the scalp.
It would be interesting to know what sort of conditions the lice prefer. For instance, they may not like an acid environment, in which case, a rinse with lemon juice may help.
There are many web sites dedicated to the subject, and I think the answer is that there isn't an easy answer! You just have to persist.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Tig
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 08:13 AM

A problem I am well aware of both as a teacher and parent (though luckily FC hasn't had them for some time!) Did you know what in England the school nurses can no longer check for the little blighters as technically it is classed as assault!!!!

As an aromatherapist I mix teatree, geranium and lavender into (preferably leave-in) conditioner and apply it to the hair. The secret is to wet comb the hair with a fine tooth comb VERY thoroughly and repeat the excercise every couple of days until you get on top of it. A set of earplugs so you don't hear the complaints are also useful.

The same mix also acts as a preventative if used fairly frequently. Since the little dears at school had passed them on more than once previously the problem no longer occurs whilst I've used this method.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 08:36 AM

Amoret used to get lice regularly - and I didn't want to keep using the chemical products. My mum bought us a Robicomb (the electric thing from Boots or Argos).
It was by far the most effective treatment I ever used - and you can use it as often as you like, so you can run it through once a week just for luck if you like.
Mark seemed to be immune to the little gits, but Amoret and I used the comb a lot a few years ago. Its fun to use as well - as you can hear the blip when the nit gets zapped (Amoret loved that!). You have to be careful not to touch your earlobes with it as they seem very sensitive & it REALLY hurts - but over the scalp you just feel a mild tingle.
It seems that there is a peak age for the nit-infestations (lower junior school age) - so its worth getting the comb as it will pay for itself in what you save on chemical remedies. And of course its much healthier.
I can't recommend them highly enough.

Kris

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: JustWondering
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 08:45 AM

There is somewhat more relible info re lice at this Harvard site I say somewhat because they too give too much credit to a louses ability to survive off of a warm body. For better info, read Robert Askew's book, "Parasitic Insects" if you can get hold of it.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: JustWondering
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 08:49 AM

Oops, obviously i am unable to do the blue clicky thingy correctly. I will try again: go to hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 09:35 AM

Forgot to mention - when we used the robicomb thing we didn't have to do anything to house/clothes/bedding etc. We simply combed each night & broke the cycle that way. Anything lurking around the house got zapped as soon as it got back onto a head. Simplicity itself!

Kris

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Menita
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 01:26 PM

Wow! What a response; It's comforting to know how many others have suffered. It's taking so long to read all these replies, I have a queue of 'family' behind me begging for this hot seat! I've been told that if you break their legs (lice not family!) they can't mate. I have this picture of me rolling around the floor wrestling with a bloomin' great louse desperately trying to crack his shins!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 01:31 PM

Yep, they can't hold on to the hair without legs which is why cracking them between your fingernails is the best remedy. If they can't hold onto the hair, they can't hold onto each other either.... although if you break the child's legs, it can't run away from the nit comb, which is my problem.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 01:55 PM

Direct to the Harvard site cited by Just wondering. It is a good one, but somewhat long-winded: Headlice

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 01:59 PM

I always seem to forget something: Headlice

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: lady penelope
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 02:10 PM

What can I say? I've never had hair shorter than my waist ( apart from one run in with a hairdresser when I was 22 ) and I have yet to have a dose, despite being in the midst of various outbreaks! My mother swore it was because I never went to school with my hair loose. I have no idea if that helped or not.

My mother also said that when she was at school ( in Glasgow in the '40's ) that they got the parafin treatment. Apparently it kills them off 'cos of the water differential between the louses body and the parafin ( bug go crack ! ). But , yes there is that fire risk and anything that has the same affect ( a high concentration of detergent for example, oils etc. ) but is much less flammable, would be recommended. : )

Not that I want to cast wanton aspertions onto the male gender, but be warned......my mother was checking one on my brothers' hair well into his teens!

My sympathies in general...

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Gillie
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 04:37 PM

Really Magician.

Re. the STRONG VODKA.

Drink it and knock the buggers out systemically.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 04:46 PM

On an average day at the school where I work I suspect no less that third of the children have nits or lice! I use the robi comb regularly and also use tea tree shampoo and conditioner and have avoided most of them (but not all) Sadly there is still a stigma attached to lice and many parents are reluctant to tell the school until it becomes a real problem and then they come in complaining that little Joey has had them five times and I have to politely advise that if they'd told me the first time I might have been able to stop him passing them on!! Sadly although lice do prefer clean hair it is often the child who's parents don't check regularly who ends up with the worst infestation. Last week one of mine (pupils) had some lice that were almost quarter of an inch and probably great grandparents to millions!! In that case it was ignorance on the mother's part and she was very grateful to be told and immediately did something although from me noticing the lice and hometime who knows how many were passed on but we are not allowed to remove a child with headlice!! Regular checks used to be carried out by the school nurse (nitty Nora) but this now longer happens and so lice get a chance to take hold.
Think I'll go and have a go with the robi comb all this is making me itch!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,Shiela
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 06:06 PM

Is there a particular brand for this "robi comb" anyone could recommend? Also, where are they to be purchased (drug stores, medical supply stores, etc)? Thanks.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 06:20 PM

me mother used kerosene on me and me brothers it became a ritual every spring whether we needeed it or not note this is keorsene not gasoline which one of friends used upon her suggestion mistaking the former for the later and the poor child did not have ta worre about haircuts for half a year the conflagration permulgated by the presence of the waterheaters pilot lite by the sink banished the lice and horrificaly the yung boys hare with it thankfully their wer flour saks by the sink however based upon my families experience with three robust roustabout stick yer head into anything ye can stick it or yer stick into methods kerosene is a good enough cure for many things including fly bites on horeses leggs

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 08:49 PM

someone from the MIddle East said they cover the hair with honey, cover overnight, and wash in the morning. It also conditions the hair. And I remember on an aromatherapy list that there was some research done..I think a combination of two oils worked best..can't remember for sure but I think it was rosemary and lavendar..Mixed in a base of some sort..don't use straight..

mg

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: X
Date: 02 Apr 02 - 10:26 PM

Had crabs one time. I saved a strip of hair off and set one side on fire. As they ran across the bare strip to ecsape the fire I stabed them with an icepick.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Menita
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 04:39 AM

Were you sitting in the ice at the time and more's to the point, were you naked??? Tell me again where abouts on ones's body one gets crabs??

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Apr 02 - 11:54 PM

Lucy - this pubic information site will answer your question.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice/factsht_pubic_lice.htm

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Trevor
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 07:44 AM

I'm itching just from reading this thread. LA, have you tried hitting them with a mallet? My partner went for her piano lesson the other day and was harangued by her teacher's daughter.."I usually wear my hair down but it's up today 'cos Mummy says and I've got millions and millions of creatures in my head but I don't want her to kill the poor creatures and what grade are you?"

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: X
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 10:42 AM

Hey Lucy Ann:

If you truly want to know as to where to get crabs we need to get together! ;-)

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Menita
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 04:01 PM

Well Sir, What kind of chat-up line is that?! I'll bring all the advice from above. We'll cure you yet!!!

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,Grayd
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 06:12 PM

Its all getting a little OTT isn't it?

A treatment that we've used several times over the years:-

Wash hair. Put on plenty of conditioner - don't rinse it back out yet.

Brush hair to remove tangles. Use nit comb (you'll probably have several from the treatments that you have already tried) to remove as many of the little b*ggers as you can find. Remove any that you find from the nit comb onto a tissue using an old, (disused would be preferable) toothbrush.

Rinse hair.

Repeat until 4 days after you stop finding them.

Job done (as we say in here).

Its tedious but it works.

Have fun.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,Grayd
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 06:16 PM

That should, of course, have read "Repeat DAILY until . . ."

But you knew that.

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: ciarili
Date: 05 Apr 02 - 08:28 PM

before posting, try www.google.com

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Apr 02 - 12:57 AM

Did it Work?

Is it safe for my little one to now play with your little one?

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: Menita
Date: 19 Apr 02 - 02:10 PM

So what's going on with my little buddy? We've shaved his hair very short and he gets a combing every night and a good shampoo a couple of times a week. So far we're on top of it but who knows whose heads gonna touch his and off we go again-we'll have to comb every night for ever! LA

Subject: RE: Head Lice-help !
From: GUEST,Grayd
Date: 19 Apr 02 - 07:46 PM

I thought this would come back, just like our tiny friends. Its all part of life's rich tapestry. Think of it as an organic thing.

From experience, I can tell you that its likely to happen again (two daughters, long hair, crewcuts not an option {'crewcut' is a UK term for a 'US marines' style haircut} ).

After a while its not such a crisis - just an irritation (fnar, couldn't resist).

The hair conditioner definitely makes the combing out easier, trust me.