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Post by dhfl143 on Jul 7, 2008 21:19:03 GMT -5
Any suggestions for dealing with lice? Went to local drug store and bought product to remove. Daughter has extremely long hair. Spent about two hours removing nits and then treated her head. Now I have to launder everything. Fortunately, no one else in the family got them. We had a sleep over and apparently, neighbors had them and didn't realize it. Any other suggestions or infrmation that I should know. Will heat of dryer kill eggs of specialy pillow that can't be laundered? Do I have to retreat? How often and when. Well, it has not bee an uneventful summer Thanks in advance for any suggestions? Anyone want to help with some laundry
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Post by Mayleng on Jul 7, 2008 21:36:17 GMT -5
Haven't dealt with head lice thank goodness. But you have my sympathies.
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Post by d on Jul 7, 2008 21:56:18 GMT -5
If I remember correctly from the 'great head lice infestation of 2nd grade' (ew, ew, ew, ew....)... It was going through the classes, they had finally contained it to the last 2 of 5 2nd grade classes which is when my dd got it. It was disgusting - something about that second grade that it was rampant in every classroom. sick* sick* sick*
Try and part with everything soft you can. For the few things you can't part with like a few precious stuffed animals, if you put them in a plastic bag tied tight for a month or so, that is supposed to kill them (do NOT quote me on that - do your own research). Quarantine them. I put them in the garage and forgot about them for a month or so. I'd be very nervous about trying to save a bed pillow.
I washed all linens, bed and towels for everyone, not just infested 2nd grader. I threw out all hairbrushes - my girls shared hairbrushes in the same bathroom drawer so they were all gone and the drawer scrubbed and sprayed with a lice thing. We also used a lice comb in addition to the chemical treatments. And I think I gave her two treatments spaced out over two nights just to be sure - wasn't as careful with the second as I was with the comb-out and first treatment.
There was something natural or homeopathic in the drugstore. After chemicals, I put that on a prevention. Both my girls wore ponytails to school for months after. Ponytails are supposed to be very effective - no hair flying around, have it all contained around their heads.
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Post by d on Jul 7, 2008 21:56:58 GMT -5
Oh forgot - It was not one of my fondest parenting memories...
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Post by baysmommy on Jul 7, 2008 22:01:13 GMT -5
We had the great lice infectation of the 3rd grade here...and we did everything d said. Tea Tree oil kills them, add 40 drops to 2 OZ johnsons baby shampoo, lather , rinse repeat Cooking oil, olive oil, mayo, crisco, whatever you got....put on head, leave overnight, wash with dish liquid, then use the teensy comb. Do this every 5 nights for 20 nights( so 4-5 times) It does work, but takes time and is non toxic. We add ea Tree Oil to our shampoo as a preventative. Lavender is also a deterrent, lavender oil in hsampoo helps too/ this stuff works too, and is kid friendly. www.cofbath.com/Retail/Lice-Free-Zone?leadsource=MKTG407
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Post by dhfl143 on Jul 7, 2008 22:05:59 GMT -5
Thanks guys. I appreciate the tips. I'll have to get some tea tree oil -- where can I find that? I'd prefer using non-toxic methods in the future. I'll get new pillows for bedding and the others I will quaranteen (hadn't thought of that).
Thanks again.
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Post by d on Jul 7, 2008 22:27:05 GMT -5
Ponytails, ponytails and more ponytails if she is in a classroom, large or small group environment until well after the infestation has left (or been killed) your area. Put ponytail holders on your shopping list.
That was per my pediatrician.
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Post by greenie on Jul 8, 2008 11:10:40 GMT -5
Last year my son got head lice and gave it to the whole family, and then his cousins too. As you know, you have to wash everything. If you put pillows out in the sun (wash their pillow cases) that will kill them too. If they don't have a scalp to hang onto, they die. You can get lice spray and spray the furniture where your child has been sitting and laying their head. I ended up totally "buzzing" my boys hair (they both had long hair, no hair rules at school) and my daughter cut her hair as well. My daughter had waist length hair and now has a cute bob. We used the over the counter stuff to wash their hair with since they are older. It's a battle and I feel for you! Where I live there is a large Native American population and some of them don't even bother to treat their kids head lice so it goes around the schools all the time. (No offense to Native Americans, some of them where I live don't care for their children well)
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Post by rw on Jul 8, 2008 11:53:35 GMT -5
Don't forget about treating the carpet and seats in your car. Spray and then vacuum well.
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Post by dhfl143 on Jul 8, 2008 13:35:18 GMT -5
Thanks. I guess you'll be able to guess what I'll be up to all week long. LOL (It's better to laugh, than to cry.)
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Post by m00mma on Jul 8, 2008 13:49:44 GMT -5
olive oil! soak her hair in olive oil and the nits will come out soooo much more easily, because believe me....even if you think you got them all out...you didn't LOL! sorry to say that! The olive oil also helps to kill any of the head lice that have been missed by those icky chemicals that they are becoming immune to. but they can't become immune to suffocating! ;D it worked so well for my dd that we never even had to use the chemicals on her when she got this...although we used the spray on the bedding and car and such... I would also take everything that she has come into contact with that can't be washed and put it into a big garbage bag and store it away for 6 weeks. that way any little hatchers will be taken care of. then make sure to shake them out well outside when you get them out 6 weeks later. also when you do the mattress make sure you vacuum it and take the bag or canister outside to empty it. also after soaking your dds hair in olive oil for 2 hours (under a shower cap) section it in as many sections as is humanly possible and then comb through it using a *metal* comb . don't even bother with those stupid plastic ones. they will just make you work harder to accomplish absolutely nothing! and you end up making your kids go through heck for it all over it again. oh and using alcohol to dip the metal comb in always to kill whatever you get off it and to change the alcohol often especially if it is a bad infestation. and just fyi for everyone here...you have to have super clean hair to get head lice. they don't like your hair being dirty because they can't get a hold of it and their eggs don't stick. so if you want to make sure your kids don't get head lice, then add product to their hair before they go to school. I will usually make my girls wear gel in their hair and also have their hair up in buns as though they were going to a ballets performance or something. that will keep them from getting head lice 99% of the time. only 1 of my children have ever had it and only once at that. I do the hair up thing every time get a report from one of my kids that there has been a head check at school or that someone has head lice. oh i also have the kids use tea tree oil shampoo once in a while just as a precaution. but not all the time. It is a pain, but just remember that it doesn't mean that your child is dirty, it in fact means your child is clean and washes her hair well if that can be any consolation LOL! sorry LOL! it is important to find the positive in these situations isn't it? I would keep her hair up though throughout the rest of the summer and the beginning of the year...and maybe use a bit of product at the roots...just as a precaution. People here on the mainland don't seem to know how to handle this stuff.....in Hawaii it is a normal thing to get rid of this a few times in childhood. gross, but normal LOL! Good luck!!! I will think positive thoughts for you!!!!!
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Post by michellea on Jul 8, 2008 16:20:37 GMT -5
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Post by jisp on Jul 9, 2008 5:28:19 GMT -5
I'm itchy just reading this. Check out the New Yorker article last week on why we itch, it is fascinating.
Oh when I was a camp counselor I once had a little girl who was being raised by her father. The father sent her in with a note and on the top of the note was a bug scotch taped onto the paper. The dad wrote, "I found this in XXXX's hair last night, I am not sure what it is." I was taking the kids from the bus drop off spot to the cabin and I suddenly made a detour and we all went to the nurses office.
Also as an overnight counselor my girls/cabin got lice. We played beauty salon and pretended we were getting fancy hair treatments. It helped with the hysteria they were having over having this in the bunk.
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Post by VaMom on Jul 9, 2008 21:35:29 GMT -5
okay, some of y'all are doing what I call licesteria... they are definitely a PITA but please calm down... and please DON'T SPRAY PESTICIDES AROUND YOUR CHILD, PLEASE. for rational, scientific info.. www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.htmlWe've had head lice through our school and through our kids too many times. Here's the most important thing I have learned. They are called HEAD lice for a reason. And that is: they only like the HEAD. Separated from the head, their food source, they die within hours, so it is very questionable whether you need to do all that washing, and it is highly inadvisable to spray pesticides. What you do need to do is this: comb, comb, comb, and then comb again. And while you're thinking about it, comb some more. The head is where you need to focus 100 percent of your energy. For a boy, give as close a crewcut as possible. Done. For a girl, get the tiniest ponytail holders you can find... take a small clump of hair.. go through with a fine tooth comb, and then look again... are there any sesame seed-looking things clinging to the hair? These are nits... you may need to remove them with your finger nail or you mayl actually need to cut that strand of hair. . when you are sure every stand of hair in the clump is nit and lice free, separate it off with the tiny ponytail holder and go on to the next clump. Yes, I said it was a PITA. At least it's summer and you can do this whole exercise outside, which is so much easier.. you just drop everything on the ground and it will die... no worries about inside the house. Again, please DO NOT spray pesticides around your child, or your child's room or other areas your child/family goes to. This is much, much worse than lice. Lice are only a PITA, they are not harmful. Pesticides are harmful.
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Post by d on Jul 9, 2008 22:23:01 GMT -5
VaMom, I definitely have licesteria!!!!! And one spring I forgot to give our dogs their flea treatment and I had flea-steria. I'm somewhat phobic about lice and fleas.
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Post by d on Jul 9, 2008 22:26:48 GMT -5
PS I read the Harvard link. Seems my district/town does almost everything on the no no list (or is that noe noe). In fact, after the great lice infestation of 2nd grade, parents were springing for headphones so the kids wouldn't share the classroom headphones. And our school immediately sends kids home if they see nits - no waiting for regular dismissal time. And they line classes up for lice checks. Not allowed back in school without the boxtop from the chemical treatment (yup, that's policy). Etc., etc., etc.
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Post by dhfl143 on Jul 9, 2008 22:28:41 GMT -5
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Post by jdeekdee on Jul 10, 2008 11:58:57 GMT -5
I have tried everything under the sun. Vinegar, alcohol, mayo, ALL the OTC brands, everything. The ONLY thing that works for us is tea tree oil. It is in the vitamin/health section of walmart and other stores. I put 3 drops in shampoo and washed hair. Then rinsed really well. Use a lice comb to comb out the hair in small sections. Keep a spray bottle to keep the hair wet, it's easier to get them out with hair wet. Keep a glass of water nearby to rinse comb out frequently. You can see how many you get out by looking in the glass when you finish. Do this every day until you see no more lice, then check hair everyday for a while to make sure they don't return.
I read a story of a woman who used many OTC things for her family and finally went to dr for a prescription of something strong. For some reason she got her head treated but not the rest of her family. She almost died.
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Post by weezie on Jul 14, 2008 21:46:15 GMT -5
Head lice...YUK! I have been down this road many times. I get itchy just thinking about it. My stepdaughters got headlice lots of times. We always did what we were supposed to on our end, but their mother. Well, I just won't touch that. I did all of the washing, spraying, lice treatment on the heads, and nit picking with the fine tooth comb. I hated it!! I am OCD about lice and fleas. Bugs on me or my pets, or my kids, I just can't handle it. I also had a little girl I cared for that got them repeatedly. that was easier as she was only in the living area of the house, and not the bedrooms. I always used the chemicals. I know you are all frowning at me now. But I treat, get out, air out, wash and vacuum everywhere before anyone else returns! Very Hard work! But it worked every time!! I in fact just took care of fleas. I found one immature one on my dog, I washed them, treated them, and sprayed where they frequent, (fortunately not everywhere in the house) and I have not seen any more. I think I got it early on. I have heard of tea tree oil, but never used it, but I have heard that it does work well as everyone is suggesting here. I may have to get some for my daughter to use if necessary. Hang in there. It is not impossible, just difficult!! Weezie
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Post by dhfl143 on Jul 14, 2008 21:49:30 GMT -5
Thanks for all the encouragement! I think we have it under control, but I am doing nightly head checks...just to make sure. Don't want to go through that again any time soon.
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 15, 2008 8:23:53 GMT -5
Thankfully, my son hasn't had to deal with this (I'd shave his head if he did) but for those of you with older children, does one have to be concerned about lice moving from head to underarm or pubic hair?
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Post by d on Jul 15, 2008 11:35:51 GMT -5
No healthy, not really. I've only seen and heard head lice around here for elem age children.
The lice-like creatures, if they aren't lice anyway, in the private regions is called crabs. That one you don't get by sitting next to a kid in your class or sharing a hairbrush though. ;D
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Post by healthy11 on Jul 15, 2008 16:55:09 GMT -5
I didn't realize lice could "card" kids and only go for the young ones! (But like people have said, they tend to like kids with clean hair, and once puberty strikes, the oil glands go into overtime!) Oddly, my son's former girlfriend did leave her hairbrush in our car...I wonder why.... tongue*
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Post by d on Jul 16, 2008 9:58:57 GMT -5
I don't think head lice "cards" kids. ;D
But, as for the rest, I can't comment bc the thought of my girls having boyfriends slays me. I'm quite quite happy that boys are only on the fringe radar for the 15 yo and the 12/soon to be 13 you thinks they're kind of icky still. Let them be that way for as long as possible for my sanity... ;D
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Post by healthy11 on Aug 5, 2016 17:30:13 GMT -5
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