remedies for head lice

**ktsmama** · 10-12-2010, 09:09 AM

When my DD was in the 2nd grade lice was passed around many times. The only thing that would get rid of her lice was the cheapest mayo I could find and a shower cap. I saturated her hair and put the shower cap on for an hour our two.

**lisaflex** · 10-12-2010, 09:26 AM

we have never had it. thank goodness.

we have the fairy tale preventative spray which i put on DD when we get the notice that lice is going around. we also use a rosemary shampoo for lice that is sold at whole foods weekly just as a preventative measure.

i have also heard that you should put all stuffed animals and comforters in a bag and tie it shut and put it somehwere dark for a few weeks - dont know why or if it works, but have heard that.

good luck getting rid of them.

**AmyBoz** · 10-12-2010, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by lisaflex

i have also heard that you should put all stuffed animals and comforters in a bag and tie it shut and put it somehwere dark for a few weeks - dont know why or if it works, but have heard that.

Lice cannot survive off of hair for more than 2 days, so if you bag up the stuffed animals for a week, then shake them out or wash them before putting them back with the kids, the lice will be dead and gone!

**momof2boys2005** · 10-12-2010, 11:25 AM

I've already given you a hug but heck here's another!

I soooo feel for you! I had managed to get through DS#1 school career without dealing with lice once but I wasn't so lucky with DS#2!

Here are a few lice facts:

Head lice

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the scalp, where they lay their eggs. Head lice do not spread disease. Having head lice does not mean you are not clean.

What do head lice look like?

Lice have 3 stages – the egg (nit), the nymph and the adult.

Nits are whitish-grey, tan or yellow ovals, approximately the size of a grain of sand. They stick to the hair close to the scalp and can look like dandruff. Nits hatch in 9 to 10 days.

Nymphs are baby lice. They look like adult lice but are smaller.

Adult lice are approximately the size of a sesame seed and are hard to see. Adult lice can live for up to 30 days on a person’s head, but they die within 3 days away from the scalp.

An adult louse measures 2 mm to 4 mm.

Courtesy of Caring for Kids

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-12-2010, 11:34 AM

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Do not coat your head in vaseline, no matter what the internet tells you!

**momof2boys2005** · 10-12-2010, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Do not coat your head in vaseline, no matter what the internet tells you!

I've never done it for lice as I medicated when DS#2 had it but man when I was 10 I wanted to be a punk rocker with spiked hair...didn't have any gel or mousse in the house...

**Molemommy** · 10-12-2010, 12:21 PM

My son got them 2 years ago and I got tea tree essential oil ( i used quite a bit at first) and massaged that into his head with regular shampoo and combed it while it was in there and I did this every day for a week to make sure we got hatchlings and after the first treatment they were gone... now once a week he uses tea tree shampoo for a preventive and we have not had them since...

**Daisygirl** · 01-26-2011, 07:36 PM

Last year my poor child got headlice 27 times. The school thought it was coming from us not getting rid of them properly. I fought their decision and a regional nurse was brought in. She came in once a week to check Rachel's head and discovered that indeed, they were coming from someone else. She did not find so much as a nit in her hair. They finally discovered the source, a child from a large family whose mom only treated on kid at a time. (Grrr....)

My daughter has very sensitive skin and the chemical treatments made her hair fall out. We discovered (the hard way) that wet combing is the best method.

Buy one of the good lice combs (we call them cootie combs - it just sounds friendlier) with the metal teeth. The very best ones have wavy metal teeth but just the straight ones work too.

Wash your child's hair as normal and use lots of conditioner to make her tangle free. Rinse well. Towel dry, leaving hair damp. Use your metal cootie comb and comb through every single strand of hair, starting all the way at the scalp. Keep a box of tissues nearby and wipe the comb after every pass. Do this twice to three times on the first day and once a day every day after that. We do this once a week, regardless of whether or not lice have been detected in the school.

**JillMaryDuggan** · 12-02-2011, 12:13 PM

aside from the home remedy or chemical treatment, it is important too that you will avoid him from using other's things. This is to ensure that nits and lice transmission is being avoided.

**Aqua Blue** · 12-02-2011, 02:49 PM

A friend of mine, whose family had many foster kids growing up and had many incidents of head lice, told me her Mom always had them rinse their hair with vinegar and leave it on for a couple of minutes before rinsing out. They never had a problem with lice.

I told my sister about this when one of her daughters had several episodes of lice. She tried it and her daughter had no more problems. I think it must pickle the eggs.

**zakity** · 12-02-2011, 04:55 PM

It is supposed to disolve the glue that attaches the egg to the hair. And, they are supposed to not like the smell.

**oheoh's momma** · 12-02-2011, 08:32 PM

mayonaise my daughter got it I wish I counted. put mayo in hair let set a couple /3 hours wrap in towel. dry all pillows, put up all stuffed animals/ dolls in garbage bags ( that she /he plays with) and let them stay in bag for couple weeks. vacuum mattress. wash all hairbows. soak all combs and brushes. throw sheets and blankets in dryer. I mayoed everybody head. wash out with dawn to de grease. take conditioner and lots of it to comb through. Hope u have a washer and dryer. it sure would be easier. good luck.... I promise u this works. the mayo suffcates the nits and and live bugs can't move or breath in that goop