Need tips!

[Calliope85]

Just found lice in my daughter's hair--this is the second time in 6 months and I am so horrified to have to go through this all over again.  Hoping to avoid chemical stuff this time--please give me your best treatment tips.  Thanks!!

Edited by Calliope85 - 9/11/11 at 1:30pm

[Marnica]

Ive been told this is very effective - and it's natural with no chemicals

http://www.nitmix.com/
 

Originally Posted by Calliope85 

We are having a never-ending nightmare with head lice and I'm desperate for some advice.  We got it last year and successfully got rid of it relatively easily and quickly, so I thought I was a bit of a pro at it which makes this all the more frustrating.
It started 6 weeks ago and the first 4 weeks we did weekly Nix or Rid treatments.  They say to do another treatment after 7-10 days if they return...so we kept doing them.  All this time I was combing like crazy with the nit combs, doing all the laundry, etc.
I stopped at that point because I was sure that I had disrupted their life cycle.  However, I started feeling like my head was itchy, and this past Sunday combed through and found some nits.  I slathered our hair in mayo, covered it in plastic wrap, and left it on overnight(10 hours).  In the morning, the pillows were crawling with lice nymphs.  I have no idea what happened--they left the hair I guess?  We rinsed our hair and then did a comb through and there were NO dead bugs.  
The next day (Tuesday) I did one of the chemical shampoos and again there were no dead bugs that came out during the comb-through.  I also washed EVERYTHING in the house, sprayed the couch and mattress, etc.  
Today, Thursday, I did another thorough comb-through on my daughter and found just one egg.  However, as I was combing through her hair, she points to her wrist and says, "Mom, is that a louse?"  And there one was, walking up her arm.  
I am so frustrated I am about to tear my hair out.  Can someone please tell me something I'm doing wrong?  I feel like the chemical stuff isn't working at all at this point, but now I'm terrified to try any alternative methods after the mayo disaster.  Someone PLEASE help!!!

[34me]

Have you done the car?  If the kids are in school has the school been done?  My niece's elementary school actually had to close for a week one year to de - louse the whole school. Libraries comfy chairs?

[tessie]

The issue is probably that they are getting reinfected at school/when with friends. You need to speak to the school and ask them to inform all parents that they need to deal with the issue ASAP. Or if they're not in school speak to their friends' parents. While they are around other kids keep their hair tied back and braided if possible.

Personally I'd use a chemical treatment and repeat as required. LiceMD is the equivalent of the most popular brand here and is pesticide free and works by suffocating the lice with silicone.

There is no need to wash bedding, cars etc. Lice can only live for a very short time away from human heads. Honestly, nobody here ever treats anything but heads.

This website is very helpful in advising how to keep them at bay. http://www.chc.org/ I conditioner comb on a very regular basis. It's a pain but I'd far rather do that than have to deal with lice again.

[welcome,earthling!]

Hello!

First, I recommend the treatment described on this website: http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/ (after arriving at the home page you'll find a link for the treatment description that will bring you to this page: http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/Nuvo%20method.htm). The treatment was designed by a physician who is not selling a product on his website. The method that he advocates employs Cetaphil cleanser--a product that he is not affiliated with, and from which he does not profit. He is simply providing information. I've found that the information that he describes can be very reassuring for families who are trying to rid their world of lice.

Secondly, I'm really sorry that you're in the middle of a lice nightmare. Know that you are absolutely not alone. In fact, a majority of elementary schools in the US have experienced lice outbreaks in the most recent school years. Those little bugs are incredibly aggravating and invasive.

Best of luck!

[SuburbanHippie]

IMO, you can't just comb through and see everything.  There are zillions of hairs on the head.  It's impossible to find everything in there.  The ONLY thing that worked for us was using a method another MDC momma posted on an archived thread.  It's called the Bug Busting Method.  You only need a nit comb, shampoo, conditioner, and paper towels.  There's a video that shows you how to do it HERE.  It's the little box on the main page there.  I did this every day to all of my kids and myself for a week.  Then when I found nothing at all the last time, I repeated it again 3 days later, then another 3 days later for two weeks.  I never found another nit, lice, or anything. 

I bagged up most of the clothes in the house along with all stuffed animals/dress up clothes/towels/sheets etc.  Everyone got one set of sheets, one towel, and enough clothes to last 7 days.  I kept the other stuff bagged for a month.  I did a load of laundry daily on hot and dried it on hot.  I vacuumed the mattresses, couch, carpets etc.  I put garbage bags over the pillows and slid the pillow case on over it for a month.  This was after I dried the pillows on hot (but didn't wash them, they would have been lumpy then).  It was crinkly sounding but everyone got used to it quickly.

Did I go overboard?  Maybe.  But all I know is we haven't had an issue since and that was enough for me.  I did find dead lice inside some of the plastic bags with clothes in them when I opened them up a month later so I feel good about my choices.  It wasn't easy (particularly because I was almost in my third trimester of pregnancy at that point), but I'm just glad it's over.

I hope this helps!

[LaughingHyena]

We followed the bug busting method without any issues. One of the things which has helped us was getting the school involved in the national bug busting days. The more people you can get to check and if necessary treat at the same time the better the bet you wont get reinfected via school.

[savithny]

The Nuvo method (Cetaphil) worked splendidly for us in one go (we all had them by the time I found them on DD).

We got re-infested from the same vector a few months later and it worked again.   

As said above, it's just Cetaphil lotion -- but a lot of it.   They say you don't have to fine-comb if you do the method, but I took the opportunity of having all that lotion in the hair to nit-comb as well.

I personally suspect that the blow-drying step is the most important, and you cannot skip it.   The instructions say it "shrinkwraps" the live lice and kills them.  I suspect the heat probably kills them before they can be shrinkwrapped.  The drying takes a long time, and the lotion seems to conduct heat better than just wet hair does.

[Mama2Kayla]

http://www.licefreee.com/headlice-treatment.htm 

This was the only stuff that worked for my kids. It also comes with a great metal nit comb! Much better than the cheap plastic kind.

I did 2 treatments like a week apart and combed every night in between. Lots and lots of combing out nits.....it really is the best thing.

FWIW, my older kids were super infested...tons of nits and large adults

Nix, the chemical stuff didn't work at all.

[hippiemom]

I am a schoolteacher.  Just hearing the word "nits" makes my psychological lice come back.. {itch itch my scalp here}

I have always seen and recommended that you re-do treatment after 7-10 days of initial whether you see nits or not.  They are hard to see, esp on thick or very light hair.  Do the treatment of your choice and do it again in about 8 or 9 days.  Do a comb-out and a third {non-chem this time} treatment after ANOTHER 7-10 days.  

Make certain schools are notified and doing head checks very regularly.