how to handle lice

[girlspn]

Hello!

I'm almost embarrassed to post this, and I hope this is the right forum.

I got lice from my little 15 month dd. We didn't know she had lice, just noticed she was scratching her head vigorously all the time. She had thick hair. We live in rural India and I'm sure she got it from our neighbor. Apparently it's common here. 

We shaved her head, hoping to make her more comfortable, and also easy to take care of (she screams when we wash her hair). Babies heads are usually shaved here in India where we live so it's not a big deal. 

Anyway, fast forward 3 weeks, and I discovered the little buggers in my hair just a couple of days ago. My head had been itching for a few weeks and I've got rashes on my neck, which I thought was an allergy to seafood because I ate a lot on a trip 3 weeks ago (I'm mildly allergic).

I used some kind of anti-lice treatment (its like conditioner) from the drugstore and spent the last 2 days combing. My head still itches terribly, to the point where sleep is disturbed. Besides that, I just feel really gross knowing there's lice and eggs in my hair.

I'm breastfeeding around the clock still so I'm hesitant about using any chemicals. Actually, I really want to shave my head if shaving gets rid of them 100%. I co-sleep with dd and certainly don't want her to get them again. My dh prefers me to keep my hair and asked me to try combing them out, and reassess after a week. 

Is a week enough to get rid of all the nits? Any advice? 

Thanks for reading!

[fruitfulmomma]

Earth Mama Angel Baby posted this on facebook recently...

"YES, drench those heads in Angel Baby Oil and Tea Tree Oil! Add a shower cap for at least 3 hours and comb, comb, comb! It worked!"

Www.earthmamaangelbaby.com

Have you made sure all bedding, clothing, stuffed animals, combs and brushes, hair ties, etc... have been thoroughly washed?

[sandyintn]

So sorry about your problem. I can certainly understand your husband not wanting you to shave your head! :)

There's a lot of information here

http://www.licetreatmentcenter.net/liceinfo.php

Several of the products have a pleasant smell and it's non-toxic, but you really need another adult to look through your hair to remove the eggs/nits from each piece of hair. It's a tedious process, but one that has to be done.

I hope that this helps you and you can get your life back to normal quickly.

[girlspn]

Thanks, ladies!

With work and running after my dd, I simply don't have the time nor energy to spend combing out nits. I decided to shave my head. Feels great knowing they're no longer nesting in my head! My dh supported my decision, thank goodness. :)

[rubidoux]

I think shaving is an awesome way to handle it but if it happens again and you don't want to shave, I highly recommend cetaphil. It totally works and you don't have to get the nits out. Just google cetaphil and lice to find directions.

Btw, lice is super common here in the US, too.