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Children's health

bloody hell, head lice! Help!!

16 replies

minxofmancunia · 17/07/2010 10:38

Dh discovered dds (3.9) thick curly long tangled (nightmare) locks were riddled yesterday. Quick dash to chemist for chemical solution and comb. Applied solution and fine combed, all the actual lice have gone but there are still eggs there!! Also horror upon horror my (v similar but longer and even more curly) hair has eggs in it but no lice!

How the hell do you get rid of these things??! Boil washed all the bedding and towels yesterday and am going to get dh to have a go at my hair with the comb and some conditioner this am (how romantic). Also it seems the nursery where dd goes might have a bit of a re-infection issue. Is there anything you can do to deter these nasties?? Ughh feel minging!

OP posts:
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adanaivy · 17/07/2010 10:47

HEADRIN you can buy it from superdrug or boots or any chemist and you only need to use it the once it works a treat

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3littlefrogs · 17/07/2010 10:48

Nitty gritty comb, loads of conditioner, comb every night.

Don't use chemicals on small children, hedrin is very expensive and highly flammable, the cheap henna wax tubs from the pound shop plus a drop of tea tree oil, and some cling film works just as well - the principle being that the lice are suffocated in the gloop, and the hair is slippery enough to get the eggs out with the nitty gritty.

If you search, you will find enough info on here about headlice to fill a library! It is a very common problem and no-one is spared!!

Good luck.

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TanteRose · 17/07/2010 10:49

its yuck isn't it?

I had to scrape the eggs (nits) of one by one with my fingernails, or cut each of the hairs off.

My DCs had them twice and I got infected once.

You just have to be diligent and keep up the combing and nit-picking until they are all gone.

Apparently tea-tree oil is a deterrent.

The lice can't live off the head for very long, and they can't jump (they crawl from head to head). Look up the life-cycle of lice to get an idea of how they lay their eggs etc. and how long it takes for them to hatch etc.

You CAN get on top of the little blighters if you are persistent.

Talk to the nursery too - maybe they can send a letter out for everyone to check heads.

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megsophandemma · 17/07/2010 10:49

I feel your pain.

I have three dds two with curly thick hair. What I do is every night for two weeks, during their bath, is cover their hair with conditioner and go through with a nitty gritty comb. After two weeks, maybe a little longer they are usually completely free of nasties.

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3littlefrogs · 17/07/2010 10:51

I hate to say this, but if you have eggs, you will definitely have lice......

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HousewifeOfOrangeCounty · 17/07/2010 10:53

I find that hair dye gets rid of them - obviously for you not your dc's.

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megsophandemma · 17/07/2010 10:55

lol HOOC that's what I do! Frazzle the wee b***ds

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SweetApril · 17/07/2010 11:03

Minx, you got in there before me! We've got the same problem, me and DD. Hope you don't mind if I jump on the thread with my question about the flippin' eggs.

How are you supposed to get rid of them all?!

I've done the Nitty Gritty and tea tree conditioner every day since Weds. Got all the actual lice in the first go but every single day I'm combing lots of eggs out even though I pretty much can't see any with the naked eye now. Every time I inspect DDs hair (which is practically every five minutes!) it looks clear and then I will suddenly spot a teeny bloody egg and then another and another. Everything I've read says you must get rid of all the eggs but how can I be sure? Argh! Really not keen to use chemical stuff on DD (although may have to resort to it for me as my hair is so thick and curly).

Oh, Minx, if it makes you feel any better you don't need to wash all the bedding and stuff as they literally only live on the hair. I was practically weeping at the thought of all the washing and then I read that on a website somewhere and my pharmacist confirmed it!

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exexpat · 17/07/2010 11:07

If you go through with conditioner and comb every day or every other day, you will catch the baby lice as they hatch - they are easier to get with the nitcomb than the actual eggs, and as long as you do it regularly for about two weeks, you will catch them all before they reach adulthood and can lay their own eggs and start the cycle again. Boring and time-consuming, but it works. Until another adult one hops on at school, of course.

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PadmeHum · 17/07/2010 11:10

Agree that no chemicals are needed.

Cheap white conditioner. A good nit comb and lots of patience.

You need to comb every other day for a week IME to really get rid of the infestation.

I don't bother boiling bedding/clothes. It doesn't make any difference IME.

Good luck.

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Just13moreyearstogo · 17/07/2010 11:11

I well remember the total shock of finding head lice for the first time. It became much more routine after that, unfortunately. Agree with exexpat's advice and, if it's any consolation, my 14 year old who was always catching them when younger never got them once he went to secondary school. The lice seem to like fresh young heads!

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DilysPrice · 17/07/2010 11:14

Seconded exexpat - you've got about a week I think between hatching and breeding - so in theory if you get absolutely every single live louse one weekend using combing or chemical warfare and then repeat the process the next weekend to get everything that's hatched over the previous week and get every single one, then you should break the cycle.

In practice you'll miss one or two, but eventually it will work. It is neither possible nor necessary to get rid of all the eggs, but removing as many as you can will help (and it is quite satisfying).

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GypsyMoth · 17/07/2010 11:15

nursery is onlt the beginning....the lice will be part of your lives from now on!!!

as soon as you get rid,then they come back.....and the school cant force other parents to rid their kids of them,so its persistant and ongoing

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gorionine · 17/07/2010 11:26

Our school advises to use hedrin if lice/nits are dectcted , but only then, not as a prevention thing. So far only DD1 had them once, a few years back and I really hope it will not happen again. I actually had to ask DH to deal with it when I found them. I remember it took a few chemical session before we got rid (was not hedrin at the time, but something that looked a bit like Calomine lotion)

I used to have one of those plastic fine combs which truly were a nightmare. Have since invested in a proper Nitty gritty one and oh! the difference! Even ok with DD1 long, thick very curly hair!

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PestoEatsPasties · 17/07/2010 11:28

Nitty gritty comb and tea-tree conditioner, repeat every 3 days or so.

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SweetApril · 17/07/2010 11:35

Ah, so I've got a bit of time between when they hatch and become mature enough to start laying eggs again. I had visions of them hatching, mating and laying more eggs in the short time that DD is out of the house and in childcare.

On the plus side DD is in seventh heaven cos she's getting to watch loads of DVDs while I do the combing!

I never once got them as a kid and nor did any of my mates and I always thought the nit nurse must have a cushy job. But where is she now when you need her, eh?!

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