headlice nightmare!

[Trinaj]

I'm having absolute hell with my dd (7).
She has had headlice on and off (more on than off!) since OCTOBER!
To start with she'd get them, then we'd spend 2 weeks getting rid of them, then 2 weeks later they'd be back again.
Got rid of them over Christmas, 2 weeks back at school - infested again!
Now it's got to the stage where i don't know whether she's still picking them up or they're just not clearing.
We have a 'nitty gritty' comb which we use EVERY time we wash and i'm now treating her hair once or twice a week, every week.
I'm totally fed up and don't know what else to do.
I have discussed cutting her hair short, but keep hoping I don't have too, I have also been recommended to stop washing her hair with shampoo.
It's getting so expensive and none of them appear to work.
I have spoken to the school and they'll do nothing except send out letters - again!
I'm so cross, I want to get the parents of the kids who are infecting mine to pay for the treatments.
Sorry for the rant .

[Albrecht]

Or malt vinegar? Atleast its cheap!

[Trinaj]

Tried hedrin.
Not tried vinegar - neat? wouldn't it damage hair?

[seeker]

Hedrin.

[MorocconOil]

Does she tie her hair right back? DD wears hers in plaits now, and this seems to have helped as it reduces the chance of them jumping off someone elses head onto hers!

[Skegness]

Much sympathy. We've just cleared yet another infestation from our boys. What treatments are you using? The old fashioned insecticide types (Derbac M was the one we used this time) are more effective, imo, but the nits can become immune if they are used too frequently.

I would definitely try and talk her into a short and pretty bob. I think they look fab.

[CantSupinate]

Stop treating her hair (you can see for yourself it's ineffective), do keep combing and hunting for them at least every other day. It helps a lot if you can recognise what the eggs look like (pinch them off between your fingernails); you have to enjoy tedious jobs, but it's very satisfying to get rid of the eggs.

[CantSupinate]

Oh -- and how does she wear her hair? They crawl from head to head so the more tightly her hair is bound to her head, the less change the blighters will crawl over.

[seeker]

Hedrin can't not work, if you see what I mean. Is it possible you're not doing it properly?

[BlauerEngel]

Trinaj - it's a real pain, isn't it. DD2's class goes through infestations like that, but luckily DD2 has only had them twice.

We were advised by the local health board to do a total 'detox' at home to make sure they weren't lurking on sheets, hats etc.

So apart from what you're doing - treatment plus nitty gritty combing, we:

treated and combed everyone in the house.

Combed every single day, then did a second treatment after a week to kill any hatched nits.

washed every sheet and duvet cover in the house at 60 degrees.

washed the sofa cover at 60 degrees (if non-washable then clean sofa using some spray stuff I think nitty-gritty also sells).

washed over the car headrests and car seats

washed all hats and scarves at 60 degrees

all soft toys and other non-washable but textile things went in sealed plastic bags in the shed (or cellar or attic) for one week. Also textiles waiting to be washed.

children chose one soft toy each, which went in the freezer for 24 hours.

all brushes, combs and bobbles went in freezer for 24 hours.

You might think this is well over the top, but it's the current advice in Germany, and both times we got rid of the lice straight away. The second infection was months after the first and we know the source.

[Trinaj]

Seeker- I've used hedrin 3 times over the last year, even got pharmacist to explain instructions clearly. Thing is I'm not sure that she's not just catching them again the next week.
Mimizan- She has her hair usually in plaits, always tied up. Which kid of defeats the object of having long hair I suppose?
Cantsupinate-I very rarely find any actual eggs, I do enjoy squashing the lice though, lol! I usually spend 45 mins to 1 hour combing her hair - so tedious.

[Trinaj]

BlauerEngel- That's exactly it - I know the source, so does the school, they just won't do anything about it.
It does sound extreme, but anything's worth a try.

[TheCrackFox]

Sounds to me (purely because you say you rarely find eggs) like she is being continually reinfected from someone at school.

[CantSupinate]

If she's that infested, there must be more eggs than you are finding. What colour hair? -- I imagine eggs are hardest to see on very medium brown hair.

I suspect she's being constantly reinfected from someone else in class -- swine to do anything about!

[MorocconOil]

I had a phase of spraying a tea tree oil based treatment on their hair every morning before school. This seemed to fend the lice off. (I'm really scratching now)

[paddingtonbear1]

Trinaj I feel your pain.
My dd has had the same problem. We've used Full Marks, Hedrin, nitty gritty + conditioner - all seem to work for a short while, then within 2 weeks the damn nits are back again. Argh. dd has her hair tied back for school normally, too.
dd's hair is light to medium brown, and yes the eggs are v hard to spot!

[Trinaj]

yes she has medium/dark hair.
And I usually only find between 4 - 10 lice.
SOOO frustrating.

I may looking into 'home' remedies.

[Trinaj]

Snap paddington!

[solo]

Nitmix
Seems expensive, but works and lasts ages.

[paddingtonbear1]

That website looks interesting solo. I don't know anyone who's tried it, but it looks good!

[solo]

I've used it for years! I didn't have any with me last year when I was staying with my Mum and Dd, myself and Ds got them. I ordered it at midday, got it the following day at 11am and use it on Dd every day if we are mixing with other children. She has incedibly tight curls and it isn't pleasant trying to get rid of lice from her hair(she's only 3.2). Try it, you'll be glad you did. But make sure you follow their instructions.

[Trinaj]

That stuff looks good - and not really expensive considering a bottle of hedrin for the family is £10 +.
Anyone else used it?

[squeaver]

I know this might be an obvious question, but are you treating yourself and everyone else in the family?

It was only when I started properly treating my hair that dd seemed to stop getting them so regularly.

[Trinaj]

I have treated myself, but not as regularly.
I have checked all the boys and treated as required.

[seeker]

If you're finding lots of live lice but not many eggs, then you're not doing it properly, sorry. Every female louse lays 6 eggs a day and they are very easy to miss. Miss one and you are starting the cycle again.

You must treat everyone in the family (including adult men!) as often and as rigorously as the children. It only takes a few seconds for a louse to transfer from one head to another and start laying eggs.§