Does headlice tend to persist after children leave primary school, (I'm hoping the answer is no)!!

[onthepier]

My dd will be 11 soon, and we've struggled with headlice since she was halfway through Foundation. I repeatedly treat it and it clears, only for her to get it again straight after every school holiday!

She's got another year left at primary school, and I'm really hoping to be able to stop the endless conditioning, combing and spending out on expensive treatments, once she leaves. Do parents of secondary school children generally find the problem goes away once they've 11/12 years old?

[elvislives]

Sorry but no.

Only my middle child used to get headlice (they stopped while he was at private school Y3-Y6 curiously) and continued to get them regularly until he left for uni last year.

(How you pick up headlice at an all boys secondary I do not know )

You may be lucky if it's the same child reinfecting her and they are in different schools/classes.

[elvislives]

That should be yes even

[hellywobs]

I'd say generally not, but it's certainly not impossible and adults get them too. I didn't have them as a child at all but I got them last year! Ugh!! I have a complete phobia about them now, horrid little critters.

[onthepier]

Thanks for your posts, I caught headlice recently from my children. Hairdresser actually refused to cut my hair as although I didn't have any live headlice, she could see eggs!

Went out and bought some expensive treatment and rebooked hairdresser for the following week, luckily I was all clear by then, never felt so paranoid before!!

[hellywobs]

Really? But you don't need treatment if you have eggs, you only use treatment if you have live lice! If you have eggs you do comb and conditioner. Hairdresser was bonkers!

[Jux]

We always use Tea Tree shampoo. I'm not saying dd hasn't had them for ages because it'd be tempting fate.

Use expensive stuff - we get ours from the indep. health shop - it's an Australian brand. Seems the lice don't like tea tree or lavender, so if you were to treat with either of those that may put them off.

[lljkk]

Friend's DD recently came home from Uni with a headful.
Oh, and she gave them to her boyfriend, too (heehee).

[MsF]

discovered my 15yr old ds has a headful of lice tonight....and he hardly ever had them as a youngster!

I use teatree conditioner...but he wanted to use 'head and shoulders'... so am insisting he uses teatree conditioner after washing his hair....

do you think that will be enough...if we do it for a couple of weeks...every day...nit combing etc....then after clear...just use the conditioner- and only nit comb say weekly????

[onthepier]

I'd say once he's clear still nitcomb every other day for a while, I know it's a pain, but in my experience they can return very quickly!

[sweetcat]

Oh God, am reading this and weeping after combing my hair for what seems like the millionth time. Why does DH never get them? Oh, he's got a grade 2 that's why. Almost makes me want to follow suit

I too thought they would magically disappear in high school. >

[MsF]

...am sure my heads itching...and am scared to check.....

washed ds's again...only 4 lice found...and no nits/egg cases in comb....so progressing!
the tea tree conditioner seems to kill the lice ...as the ones i found were not wriggling as they were yesterday...