Help possible Head lice in afro hair

[99PlsAdvise]

Hi,

Im worried my daughter has head lice. A friend has just been over with her daughter. I had just sat down with her daughter to style her hair like my daughters. The little girl is white with straight blond hair, my daughter is mixed with mixed afro hair. As i was styling it i found a nit/head lice. Whats the best thing i can do for my daughter? Should i undo her hair and wash it?

They have been over for hrs, do i need to wash anything else? Dont think they were in her bed. Should i change her bed covers anyway? Cant get out to buy any hair products till tomorrow now.

Any advise?

[LynetteScavo]

Calm down.

Check your DD, but it's unlikely she actually has caught any lice.

Buy some Hedrin tomorrow, and use it if you need, or keep if for another time if you don't.

[99PlsAdvise]

A lady has just posted this on a Yahoo forum i've posted on.

'Do not use rid or any other lice killing product, it can make her hair fall out since it isn't formulated for her hair type, don't ask a white doctor or anyone else white about it since afro hair is such a mystery to every non black (no offense). Just mix a solution of apple cider vinegar and water and rinse it through her hair (it'll kill off the lice) then condition her hair. Shampoo it every 3 days to keep it clean.'

Can these products really make her hair fall out?

My friend jumped up and said 'im so sorry, come on kids we've got to go home' She felt really bad and ran out my house. She made me take money for the products.

Oh i feel itchy

[mathanxiety]

I read somewhere that Cetaphil cleanser can be used as a lice killing (actually smothering) treatment. You take out the braids or whatever style the hair is done in, then coat it very thoroughly in the Cetaphil, blow dry it so it cakes on, and wash it out later.Scroll down to Advice From Lisa. Here's another treatment using mayonnaise -- the principle is the same, smothering, then careful combing. I also heard that tea tree hair products can help prevent infestation, and a family I know used coconut oil conditioner to eliminate them.

African hair is apparently less likely to get lice because the hair shaft has a different shape from straight or wavy hair. My family are all curly and we've never had them (fingers Xd).

Check carefully first though. It could be just whatever the opposite of wishful thinking is.

[99PlsAdvise]

Went to the shops today. I spoke to a hairdressers and she said as she does not have them as yet to just use a tea tree conditioner, leave it in for 1/2 hr and wash out. They dont like the smell ...... She also said i can use the other products as long as they have a low ph level.

Went to boots and spoke to the chemist and she said to put a few drops of tea tree oil in some conditioner and put it in her hair and leave it for about 1/2.

Its confusing when different people say different things.

I am trying out the tea tree idea as she does not sem to have them thank god. Fingers crossed eh

[mathanxiety]

Here's a site you might like. All sorts of hair stuff for mixed hair.

[Jaquelinehyde]

Wow what a twat the lady on Yahoo sounds.

My two daughters and son are all mixed race, they have all had head lice, most children will.

We use hedrin it works perfectly, gets rid of the lice brilliantly. However, with thick long afro hair (as with my eldest daughter) you do need to comb through several times to get rid of the empty lice shells (nits). My childrens hair is not in any way damaged through using the head lice lotion, let alone falling out.

And I'm sorry but no child needs to have their hair washed every 3 days, what a pointless waste of time, probably does more harm than good. I wash my childrens once every 1-2 weeks depending on what activities they have been doing.

[lissb]

MY DAUGHTERS ...2 AND 6 BOTH HAVE HEAD LICE. I TRIED THE TEE TREE IDEA BUT IT DIDNT WRK. ALSO HAVE PUT ON HEADRIN 3 DAYS AGO AND TONIGHT THERE WERE MORE LICE...WAT AM I GOING TO DO? I CANNOT BRUSH WITH THE COMB AND CONDITIONER AS IT DOES NOT WORK...MY MUM SAID SHE IS GOING TO BUY SOME XPENSIVE LICE TREATMENT TOMORROW BUT IS IT GOING TO MAKE THEIR HAIR FALL OUT AND ALSO IS IT GOING TO AFFECT THEIR HAIR THAT I CANNOT COMB THE HATCHED EGGS OUT...PLS HELP ME

[tantrumsandballoons]

My dd had head lice many times over the years, she has Afro hair and the only thing that got rid of them was tea tree conditioner and a thorough combing every day for 2 weeks with nitty gritty comb.

I dont see why you can't use hedrin or other treatments on her hair though, I tried just about everything and DDs hair is fine.