To shave my head to get rid of lice?

I feel you! Shave and put a hat on for school if anyone asks laugh and say bad hair day! Which it is!

Going over your hair with straighteners is also recommended, though I haven't tried it myself.

Everyone has their own method. Posting following a lice occurrence in DS's class approx 2 months ago.

Our default approach is now Full Marks headlice treatment applied x 3 with a four day gap in between each application. Apparently it dehydrates the lice and causes them (and the eggs) to die, but I find you need to repeat a couple of times to get all the bastards.

You have to do everyone in the family on the same day so there are no lurkers to re-infect you all. And then follow up with Vosene lice repellant shampoo for a couple of months afterwards - we just use it as our default shampoo for the kids now. I use a nicer tea tree shampoo for me which apparently also has a deterrent effect.

Shaving your head is of course one solution but perhaps a bit...drastic...unless you fancied doing it anyway?

@HairIsOverrated so you aren’t finding live nits/lice - you are only finding what you think are eggs.

the eggs could be dead/left overs from when you did have them (if you had them at all). They stick to the hair shaft like they are super glued on.

It could be you actually have given yourself a scalp sensitivity with aggressive combing and treatments and it’s scalp you are now finding.

the ‘feeling’ etc is often psychosomatic. Have you seen the size of a live nit? They are so small and light you can’t really feel them running down your scalp like oil…

I do feel that it’s worth asking a trusted friend or hairdresser if they can just check before you go drastic with the shears.

Apologies, read pages 1 and 6 only so on the off chance it hasn't been mentioned: there are "nit vacuuming" services who will come to you and basically comb your hair for them strand by strand. Otherwise I'd echo others and chop your hair short at home, but not a full shave.

From what you've said the only solution which is going to work for you is cutting your hair very short.

I have short hair and I cut my hair with clippers during lockdown because it was the only option - there was no hairdresser to cut it! My hair definitely didn't looked shaved, just short, the clippers let you do various grades

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013GH0AE4?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1

Nits stick to the hair. Check the hair you naturally shed. There will be either empty white or full brown egg cases. They are stuck to the hair when you run your nails along it.

If you have live lice for a while, they will be big almost like ants or mosquitoes. They aren’t hard to see on a comb.

Key tip- saturate your hair with cheap conditioner. Comb with nitty gritti over white paper or a white sink. Rinse your comb in a bowl of water between passes.

You will see a live louse float in the water, eggs glued to your hair, egg cases glued to your hair. If you have lice!

I also itched mercilessly after DC had lice. I kept the comb in the shower and combed every time I washed my hair for a few weeks until I could believe I was clear.

And take an antihistamine for your skin.

A Nitry Gritty comb and lots of conditioner. That always worked for us. But yeah it's horrid. I feel for you.

https://www.boots.com/nitty-gritty-nitfree-comb-10061485?traffic=paid.shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gadsource=1&gaddcampaignid=19965631125&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwSssPZmbK3rXFd3nEFKCh6G&gclid=CjwKCAiAt8bIBhBpEiwAzH1w6Wf6O-IkbKbrfYKOdC8hRN42eeqZ-9lViIrN835B2v34GEFSTTvmRoCNFsQAvDBwE&queueittoken=eebootsoutage2025uk~qddc177ed-aba5-415b-aead-eddbcb4e2d5a~tss1762786441~cetrue~rttsafetynet~h_7a7ef6294bdea271ce5f6d8d606d15c882c61978fab959a830478db7221c819b

I have been where you are. I have long thick, wavy hair and it took me four months of continuous treatment, sheet washing and itchy rashes to get rid of the damn things but they did go eventually. Shaving or cutting your hair will not solve the problem as the nits and lice glue themselves to the root shaft of your hair.

Keep treating your hair and ask someone to help you comb them out. DIY is super difficult! Then, if you feel the need, get a hair cut and soothing conditioning treatment.

You can also buy preventative sprays for when you've got rid and do not want them coming back to the party! Good luck.

I would ask your hairdresser if it was something they were prepared to help you with, they might see you after hours to isolate you.

Also, when DD had it last, we used Hedrin Treat & Go that you leave in for 8 hours, and washed it out in the morning. It took 2 applications a week apart, but it worked.

Ongoing, you can use preventitive shampoos, and also comb regularly using lots of conditioner.

DH and I got nits about 5 years ago, caught them from DSS whose hair was crawling with them 🤮 🤮 DH ended up shaving his head and then he spent hours combing my hair as I didn’t want to cut it. It worked though, just stick with it.

I used to soak my head in Dettol, killed them outright

Book yourself in to a place that specialises in getting rid of them.

Olive oil or coconut oil massaged into you scalp and hair and wrap your head overnight, job done. Easy fix and it's good for your hair. If you have a nit comb, come your hair before washing the oil out. To shampoo, don't add water initially, just shampoo, then slowly add water.

It took me 5 hours to do DD’s long curly hair and 2 hours to do Ds’d short hair.

l can’t see how you can do it so quickly,

Op your Dh needs to do yours.

I was disappointed that COVID lockdowns didn't rid us of nits forever.

Years ago after a ridiculous amount of reinfection we discussed getting the vet into school to treat every single child with the best flea treatment.
I think only the summer holidays saved us from this highly unethical and professionally damaging course of action.

I have previously cut my hair short myself with kitchen scissors then gone to a hairdresser to fix the styling. Just wore a hat until I booked the appointment. This was due to migraines and having long thick hair weighted on my head and then one day it was so bad I just grabbed the pony tail and chopped it.
Just tie it in a pony tail and chop it, then your hair will be shorter and easier to get rid of the ljce. Then go to the hairdressers once they are gone.

just use the olive oil method, leave the olive oil in the hair and when you wash it out, dry with hair dryer and then use straighteners to. help kill the eggs

I did this with my dd who had long thick hair and it was the only method that worked, it takes at least 21 days of doing this every 3 days

but it works

I'd have a go at cutting it yourself first with the help of DH. I did my own hair once and it actually turned out okay.

The products only work if you repeat them weekly for about four weeks & comb like mad, they only really work effectively on adult lice. Some will say they "kill eggs". None are proven to kill all the eggs and any eggs left = reinfection.

My DD got headlice twice within three weeks and she has waist long hair. It was awful. I tried a few different head lice treatments and I found this one to be the best one. Echoing a pp we go to bed with it in our hair

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07KWPKKWZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

I found that the treatments that say you only need to leave them on for a short time weren't very effective. I was combing out live live.
I found the Boots treatment to be the best and the key thing was treating everyone on the same night.

I also smothered hair in oil every night. Wrapped in shower cap and put bonnet on as it smothers them