Help! Headlice question!

[SushiSuave]

So just found that both DS and I have headlice. I have immediately treated both of us and spent over 2 hours combing through my long, thick hair and now have a very sore scalp.

My dilemma is that I have a hairdresser appointment booked for next week - can I still go? Or should I retreat again in 7 days and rearrange appointment? What do you think?

I wouldn't go. If the hairdresser finds lice they will be likely to have to stop what they're doing. I'd wait until you were clear of them first

I always use hedrin once it has an ingredient which loosens the glue that holds the eggs to the hair. Comb through with nitty gritty comb.

If you are thorough there will be no trace of the nits/ lice.

I honestly combed for so long but kept finding the nits :( and I have so much hair that I can't be confident I got them all. I'm going to have to rearrange - I'd be mortified if the hairdresser found anything. I'm gutted because this was going to be my first hair cut in 12 months! I was hoping to have a fresh style ready to go back to work the week after. Never mind - I'll just push it back a week.

Do I have to burn my bedding and towels or will a normal wash be ok???

Use a treatment and then once that's done and your hair is washed and clean again use hair straighteners all the way through getting as close to the root as you can. They never survive in my hair when I do this!

That's a great idea @imagiantwitch!

Bedding isn't an issue, just wash it at 60.

I have extremely thick hair and it can be a bastard. Do Hedrin every 7 days til you're sure they're gone.

It can be hard to comb your own hair properly if it's thick. Do you have anyone you can ask to help like a DP or friend? If you leave just one section by accident it can be hard to get rid

@YukoandHiro DP did do it but I went over it again... about 300 times afterwards. Is Hedrin powerful stuff? I hate creepy crawlers anyway - this is making me want to shave my head! I'm going to redo it in a week and see if I find anything :(

@SushiSuave Hedrin suffocates them! That’s how it kills the lice. The nits survive it which is why you have to repeat the treatment (once they have hatched but before they are old enough to reproduce).

Seconding the advice to use straighteners, it seems to kill all the nits whereas with combing it’s easy to miss a few, especially on your own hair.

A normal wash is absolutely fine, thankfully. They’re not like bedbugs.

Thanks @StillOrSparklingMadam. I think I'm going to have another comb through tomorrow and then straighten as close to the scalp as a possibly can.

@SushiSuave no need to cancel BUT...

EVERY second day, just smother your hair in conditioner and comb through to remove live nits + eggs. (do not leave it a whole week between comb through)

You SHOULD be clear by your appointment.