DS 9 riddled with headlice, have tried everything under the sun. Please help!

[Hanarb]

DS 9 has been riddled with lice for 3 weeks now. I have tried treatment and spent nearly £100 on various remedies. He has very long, thick surfy hair and it is a nightmare to treat. His teacher has notified me which is mortifying. His childminder said she would get the clippers and shave his hair off (I’m not sure if she was joking). I don’t own any hair cutting equipment but this is seriously taking up so much of my time and causing a lot of stress. What should I do?

Conditioner lots of it.

nitty gritty comb( don’t bother with any other) they are Amazing. Comb Every day! Wipe on kitchen towel. Enjoy squashing the bastards with the flat edge of a knife.

great fun!

I would look at cleaning absolutely everything he has been near too. The nits can live for ages off a head. Wash pillows or get new ones etc

If you are using the clippers at least put a guard on them, you can then go shorter if you have to.

You absolutely do not need to wash stuff all the time. The only thing I'd wash and not share are hair brushes and maybe hats.

This extreme cleaning is not necessary for head lice. Lice stay close to the head unless they are dead or dying. Just don't share brushes/combs

Would you say that if OPs child was a girl?

That would be my advice too & comb over paper so you can see the little buggers! As a teacher I really feel your pain, I used to get them at least 2 or 3 times a year & it's a complete pain in the arse! Like you I was diligent but tbh if there's someone in the class whos parents aren't he really is just going to get re-infested no matter what you do, but keep doing it!! Can he tie his hair up? Not that that really makes a huge difference but it might help, I've yet to experience them as a parent but I'm sure it's only a matter of time

@dementedpixie nits can live up to 10 days and lice 1-2 days, but up to 4, off a host. If you don't want to chance reinfestation and not killing them off it's prudent to wash and dry everything after contact. Your experience might be different, though.

Of course no parent would shave a little girl's head!

It's more than acceptable to do it to a boy, but not a girl.

My DD has thick wavy hair, and she had nits once, and after several months of treating them, and combing through with a nitcomb, they would NOT go!

Her hair was like the girl in pic 1. We had it cut to look like the girl in pic 2. The nits went and never returned. It often just needs cutting so it's a fair bit shorter. The OP could just try that! But as I said, it's perfectly acceptable to shave a boy's head, but ridiculous to shave a girl's head!

And don't anyone waste my time asking why, with the 'gender stereotype' fuckwittery! The answer is, it just bloody IS.

I feel your pain OP. I have two dual heritage teen DDs so I fully understand the long, curly, thick hair wars. My DDs probably had head lice four times. One family at their school simply didn’t treat their children and as quick as I got rid of them they were back. It was so gross. I slathered their hair with the thickest hair mask/conditioner I could find - I would use a whole tub or a bottle. Then they slept with a shower cap on or a plastic carrier bag to suffocate the little blighters. The next day I fine tooth combed their hair and wiped on white paper towel until each section of hair was clear. Then I rinsed their hair dried it and straightened it with GHDs. This needs to be repeated probably three times to make sure all the eggs are removed too. The other thing is making sure all the bed linen is boil washed and the pillows are sanitised using the steam setting as high as possible on an iron. It’s SOOO much work!!! I resented those parents so much.

Also you don't have to buzz cut him.. maybe just thin it out like an undershave with a long bit at the top? A lot of the older boys in my school that this style, especially if they have thicker/curly hair

Nhs says its not necessary to hot wash everything. Nits won't hatch if they aren't kept warm. Lice don't voluntarily leave the warmth of the head.

https://www.chc.org/how-to-treat-head-lice-and-nits-successfully/

You could try the bug buster kit

Yes, but I've read several sites and had advice if it happens. The info I have was from a few sites incl CDC. Not arguing, again, you might have different experience.

Nitwits from Superdrug is the best treatment. Put it on as instructed and repeat after 10 days.

Then use a nitty gritty comb and lashings of conditioner every other day until they are gone. The little ones are very hard to see so you need to check the bowl you are dipping the comb in very carefully. I used to do my girls in front of the TV with a large bowl of hot water.

My daughter has the thickest hair ever but I could still get a comb through it.

Yeah this. Cutting/shaving the lad's hair doesn't mean like the lad in pic 1. Just do it like the one in Pic 2.

As I said earlier in the thread, why are so many mums of boys, obsessed with their son's 'gorgeous, long, thick glossy curls?!' Just bloody cut it short! Stop making him suffer, and spread his nits around everywhere!

Also wash his bedding and coat on a hot wash after treating his hair . This should get rid of any head lice.

OP, this was my son age 8. Long curly hair, thick, refused to have it cut (embarrassed about his ears). I kept him off school for a day and just worked through the hair, bit by bit, with the nitty gritty comb. It was that or hair off, and he knew I meant it. I found hundreds - he hadn't been scratching at all. TV on so he'd sit still,
After that, I did it again a few days later and then again a week later. It was much quicker 2nd and 3rd times.

My mam used to use Avon leave in conditioner or tea tree oil shampoo

Avon hair detangling spray will prevent them coming back once you clear them. Once I had discovered this my daughter never got them again. I buy it for my grandchildren now and they've never had them. It's only about £2.50.

@Hanarb Any update how you are getting on with them?

I don't think anyone in this thread that's suggesting bog standard nit treatment has ever actually had a real problem with nits the way the OP talks about. Nothing will work, it will take months of stress to get rid, just shave him. His hair will have grown back again before you've got rid of them otherwise.

Also little boys with long hair always make me think that mum wanted a girl so she's pretending she got one.

When you are rid of them, please tie his hair back or keep it well trimmed.

Tangleteaser cream setangling spray- blue bottle- is incredible for sorting out matted, tangled hair.

If 1 has headlince then the rest of u 99% do, even if u seem clear. Been there done that. Treat every1 very thoroughly with lyclear once a week. It's a pain bt must be done. We had a mum with a son having si ilar hair to yours, his never went away cos the mum didnt understand this. All the family every 7 days, shd take 2 or 3 goes bt it will be gone.