To think if your kid has head lice, sort it out!

[Sigyn]

Ok I am so fed up with this.

My kids have several friends whose parents basically will not treat head lice.

1. They do not want "harsh chemicals" on their kid's head.
2. They cannot be arsed do not have the time to spend hours each night for a week or so fine combing each kid's hair.
3. They have near religious beliefs in the power of one or all of the following: tea tree oil, coconut oil and/or neem.

I am deeply about neem btw. Apparently, it can kill the eggs. So you don't want to put "harsh chemicals" on your kid's head (the active ingredient in Full Marks, for example, is a drying agent, a bit like those those little silica packets)-but you will put something on their head so toxic and pervasive that it can get through the shell of an egg? (but, yk, your business...).

Lice are not a mystical mysterious thing. This is how you kill them. Either use a OTC formula or similar to kill the eggs, and comb through, repeatedly, until they are gone (resistance, you might have missed a bit esp with long hair, etc) OR do the same, using conditioner, mayo, coconut oil, whatever floats your boat and a Nitty Gritty (ideally) until they are gone. Then do it all again a week later as the eggs start to hatch. Then tie up your kids hair into pigtails.

It takes hard, bloody work and I am SO sick of it.

This is the prevalent culture in the circles we mix in. Basically, medical intervention=bad. Unpronounceable names on medicine= bad. Untested, potentially dangerous and/or ineffective "medicines" = great, possibly transcendent.

Oh and fwiw, I think even with a chemical spray you need to comb through. I don't think those who use sprays get off the hook.

Yanbu

YANBU

Dnbu we have this issue with DSD!!!!

YANBU

YANBU - we have a similar situation with threadworms at school ATM. I wouldn't have even known that they were doing the rounds unless my DD (Y5) had not mentioned a discussion the kids (not the teachers) were having at school [cross]

My kids had terrible head lice for months, I was at my wits end and had all the tools. I used a product I hadn't heard of from asda and had a severe allergic reaction to the dimithicone it is laced with, one DD reacted but not as bad as me. My head and face was like a balloon. Now I have to be careful. It killed them stone dead and they haven't had them since but I don't know what I will do if they ever get them again. I comb their hair every night with a metal comb and cover them in tea tree products which has worked so far. I was looking at the polish natural lotion they use but I forgot the name. Sounds very effective on reviews

YABmostlyNU but not entirely.

I don't like using harsh chemicals on my children so don't. I don't know about neem, don't use it, but there are other "natural" treatments for headlice; and teatree isn't very effective now due to over use (but can be a good preventative if used daily). I managed to get rid of DS1's headlice (and DH's! He caught them off DS1) in two treatments with a non-harsh (but Australian) treatment.

However, if they CBA to comb the nits out, then YADNBU! That's just ridiculous. Afaik, there is no treatment that is fully effective without combing - it's pure laziness to refuse to do it.

We have a lot of bother with nits in DS1's primary school as well, because there are parents who CBA to deal with their children's nits - but it's not because of using alternative, more natural products, it's because they really CBA.

Just to add in the months they had them I used various top brand lotions but they kept getting them due to parents who CBA. .. I

YANBU

So they don't want to use anything to kill the lice, but are happy for their children to have their blood sucked out through their scalp and be covered in little scabs and manky parasites? Not to mention knowingly sending their kids off to infect everyone else.

Fair enough, don't use harsh chemicals, but alternative treatments are available and not combing them out is ridiculous.

When I was very little and still had to see my Dad because of a court order, I'd spend three weeks of the summer holidays with him and come home to my mum teeming with lice so badly they'd be falling off onto my clothes. No other children on the road would play with me and their mothers wouldn't let me in their houses. He was neglectful because he was usually strung out on drugs and he failed to notice I needed treating, or a bath for that matter, and to know your children are infested with a parasite and to actively leave them like that is just as bad imo.

I think another strand to this problem is that not all kids are that bothered by lice and if they are not bothered, some lazy arse parents will leave them

I also think-and this isn't, to be fair, parents fault necessarily-that the comb does matter, esp for non chemical methods. The Nitty Gritty gets out way, way more than the little combs you can get with, say, the ASDA stuff if you are using the mechanical (conditioner+ comb) method.

I wouldn't use teatree on my kids' head routinely any more than I would use paint stripper. It IS toxic stuff and being natural doesn't hold that much weight with me, I'm afraid. It just means its not been properly tested, IMO. Personally, I'd see neem and tea tree as considerbaly more toxic than these "harsh chemicals" (which are basically drying agents).But tbh, that's fine, each to their own, its not likely to kill children (unless they drink it neat) so whatever.

I've even heard the theory that lice and their bloodsucking is a Good Thing because of some immunity stuff. The leech argument (yes, I know people who believe in leeches and stuff )

I do actually love my lousy friends, which is why I am ranting away on here not ranting at them (I've tried sensible discussion on this matter)

Don't the parents get pulled up for neglect by the schools/SS? Refusing to treat a blood sucking parasite is really poor parenting surely?

DS only went to school in solidly working class multi-ethnic areas where lice were seen as the work of the devil and combing was done with almost religious fervour. Those Mums'd make mincemeat of your lot OP - running the gauntlet of the judgey pants lemon faces on the school run would soon have them reaching for the chemicals and nit combs.

bochead I grew up in a lovely, solidly working class, multi-ethnic area (now a very trendy area of London ). Both my grandma (solidly working class multi ethnic woman) and my mum (teacher) worshipped the nit comb.

I do consider myself to have something of a technique with the nit comb but sadly, my services are not in demand among my current circle.

Oh fwiw. My circle is somewhat unusual in terms of educational choices, shall we say. I'm kind of not going into huge details because not every parent who chooses such educational alternatives doesn't bother to delouse, not by a long way. But its a real PITA for those that do, or those who waft a bit of teatree around and then say, "well, that's my kids sorted for their childhood".

This drives me bloody insane. If you don't want to use harsh chemicals, then yes, conditioner or something oily will work, but you have to keep combing and literally keep at it. I see lots of children (same ones actually), raking their fingers through their hair, scratching away. Why do parents choose to ignore it??? I've caught them from the DCs over the years and the itching was a nightmare - I'd never leave them in that state.

We've got into the habit of doing it religiously now - DS sits in the bath and I comb away. It does piss me off that other parents aren't as strict. Even if I try to tactfully bring it up to parents, they still do not take the hint. Bloody lazy buggers.

Isn't it classed as a form of neglect if you refuse to treat headlice?

A side from the fact that your kid is extremely uncomfortable it pisses other parents off when they have to keep sorting out their own kids.

What's educational choices got to do with the price of chips? Tell the fuckers they're shocking for letting their kids be in so much discomfort.

I think there is an argument that if you have them for long enough, the itching kind of diminishes, ie you get used to it. And then there is some weird hippy argument that that's triggered your immune system or chakra or unlocked a new level of enlightenment or something.

I have three kids, two with long hair. I don't really want to have to cut my kids' hair because of this (and long hair does have the advantage that it can be easily tied back) but I'm thinking I'm going to have to.

Serious question - would they class vinegar as a 'harsh chemical', given that you put it in salad dressings and all? Because a vinegar soak will wash out the eggs. If you really don't want to use Hedrin-type lotions then combing with conditioner every day and regular vinegar treatments will sort it out - but it's harder work.

They sound like idiots, to be honest...

YANBU!
DH and I spent hours at the weekend going through the DCs hair with a comb, treating it, washing all their bedding, buying new hairbrushes and bathing them. DD2 in particular is really crawling in them so despite doing that on Sunday we had to do them both again last night and I fully expect to do them again several more times before we get rid of this latest lot. They both have long thick hair and I have problems with my hands so it os a real chore.
We have had a letter about threadworm too. It feels like a never ending cycle.

What educational choices have to do with it is that no, its not picked up by the school, basically.

That's where its relevant. However I would not like to suggest that all parents who make the same choices as us aren't bothered by lice. I don't want that misconstrued. You get fuckwits everywhere.

YANBU, but nits are an ongoing battle here

DD2 seems to have a constant low level infestation. I'm constantly treating and combing and have tried every recommendation I've ever seen, but no matter what I do, I always seem to get one or two. The only time she ever seems to be completely clear is during the school holidays

Yanbu. Dd has eczema and I'm dreading having to use the harsh chemicals. But I will.

Be far easier though for the ones who react to these lotions , if the ones who would be fine with it were actually treated.

But sure, wrap your laziness up in some false concern for chemicals by all means.

YANBU.
My children have very, very thick mixed race hair.
Lice combs rip their hair to shreds.

My DD came home every week for an entire school year with a fresh lot of HL. It used to take me three hours to comb through her hair every day and it ruined it.

I also have a horrible feeling that I can't shake. I know its probably stupid but I used so much HL stuff on her and it was so strong (this was the early 90s) that somehow it might have caused her to get ill.

The treatments seem to be so much easier now. Back then it was a right faff.

People who don't treat their kids for reasons of woo are idiots.

ILoveCoreyHaim you don't need to use chemicals at all so don't worry if you get them again.

You can use the Nitty Gritty comb or the pack available from this charity (Bug Busters)- they are also available on prescription:

www.chc.org/

You have to do the combing about twice a week, in a particular pattern (day 1 and day 5 one week I think)- with the cheapest conditioner from the pound ship. Repeat the next week.

I have never failed to get rid of nits within a week or so using these combs and conditioning, and I have two dds with long hair.

This method has also been empirically evaluated and came out well:

www.chc.org/homedir/review-studies.cfm

Then always tie back hair.

I don't work for the charity by the way, I discovered their combs online and have had two packs to get us to 10 years old- I think they are brilliant to work in such an unpopular yet necessary area and I completely agree with them that the only ones who win if you go the chemical route are the pharma companies.

Bochead - the school and ss do try and get involved. But we have to go through all the bloody red tape first.

We're 'not doctors' so we can't 'diagnose' head lice. So I have to say to the parents 'Your child has been scratching a lot today...better check their hair!' I've been in trouble before for telling parents their child has lice.

If the child has them persistently, we can offer for the school nurse to talk to the parents. Usually declined. Get the school nurse to ring anyway.

I've only ever come across the really bad cases with other signs of neglect, so ss already involved or newly involved. Meetings happen every six weeks. At the meeting, I say child has lice/sores on head etc. Sw says parent must treat child and how.It's written on the action plan.

There's not another meeting for 6 weeks. Child still has headlice. I bring it up again. Parent says they forgot/couldn't find the treatment/can't get rid of them. Goes on action plan again.
Another meeting in 6 weeks etc. There may be phone calls in between.

Meanwhile, I have parents complaining about their child having headlice again and it's from so and so and what am I going to do, the school never bloody do anything about it etc.
There's only so much we can do. Every September I buy a job lot of combs off eBay (out of my own money) and hand them out with an information letter about lice.
It's frustrating, especially if it's part of a wider neglect issue.
Many a time the sw I know have ended up standing over the parent and child while they treat them, but they can't do this repeatedly.
It's very sad in cases like that I've taught children with massive open wounds with lice crawling in them.