Aibu to expect school teachers to use head lice treatment?

[Everywhereilookaround]

We've got them AGAIN, itchy nasty little blighters. Got my shampoo ready to use this morning, before DS goes back to school Monday.

It's a common occurrence, we've had them repeatedly over last year at school, as have other families.

I know it's just one of those things, but what's irking me is that a Friend told me DS's teacher publically refuses to use treatment on herself or her own kids, because...toxins... chemicals.... environment....etc.

So instead she combs them out weekly with nit comb and tea tree rince.

So she doesn't get rid of them, just reduces their number every week.

I've seen her itching, (right now we all are!)

I respect that we all have a right to lead our own lives our way...but why must we all suffer for it?!!

If the teacher won't take the treatment, and keeps reinfecting us, there's just no hope.

Or AIBU to feel annoyed by this?

The chemical ones don't work. Tea tree conditioner and combing is the best option. Straighteners are good on longer or curly hair. And ask that all long hair is tied back if it's not being done already

Labridoodle. Thanks I didn't know it was better. We comb as well, it's clearing then returning.

Combing is an extremely effective treatment.

If you are ingested, then you need to comb considerably more frequently than the once a week you mention (every 2-3 days for a minimum of 17 days to get the full lifecycle).

But if not infested, checking by a weekly combing, so you get the very earliest signs and swop to the frequent combing, is a heck of a lot more diligent than most people.

PS: given there are now some life which are resistent to the 'chemical' formulae, and can only be removed by the smothering ones and combing, or conditioner and combing, the teacher has also sensibly chosen a monitoring/treatment method suitable for all nits (not just the non-resistant)

But she is treating the nits by using the comb method. I totally get her not wanting to douse her family in chemicals all the time when the comb works better. When I was 16 I got nits (again!) and was too scared to tell my mum so I washed my hair every night for about a week and combed them out using a bit comb, and I got rid of them. They never came back!

I never had any of the treatments as a child and won't be using them on my DCs either. Combing with conditioner is just (if not more) effective. Have you tried lice repellant shampoos and having their hair in aa tight french plait? My DC is in Yr2 and so far avoided.

aah - bring back the nit nurse who would regularly check every child for nits when I was at school.

In the boarding schools where I worked, we used the conditioner and nit-comb, on a regular basis, and it seemed to keep them at bay.

Thanks all. Fuckinghaterain I certainly don't, I would never stop that as it's so important to DS.

I wouldn't mind the odd bout, it's just been relentless this year.

I'm going to buy some coconut oil and tea tree then, and comb every hairwash. It's not really the getting rid of them that's a problem, we do that, but then it's the circle and weeks later they are back. I've never knkwn this problem before so bad as we have it.

1. As everyone has said, treating head lice by combing regularly with a decent comb is extremely effective. The school nurses in my area now recommend doing it this way as so many lice are resistant to chemical treatments.

1. Even if she was crawling with them, it is highly unlikely that she would be responsible for reinfecting your DCs. Lice can’t jump and are spread by head-to-head contact. Children touch heads with each other regularly while interacting in the classroom, playing etc. Adults don’t usually get close enough to do that.

You can get rid of them very successfully with nit comb and conditioner, if you do it right and frequently until they are 100% gone. Cheaper and no horrid chemicals. The teacher almost certainly ISNT reinfecting the class but another parent not doing it diligently enough.

I have that comb

I'd put money on it being another child.

We had one in DDs class.mother was constantly whinging her child 'was catching nits' in the class.

I comb weekly, and so far nit free this year.

Said parent changed schools....and no nuts since. I think her kid was never actually not free. She kicked up stink about it but it's an interesting coincidence that nobody else has had them since her child left....

Nots, nuts, NITS

FFS iPad.

The chemical treatments didn't work very well on me as a kid, tea tree oil coconut or olive oil and lavender oil worked far better than any chemical treatement that my mum ever brought, and yes combing every day if needed

You wanted comments about her not treating them, but err she is, and having a discussion about not using chemicals to treat them doesn't mean that she actually has them, it means she's advising some one at the most effective way to keep them away.

Thanks for advice, I'm unreasonable but it doesn't stop me feeling fed up. Off to try the coconut oil and just accept this problem isn't going to go away any time soon.

Yes I guess I thought chemical treatments were better, but seems I was wrong.

She has them, the kids have them, it's not one kid, it's the whole class.
Off to buy the coconut oil :)

I find it obsurd that a teacher would knowingly walk round with nits, for one thing, I'm sure her work colleagues wouldn't put up with it.

Trust me the teacher is probably just as fed up as you.

I think more needs to be done if parents don't treat their kids. There's 1 family up at my primary school. You can see the lice crawling on the kids heads but nothing seems to change.

The whole class will have them because the one a week combing doesn’t work. You need to regular comb even with chemical treatment. Chemicals require a thorough comb through with the treatment then a few days later to get the fuckers that are left behind.

That’s one of the reasons why the class have constantly got them. Use chemicals and not bother treating properly.

Another reason is some parents don’t bother full stop

Oh and the chemicals. A lot of them advice to not use weekly.

But she is treating her hair? She’s treatyit by combing with conditioner and nitty gritty comb. This is by far the most effective method for getting rid of nits.

You mentioned you weren’t using conditioner when combing- you need conditioner for it to work and to use a nitty gritty comb - the others are worse then useless.

Maybe rather then criticising you should get your own house in order?

OP just make sure you leave the treatment on the head for an hour or so , then comb it all over. Good luck x

The chemical treatments don't work
I used conditioner and a nitty gritty comb. It's very time consuming but you can get everything out, lice and nits