to expect more than a week of school time before my children come home with lice!

[pipibarola]

After a wonderful lice free summer, my children, 5&8 years old, have already managed to pick up a few mature lice in just their first 3 days back at school. How does this happen? Are there really parents out there that did not take the opportunity of a 6 week break to clear the heads of their children? Call me naive, but it's not rocket science - all you need is a bit of conditioner and a nit comb.

What can I do to get the school to take this seriously? Any suggestions? I've struggled with this with issue for 4 years already and I'm losing patience. All I've seen the school do is pass out the odd note when it gets too rife to ignore. Can we bring back the nit nurse?

[Rachmumoftwo]

A whole thread on nits and not a mention of tea tree oil. Decent tea tree shampoos work as both treatment and repellent. Dr Johnson's is best. If you buy a lesser one, add a few drops of tea tree oil to make it stronger. My girls have only ever had a couple of nits, and they are always dead after washing with tea tree shampoo and combing through with tea tree conditioner. Also, not as dangerous as putting very strong chemicals directly onto a child's scalp, something I have a big problem with personally, as I don't think it is a good thing to do.

[alycat]

But most posters on the thread are not advocating use of chemicals, only conditioner and a Nitty Gritty comb

Personally, I wouldn't use the 'teatments' and feel that overuse, rather than plain old hard work (believe me it is hard work, combing my DD's hair in tiny sections can take well over an hour) has lead to treatment resistant critters.

Decent Tea Tree conditioner is far too pricey to use for just combing, although adding your own EO's to plain conditioner would do the trick.

Tea Tree should not be put neat onto childs scalp though. I have been known to dot a bit on her plaits though, although I dislike the smell.

[SlightlyMadSweden]

Also Tea Tree doesn't actually KILL, they just don't like it. (Just clarifing so peole don't put it on and expect it to kill). Agree when I have used it tho the little buggers can be a little inactive, but if you leave them on tissue they get up and walk away after a bit. Trust me

[Rachmumoftwo]

I absolutey agree. Putting neat essential oils on a child's scalp would be very dangerous. I was just suggesting an alternative to the treatments, and one that has so far saved me many hours of combing. The shampoo I use is mild enough for (most) sensitive skin, and frequent use.

[Rachmumoftwo]

Agreeing with the post on not putting oils directly on kids heads, as I thought tea tree oil does kill, and lice don't build up the same resistance to it as they do to some chemicals. It has worked well for us, but we all have to find what suits us I suppose.

[sparklygothkat]

I went through my kids hair today and DD1 was crawling with them again.. (sorry misdee and Lisad) Its the 4th time I have gone through her hair in 2 weeks, and found the bloodly things

[casbie]

some people are allergic to tea tree oil!

check before using, and dilute with a carrier oil, as tea tree oil neat is like an industrial floor cleaner!!!!

[Nightynight]

lol at alycat.
dd1 swears her highest louse count is 44 in one combing....shudder.

[nooka]

Nightynight although schools often do say that children with lice should stay at home it is not actually legally allowed, and you could contest it if you felt like it. There are no major health risks to lice, and exclusion is not an effective way to control transmission. Generally by the time you pick up that your child has lice they are likely to have had them for several weeks. The first time you comb them out should remove the crawling ones and your child is then unlikely to be passing them on. Oh and apparently long hair is not a proven factor in transmission either - it's girls putting their heads together that does it (boys being less inclined to intimate chats is probably why they don't get them so much).

[Nightynight]

nooka you would love the bavarian school system....conform or suffer the consequences...
It is in Germany so I am not sure what the law is. European law is very lacking in the area of education, so likely to be v different from UK.
Am tempted to keep them off for the full 3 weeks.

[nooka]

Ah. I don't think I would you know - and dh certainly wouldn't - he's very ant-establishment, having been sent to a fairly strict public school on a scholarship who tried very hard to get his working class (and very bolshy) mum to have him cut his hair etc. Not very effective!