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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To shave my head to get rid of lice?

257 replies

HairIsOverrated · 10/11/2025 11:49

Tldr: I've probably got lice (though not 100% sure), I'm struggling to get rid of them and I want to stop wasting so much time and effort on this issue. I just want to cut/ shave my hair but I can't go to a hair dresser to get a proper short hair cut. If i just shave my head I'm worried about what other people think.

Ds brought lice home from school about a month ago. No problem. We used hedrin twice, wet combed a few times and that got rid of them. Unfortunately, he seems to have passed them on to me. I found one louse about a month ago in my hair and a few nits. My hair is slightly longer than ahoulder length but very, very thick. It's a nightmare to wet comb. It takes me over an hour and im pretty sure im missing large chunks of hair.

I have used hedrin shampoo 4 times now and once lyclear. I wet comb every few days but I still have nits and my head itches like crazy. After thst initial louse I never found another one but I am pretty sure that's because of my lousy wet combing technique. Im just not getting to all the roots. Dh thinks it's just dandruff or dry skin or thst my scalp is irritated from the constant treatment but I think I've still got lice. My head itches non stop. I have got a rash on my forehead and my neck and I csj still find nits on the nit comb (yup, it's a nitty gritty).

Anyway lice or not im just fed up of it. Im fed up of the wet combing, having to wash bedding and all my clothes all the time and I don't even properly hug my kids anymore because im so scared of passing the lice on to them. I just want to grt rid of this problem. Ideally i would like to just cut my hairvery short to.make wet combing easier but i can't even go to a hair dresser to get a proper short hair cut because I'm sure no hair dresser wants someone with a potential lice infection. So my only option is to use a long hair trimmer at home.

Dh shaves his head so why csnt I?

I dont care what i look like but I do care about what other people might think. If I shave my head everyone will either think (correctly) that i have got lice or that i am undergoing chemo. And they will ask questions. And I dont want to tell people I've got lice. Especially not on the school run. ds' son's school still has a lice problem so people will provably think it's because of us. But it's not. Ds doesn't have any lice and we have since cut his hair really short so it isnt hard to check.

I've got so many other things going on at the moment I dont want to waste time and energy on this nonsense.

Yabu: just put in the hours to wet comb your hair and get rid of the lice the traditional way.
Or live with them. Or act as if i I don't have lice till I actually see a live one and hope the itching will eventually go away. Having to face people's questions and telling everyone at the kids' school that this is a lousy family isn't worth it.

Yanbu: just cut the damp thing off. Life is too short to spend so much time on doing completely stupid things when there is a quick and effective solution.

OP posts:
bevelino · 16/11/2025 13:14

Coffeeishot · 10/11/2025 12:00

Get your Dh to comb your hair lots of conditioner every other night and you should get rid,or get him to clipper it, then they are easy to deal with.

This

Alternatively, ask a family member or friend to help you.

Alpacajigsaw · 16/11/2025 14:14

I agree with getting your OH to comb if you’re struggling. Also you need to do it at most every 2 days doing and use a fuckton of conditioner

HJC88 · 16/11/2025 22:06

Buy and electric nit zapper comb - fantastic. Had one for my kids got rid of everything.

HairIsOverrated · 16/11/2025 22:43

YellowElephant5 · 16/11/2025 00:53

I've definitely found the itching after getting treatment even hot treatment (only low maintenance one that works). If you were my wife and shaved your head i'd leave you asap so something to consider. Lice center heat treatments kill everything and it's done.

There is no lice centre treatment close to me. My head is still itching like crazy. I think ill wet comb it again tomorrow to see if I can find anything or maybe I should try slathering on coconut oil as someone suggested.

If dh left me because I shaved my head I'd leave him if he hadn't left me already. I mean we would be having one big leaving each other fest. Thankfully when I told him that I was considering shaving my head (he'd have to be the one to do it anyway) he didn't say anything about leaving. And even though he doesn't really like my new hair style he hasn't actually left...😀

OP posts:
HairIsOverrated · 16/11/2025 22:48

HJC88 · 16/11/2025 22:06

Buy and electric nit zapper comb - fantastic. Had one for my kids got rid of everything.

Is there one that you recommend? I just looked up a few and the reviews aren't great with some saying they got a bit of an electric shock.

OP posts:
roundaboutthehillsareshining · 17/11/2025 09:03

HairIsOverrated · 16/11/2025 22:43

There is no lice centre treatment close to me. My head is still itching like crazy. I think ill wet comb it again tomorrow to see if I can find anything or maybe I should try slathering on coconut oil as someone suggested.

If dh left me because I shaved my head I'd leave him if he hadn't left me already. I mean we would be having one big leaving each other fest. Thankfully when I told him that I was considering shaving my head (he'd have to be the one to do it anyway) he didn't say anything about leaving. And even though he doesn't really like my new hair style he hasn't actually left...😀

Stop - you're going to give yourself dermatitis or worse on your scalp if you keep putting things on it and combing it aggressively. Itching after a series of intensive lice treatments is completely normal, they are essentially burning the top layers of skin as well as killing the lice. Are you taking a daily antihistamine? Also try a daily paracetamol tablet in the morning, just to relieve any remaining nerve pain/overstimulation.

HJC88 · 25/11/2025 21:48

HairIsOverrated · 16/11/2025 22:48

Is there one that you recommend? I just looked up a few and the reviews aren't great with some saying they got a bit of an electric shock.

I bought one from Argos about 25 years ago, it was pricey even then but I can't remember the make I'm sorry.

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