Best product for head lice?

[Paddlinglikehell]

I started this in Gen Health, but then thought may be better here.

Just found a head louse on the book dd was working on, she said it fell out her hair. Have nitty gritty and will do the conditioner and comb through, but what it the best, IYO, headlice shampoo.

Is is the first time we have had them, dd is 8, so have no idea which will be easiest/ nicest .

Thankyou..

I used an entire bottle of shampoo to get the Hedrin out of my own hair!

Apparently the shampoo works better on the oil if you apply it and work it into dry hair and then wash it off.

Nitty gritty comb & conditioner every time you wash hair - simple

Yes, I work for Hedrin. They pay me to post on Mumsnet at 10.30 pm on a Friday.

Ffs.

Well did another condition and comb. Found three tiny see through things, so looks like they are on the way out.

Put Hedrin on my hair tonight, very greasy!!!! My hair could do with a good soaking in grease it is very dry!

Will condition and comb again Sunday night . DD has been brilliant.

Hopefully doing all the right things.

One tip my hairdresser had was to plait your child's hair if it is long and then spray with hairspray - she reckoned the nits can't get hold of the hair as well and so your child is less likely to end up infected. No idea if it works

I must admit Hedrin acts as a fantastic conditioner from the purely cosmetic viewpoint ! However at £17.50 for four treatments it really is a bit much...

DVD, something both me and children can stand. Simpsons is not too bad.

Comfy low chair for dcs.

Comfy higher chair for long-suffering comber (ie me).

Towels, nitty gritty, cheap conditioner and kitchen roll to wipe nitty gritty on.

Tea (midweek) or v. large glass plonk (fridays and saturdays).

I got head lice off my DC's (thanks kids)and I wondered if hairspray would actually kill them - surely it must gum up their working parts.

I got head lice off my DC's (thanks kids)and I wondered if hairspray would actually kill them - surely it must gum up their working parts.

It worked on a wasp once for me so probably.

The problem is you'd have to spray every single hair down to the root which I imagine would take several cans, make an awful mess in your hair and probably put you on a solvent high.

Made me laugh Goldmandra

Not that I even know you could get a solvent high from hairspray you understand

I've been suffering from the beasties for FOUR months now. Everything I have used (Lyclear, Nitty Gritty combing through with conditioner, rinsing with vinegar or Listerine - Orginal flavour!, leaving coconut oil overnight, blow-drying/straigtening hair) has been effective to a greater or lesser extent. IMO, Lyclear treatment (x3 with combing) has been LEAST effective, whilst the combing with conditioner daily and rinsing with Listerine seemed to dramatically reduce their numbers. The problem with lice is that the nymphs are sooooooo tiny that they can easily hide on clothing, bedding etc. and re-infect you. Contrary to what most internet sources say, the lice (even the baby nymphs) can live far longer than a few days off a human head. (I have deliberately kept a few on my dressing table mirror - they obviously fell off after a hair wash as I was blow-drying - and they have been running around in circles aimlessly for about a week at least! YUCK...but true! I could have mistaken them for specks of dust had it not been for them moving around quite quickly...

After experiencing indescribable frustration and upset, and doing extensive reading, research and conducting my own home experiments (involving essential oils and my microscope!), I have finally found a remedy which: a) works very effectively; b) is not expensive; and c) relatively kind to hair and scalp.

Head lice (especially the nymphs - young lice) are averse to particular essential oils. Those which I have found kill them on contact are Tea Tree Oil, Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) and Eucalyptus. Appying 1 or 2 or ALL of these oils (about 6-8 drops) in a dilution of vegetable, olive or coconut oil (about 3-6 tablespoons or enough to soak through your hair) and leaving overnight (hair wrapped in shower cap with towel turban over top), seems to stop any scurrying lice in their tracks. Comb out the next morning then wash and rinse with shampoo with some more essential oil added. If possible blow-dry hair (lice hate intense heat too and are likely to fall off your head!).

Because of the lifecycle of the nits/lice, this treatment has to be repeated every 2 days for a week or two, though this is dependent on whether any viable nits (eggs) are still stuck in your hair and likely to hatch within the next week! The fact that you go to bed with your hair wrapped up also means you don't have to go crazy with washing bedding every day!

This is still a bit time intensive but had I found this remedy 4 months ago, I could have cleared the invasion of 6-legged visitors much more efficiently and effectively.

Good luck! Don't let the critters get you down!

You don't have to comb every day - this (free) combing program is based on the life cycle of lice. You need to comb on certain days over a period of 21 days to eliminate all lice/eggs etc - scroll down for schedule:

THE LICE PROGRAM

Yes, this is a good program. Agreed that daily combing is not essential, but best not to leave it more than 2 days between combing. Another thing...female lice only have to mate ONCE in order to lay several batches of eggs throughout their life as they can store sperm long term, apparently...

This new treatment for head lice claims to be 100% effective against head lice and nits in one treatment, and is based on natural oils.
www.tyratech.com/content/company-products/head-lice.asp
It's not available currently but is to be stocked in Walmart from April 2014.
It claims it's the first real innovation in head lice treatment in years, and doesn't suffer the resistance issues of other lice products.
I'd be very interested to hear comments if anyone manages to try it.

Wow that Vamoose makes some massive and impressive claims - the active ingredient is salt/sodium chloride. Looks like they have put salt in a mousse.

there has already been a successful Sodium Chloride based product available for a while now - HERE. I wonder if the patent is about to expire on it?

I have tried one of those "one application solves it all" liquids, yeah it worked but after washing the hair with fairy at least 4 times a bath for 3 days before the product cleared, I don't plan to use it again.

Nitty gritty comb and conditioner every 3 days. Straighteners before starting each time.

I had a look, but couldn't find any mention of Sodium Chloride being the active ingredient in Vamousse.

Their website says "Primary Sources for Active Ingredients: The principal source of the natural materials that are used in TyraTech products are plant essential oils. These oils are naturally occurring chemicals which have evolved for plant defense against invertebrate attackers, and which can act as insecticides or repellents. Essential oils comprise the volatile compounds contained in the odorous parts of plants and are normally prepared by steam distillation. Examples of these oils include geranium, citrus and thyme oil. They are contained in flowers, roots, bark, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds."
www.tyratech.com/content/technology/technology_screening.asp

Can't link now as on my phone but I googled it and the active ingredient is simply listed as sodium chloride with a few other ingredients inc some essential oils. The salt kills both lice and eggs quickly by dehydration.

HERE

www.vamousselice.com

A chemical free solution, made from plant extracts & oils, 100% effective against both the lice and their eggs. Independently tested and proven to be more effective than any other product on the market.

There's also a preventative shampoo to protect family members who don't have the infestation.

Available at Walmart & coming to pharmacies across the country.

Just comb twice a week with the nitty gritty

Soak hair in vinegar for as long as possible then nitty gritty comb through in bright daylight using fingernails to very carefully to remove all eggs. The eggs have a glue that sticks to hair shaft but vinegar dissolves it. Genius discovery that saved me from madness after close to a year of fighting 3 children's nits. You have to get every single egg. There is no other way. Then check again daily for at least a week.

Help please!

My daughter has nits and she has the thickest hair ever. And I mean REALLY think and there's also lots of it. Even the hairdresser was shocked and said it was the thickest hair she'd ever cut. Had to be done in layers. So how on earth am I going to get them all out? I feel sick with worry now :( Combing with conditioner just is not doable with her hair. The poor love is going to hate whatever I try and do but I need to act fast. Can I use one of the products, leave in over night then do it again in 7 days?