head lice question - Hedrin

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I found a few live lice (adults and babies) and empty egg cases on DS1's hair last Thursday and treated him with Hedrin. I also Hedrinned my hair on the same day as it is so thick that going through it myself to try and detect it seemed like an impossible task. (I did have a quick look at mine but couldn't find anything but Hedrinned it just in case).

I thought DS2 had escaped them at that time so didn't treat him but tonight I found about 3 adult ones while condition combing during his bath. I couldn't see any eggs or baby ones so I'm guessing he's caught them from DS1 before he had the hedrin on. So he's gone to bed with the Hedrin on tonight too.

What I'm wondering is this - you're supposed to apply the Hedrin a second time a week later, aren't you, to kill any newly hatched lice before they can reproduce. Which I was going to do on me and DS1 this coming Thursday. But now that today I've found adult ones on DS2's hair, does that potentially mean that an adult louse from HIS head could now be back on mine and DS1's heads and could lay eggs, say, today? Those eggs wouldn't hatch for another week which would be AFTER the 2nd (and what I was hoping would have been the last) application of Hedrin for DS2 and me. And Hedrin doesn't kill the eggs, does it?

So potentially DS2 could have reinfested us already and our second application of Hedrin on Thursday would be pointless?

Oh god, it's so complicated. I wish I'd just put the bloody Hedrin on DS2's head at the same time as DS1's last Thursday and be done with it.

Can't offer much in the way of advice, but you have my sympathy. It's a nightmare. I would try to condition comb as much as possible, and get someone to check your hair for you too. Then Hedrin all of you the same night, which should kill everything. And it's not cheap either, is it?

Oh I sympathise. I have spent this evening combing through my 13yo DDs very long and super thick hair and pulling out some seriousl fst and large lice.

IME Hedrin is the best product on the market atm. I have more success with it than other treatments but I have had the odd failed treatment too.

I dont know whether its the product or maybe not getting the applicstion on absolutely 100% of the hair.

The best thing is to comb through and hedrin the same day. Then comb through every night or every other night for a full week before doing the second treatment.

If you comb through thoroughly with conditioner and a nit comb every two or three nights for three weeks you will get rid of any new lice before they have chance to lay eggs. It is the only effective way to get rid of them and you don't need to use any lotions or potions.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I think I will carry on with combing all 3 of us every other day with a nitty gritty comb. That's a good idea. And Hedrin all of us on Thursday (which will be all our second treatment, although not a week after first treatment for DS2 so might even do a third one on all of us a week later just to make sure).

I just wish I'd done all of us on the same night in the first place to save working out the bloody maths of the hatching timetable!!!!

You're right, it is not cheap. I honestly thought (smugly) after all these years then they were unlikely to ever get them if they hadn't got them before now. Little did I know.....

the nasty little buggers! (the lice, not the kids!)

I've always used the leave on overnight product (Hedrin) and it's worked, and then used the same a week later. Twatting things. When dd has had them in the past i;ve had to wash practically everything in the house, even though the experts say the lice can't live on fabric etc. You have my sympathy.

Lice lice can lice on fabric for a week. I only know this because my friend experimented by putting on on a bit of fabric in a jam jar. It was still moving a week later. I don't know how long it lived after that.

They are vile creatures which I find stomach-churning to look at. I can cope with all sorts of creepy-crawlies and bodily fluids no longer bother me but give me one head louse and I just want to run away screaming!