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Original poster

Headlice HELP!!

26 replies

shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 18:07

My DD came home yesterday from school with headlice, yuk! I got some hedrin from chemist and did her head last night. Problem is I don't think I put enough on or did it well enough as I found one this morning and one this evening, alive. Do I give her head a proper go tonight again with hedrin?? Or do I just wait the 7 days?? Ive done the combing and conditioner this afternoon,why am I still finding them?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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Awkwardsis · 14/01/2014 18:09

You need to go and get a Nitty Gritty comb. The ones that come with the treatment stuff are useless. Then you'll have all you need for any future visits by said headline. Truly the best tenner you'll ever spend

MrsFruitcake · 14/01/2014 18:11

Not sure if still the case but you can get the nitty gritty comb on prescription. I did about 5 years ago, best to check their website. I'd brilliant and all I've every used on long haired DD.

Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 18:12

Thank you, I'll go get one tomorrow. I do just have a little white plastic one. Can you get them in boots? Should I just forget the hedrin tonight then?

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MrsFruitcake · 14/01/2014 18:14

Just checked and you can still get them on script .

Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 18:17

Brilliant thank you! Smile

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Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 18:29

I hate the thoughts of putting her to bed with them still crawling though. Just found another Hmm. Do I dare to use hedrin again?

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GuernseyTeddy · 14/01/2014 18:39

Ick. If you found more live lice after yesterday's Hedrin, they're likely to be refugee lice picked up from another person today.

I'd nitty gritty daily from now on, just to catch any eggs from the travelling lice.

GuernseyTeddy · 14/01/2014 18:41

You did do yourself and any other family members at the same time when you treated with Hedrin? If not you'll be transferring them back and forth.

gamerchick · 14/01/2014 19:06

Were they big and juicy? If they were then they've been picked up and if there's a few it's likely she's picked some more up today and had them for a few weeks. All of you need to be checked.

Your also need to strip her bed and hoover it.

Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 19:19

No they were quite small so I must have missed them before. Ive checked the rest of us and no sign so far. Bed is changed and sorted. Just wish the little buggers would do one. It's been one thing after another lately. I'll get the nitty gritty comb tomorrow and give her a good going over again. Thank you all for your advice, this is my first experience of head lice ......... And I'm not enjoying it very much!

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gamerchick · 14/01/2014 19:30

If they were little they are at least 2nd generation.. you'll have to go full pelt every night for a bit.

Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 14/01/2014 21:43

Update.......found one of the feckers in my hair! Am horrified. Hedrin on and combed. Will be buying nitty gritty and tea tree oil tomorrow. Am so not impressed.

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wewillmendit · 14/01/2014 21:54

I buy cheap conditioner, sit her in front of a DVD, put it on DD's dry hair. Then nitty gritty, pop her in the bath, wet her hair and run the nitty gritty through again. Then wash her hair, dry it and each morning I spray her hair with a diluted tree tea solution.
I do this once a week, which takes about an hour to do thoroughly.
I run the nitty gritty through her hair once a week when she is in the bath also.

I find that when she had an invasion of the little critters, if the conditioner is on dry hair the comb picks up a lot more eggs and lice, ugh.
Also, when I couldn't get rid of them with the combing last year, I bought a spray bottle for the hedrin to make sure all her, and my, hair was covered.

onlyfortonight · 14/01/2014 21:56

I think just combing every two to three days with the nitty gritty comb works as well as hedrin! Do it in the bath in good light, so you can wet the hair completely, right at the root. They are quite agile on dry hair, so you really need to be certain you are getting the water and conditioner right to the scalp. Section off the hair and be really systematic. I go over the whole head twice. Clean the comb in water after each pass and when you are ready to wash the conditioner out, shower it out with fresh water, otherwise the live but temporary immobile lice in the bath water can hitch a ride again! ( I didn't realise this one myself) Do the same for everyone in the household, including DP! ( Despite my DP short hair, he had three himself when we last had lice!)

It is annoying, but regular combing to prevent them from maturing into adult, egg laying lice, should see them gone in about 2 weeks, 3 tops.
Good luck! Grin

Methe · 14/01/2014 22:01

We've had nits recently and I eliminated them from my 9 year old daughters mega long thick hair by using hair straighteners on it. It was far less effort than using the nitty gritty ( though they are brilliant on shorter hair)

Grim isn't it!

Original poster
shatteredathomemum · 15/01/2014 10:47

Thanks everyone. ??

Home now with nitty gritty comb, vosene shampoo and spray with tea tree for the DC and tea tree shampoo for me and DP. Will launch an attack again shortly. Had a comb through this morning and didn't find any live ones so will see what this afternoon brings when I've time to do it more thoroughly. Wish me luck! Wink

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Goldmandra · 16/01/2014 12:53

Just keep combing really carefully with conditioner every couple of days for at least two weeks. You will get all the live ones out as they hatch and before they are old enough to lay more eggs.

You need to do the combing whatever potions you put on so you might as well just use the Nitty Gritty and conditioner.

It's a pain but it does work.

Have you told the school so they can remind all the other parents to check. It's worth it even though some won't bother Angry

Lamu · 16/01/2014 13:04

It really is grim isn't it. We've on the second outbreak in 2 months. I was quite naive in thinking Dd 2 wouldn't catch them but she seems to be picking them up from toddler group. I can only assume another toddler is absolutely riddled. Sad

I just thought I'd add. As well as changing bedding more often also wash hats, coats with hoods etc. It's surprising where I've found the little feckers.

Goldmandra · 16/01/2014 13:27

Lamu make sure you keep the combing up in between.

It is possible to think you've cleared them, leave one tiny one which lays eggs and then you have another major infestation within a few weeks.

Keep combing and conditioning at least once a week to be sure they are cleared and also to catch any new ones before they multiply.

Lamu · 16/01/2014 15:46

YY combing every week even when she's clear of lice.

Methe Surely you'd have to get very very close to the scalp for that to be effective?

I found an adult. Which to me suggests its a new infestation not an old one iyswim. I think the problem lies with the village school tbh. From what I've been told they don't alert all the parents of an outbreak just an individual class it then continues to run rife without being properly tackled.

Goldmandra · 16/01/2014 16:01

Lamu we had the same problem when DD1 was at our village school. My DD and her friend both had really thick long hair (tied back) and her friend's mum and I got so sick of it that we decided to take action ourselves.

We went round the playground every afternoon and made sure we asked every parent with a child in the same class and quite a few others to check their child's head. Lots of them just said they would have noticed and we explained that it wasn't the case and why. We made sure every parent knew how to look and how often. We asked the school nurse to help and she provided a load of free nit combs for the school to leave out with the leaflets.

It seems that one of those who 'would have noticed' hadn't noticed because that solved the problem. I'm sure we probably put a few noses out of joint but I was beyond caring by then.

Lamu · 16/01/2014 16:12

Gold My problem is that Dd isn't school age yet. The only regular interaction she has is with other children is a toddler groups with the CM. So I'm finding it hard to understand how parents wouldn't be aware that their pre-schooler had nits and can only assume that said toddler has older siblings at the local school.

I'm so fed up with it. Not only is it a massive PITA but Dd has mixed race hair so it's thick and curly too. Nitty Gritty just pulls out her hair no matter how much conditioner I use.

Methe · 16/01/2014 16:47

lamu I got as close to the scalp as I could and then dragged the comb though after it had been straightened (was much easier tbh! ) load of the litter buggers came out and they were all dead.

I am one of those parent a who ' would have noticed' - but didn't. My son was itching and I kept looking though his hair every couple of days but never saw anything. After a month or so I bought a comb and he was infested [:(] I don't Know how I missed it but I did.

I don't think it's possible to tell unless you use nitty gritty comb tbh. Especially if you've got children with very thick mousy brown hair, like me.

Lamu · 16/01/2014 16:57

Methe Thanks for the tip as I've had them twice now too. I'll be getting the GHD's out and giving myself a once over just to be sure. I get what you mean about mousy brown hair. That's how I missed the feckers first time round!

Goldmandra · 16/01/2014 22:23

Lamu, that sounds like a nightmare, especially as you don't actually take her to the group.

I've childminded children and, with parental permission, put a nit comb through their hair and found out that they are absolutely crawling with lice. Their parents were mortified every time.