HEADLICE - this is something I think you all ought to know.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

DS3 has a bad case of headlice - 2 weeks in and he is still rife with them. He rather likes the idea of his "little friends" (odd boy, I know) so in an attempt to put him off, we put one into one of those bug watcher contraptions you can buy children - a sort of plastic box with a magnifying glass incorporated.

Well, I was always under the impression headlice did not live long once separated from a source of human blood, but it is now 9 hours later and guess what? Ds's "little friend" (not a very little louse by the way but a bloody large fecker) is still wriggling away merrily inside his box. I have just googled and apparently they can live for 2 days off the head!

Just thought you all might like to know that.

Yuck!

Thanks so much, DG.

Discovered an infestation in DD's head last Sunday, and was beginning to think we'd got the better of it.

I am going to keep a check on it now and will let you know when it dies.

Oh and (I am also affected by the buggers and have decided to blast them to hell with chemicals tomorrow).

Uuuuuugggghhhhh I'm itching all over.

urghh - hasnt any chemicals nuked the feckers? I am intetested t kow do they suck blood in which case if you splat it will there be some?

We have never found chemicals to work reliably so we wet comb every 3/4 days. But the trouble has been that my older 2 boys have been ill all week so I have been a bit rushed off my feet and didn't comb during the week and ds3's seem to have taken advantage!

I am however going to nuke my own "friends" tomorrow as I am not sure I have the patience to comb my hair.

I wonder if the chemicals in hair dye would get rid of them?

It might be interesting to see the "friends" in different colours under the microscope anyway.

Hair dye works! I usually do that to my hair rather than hedrin etc

Does it really nymphadora? Oh I might just do that then. My roots need touching up.

Is this thing dead yet?

Best comb for wet combing is one called Nitty Gritty. Costs £10 or free in Scotland under minor ailments to U16s etc. Removes the lice and the eggs.

Now that's interesting because they say that lice can't live for long off the head so we don't bother washing bedding and the like as part of the elimination process. This could revolutionise my life.