Argh headlice!!!

[MistressMary]

On my two year old.

Help.

Get a nitty gritty comb and loads of cheap conditioner (Asda 30p) and comb them out every other day until they've gone and then check every few days in case any laid eggs and have hatched. Check everyone else in the house too. You can get the comb on prescription.

Is this the time of year for Headlice or something? Lots of threads on the subject, and DS had them for the first time last week as well!

(p.s. hi, surfermum!)

Thanks for that info.
Great fun as our toddler hates having his hair combed!

I take it we do the same thing with our hair?

My dd (7) has them too; luckily just a few eggs and 1 little critter. Though I think someone in the class is not checking properly because I've spent hours combing, spraying, checking etc, and she came back yesterday with quite a few more...
Anyway I'm wet combing with loads of conditioner, spraying on an oily plant based deterrent, then rinsing it off after a couple of hours and combing again in the mornings before school.

Yes, comb it the opposite way to normal, ie from underneath. DD gets them from her sister, my step-d. She's 2.5 and starting to mind too! I fill the bath with every bath toy she has to try and distract her.

Sorry, hi Jodee !

Thanks again.
Will get nit picking.

Mix some tea tree oli with their shampoo/conditioner, the critters hate it!

Again thanks for the help.
I have the critters too.

Oh it's horrid.

I'm fuming. I spent all half term wet combing my four. Now I'm doing it twice a week and they've come back again.

I have tried everything now. Herbs, organophosphates. It's taking up so much of the bedtime routine it's driving me crazy.

I too recommend the nitty gritty comb as it clearly gets out far more than those little plastic things.

Spidey, I just read a book called Headlice to Dead Lice. It recommends using copious olive oil on the hair as it smothers the lice - however, you have to do it every four days, leave the oil on overnight, and comb thoroughly in the morning. Can mail you more details if you are feeling desperate enough!

OMG every four days for how long?
I suppose it'd be worth it though. May give it a try and stick some Tea Tree in with the olive oil. See how the little swines like that.

For 3 weeks, I think. Just about to put ds to bed, will check the book and mail you later...

Thanks F&Z.

general advice is for every 3 days for 2 weeks.

You don't have to leave the oil overnight. Wet comb with oil or conditioner to get the little horros out works just fine. The ones that are left are too small to breed. You don't have to kill them on the head first, just comb the ittle buggers out

I've been doing it every 3/4 days for months now and they're still coming back.
I think I actually want them to die now. I want the oil because something deep in me needs to kill them.
Can you tell I've been driven to distraction?

Yup!

Quick question, do you suddenly get a big louse after them getting smaller?

OMG long haul then.
Olive oil and conditioner it is then.
What about vinegar?

Yes I would say so.

Sounds like your dcs are being reinfested. Sorry!

Nothing will stop that happening, not even the oil, which is a PITA to get off their heads and pillow cases (spot who has tried it ? )

It took me a two week half term break to clear dd once, she kept picking them up again.

It's just managing numbers in the end then. [sigh]

Yes, soory, real PITA, been there, done that, got the nit comb!

And doing ourselves too!
Must spend ages and get well peed off.
Little buggers aren't they it seems.

I learned this week how they hatch. When they have grown enough the louse takes in air and farts it out, blasting itself out of the egg sac!

Some females end up cementing themselves to the egg when they lay them.. I thought, Good!

Well you certainly learn something new everyday on MN.