Has anyone tried Hedrin?

[FrannyandZooey]

Does it work? Is it a one dose thing? How much does it cost? Does it really have no side effects (even tiny little ones that organic lentil weavers would object to)

I don't think I have lice atm, but I did find one egg in ds's hair yesterday and my hair is so long and thick it is totally depressing to be nit combing it "just in case". If this stuff works, is safe, and not too pricey, I might just bung it on every time there is a possibility we might have lice. What do you reckon?

Yep. I think it might be a good idea to buy a case of the stuff and do it every week

Nothing that kills nits properly is going to be totally safe to keep putting on your head. It'll be a poison, whether or not it's made with "natural" ingredients. and the nits will get resistant if people just bung things on prophylactically.

Hedrin didn't totally work for us. as far as I can see the only long term solution - and it has to be healthier in terms of chemical use, and also more environmentally friendly - is to get good at nit checking and nit combing. We have really improved our household skills in this - with 3 tangle-headed daughters it's quite an issue but we still just condition and comb when we have them. It does work, you just have to persist.

I found Hedrin was the only thing that worked. I tried Nitty Gritty and all the blasted combs. We combed and oiled and combed and oiled for weeks. My daughter's hair is very blonde and very curly. Could not get rid of the damn lice - until we tried Hedrin. Brilliant. The lice can't become immune to being suffocated/ drowned. So we've had no problems with headlice since (it's been about 4 years now). There are no side-effects - except for the headlice.

i just wanted to say that after reading everything you all have had to say about hedrin it has given me some better hope in getting shot of my daughters recent vist from the family lice! i've treated the whole family, daughter, son, husband and myself, there's is only one thing i wanted to ask in hope that anyone out there is looking and seeing this, laundry, do i change the bed sheets after the first hair wash or should i do it now whilst the hedrin is working on us? stupid question i know, but lets face it, i need an idiots guide!

I'm in the middle of a Hedrin treatment (I've had to do it in 3 lots each 5 days apart because DH was travelling and I wanted to do the whole family at the same time to avoid cross-infection) and it seems to be working well. Tortykitten, I've been wrapping a towel that's due for a wash anyway around the pillow on the night that I treat so there's no need to change the whole bed.

I also bought a Nitty Gritty comb but, while it's obviously better than the other combs because it pulls out eggs, it pulls horribly on DS's thick hair and he hates having it done.

I'm using Hedrin right now for the second application. It's the first anti lice thing I've ever managed to use on my 6 year old daughter that didn't result in an argument - no smell, no combing, just chuck it on last thing at night and wash it out in the morning. The one bottle has treated our hair twice, we both have shoulder length hair so I consider it pretty cheap.

I'm very fussy about what I spend my money on so I did a bit of research on the website before I tried it
www.thorntonross.com/hedrin/default.aspx

By the way, I don't know if you find this useful, but I've found Teatree conditioner or leave in spray helps prevent them in the first place. My poor girl goes to school smelling of it every day, but this is the first lot we've had for 6 months. When she first started at primary school she was getting them all the time. I found a teatree leave in detangling spray for 1.99 a bottle
www.expresschemist.co.uk/Escenti-Tea-Tree-Head-Lice-Repellents.html
which is fab, or my mother used to drip some teatree and bergamot oil into our shampoo as kids - I never once got nits until I was an adult.

It's very good.

I am a primary school teacher and have been teaching for 5 yrs and for the first time in my life (28 yrs) I have had headlice. 3 weeks ago I searched the internet High and Low for an alternative to Hedrin. I discovered at 11.30pm the first day of my half term I had headlice and immediately went to Tesco to buy some lotion. I heard Hedrin was very effective so bought it and then began applying. 1 bottle later my mixed raced hair had basically used up the whole thing as it just ran off my hair like water of a ducks back. I began searching for an alternative on internet and kept coming across Delacet so next morning bought 2 bottles and added this to the concotion on my hair. As this is water based much better for my half afro hair.When I washed out about 5 hours later (although only 2 hrs needed)I couldn't actually see anything just rinsing away (although wasn't looking)but my sister was able to remove the eggs by hand very easily. I seemed free of them and had been using Delacet as a repellent since returning to school and also using my ghd's on hair in the hope I could burn away any that got left behind but unfortunately I think I found what was an egg today. My issue is though that basically someone in my class must be the culprit so until they sort their hair out, I am going to keep getting infected. Occupation hazard I know, but bl*$£y annoying. What I can't work out is why this has never happened before in all the years been teaching! I think it is when I sit down to help the children and they put their head really close to mine.
I really can't do the combing thing as hair too thick and long and live on my own so no one to even check my hair regularly for me!
I can't keep spending my weekends doing this procedure, it takes me hours as it is to do my hair! To be honest I wish they still sold those harsh pesticides ones my mum used on our hair when we were young, at least it got rid of them!

garnet girl, try spraying your hair before work with NittyGritty detterent spray, or Vosene do one too (which smells almost exactly the same).

dd's had two close friends at primary school with headlice in recent weeks, but by tying her hair up tightly and spraying every morning, so far, we've avoided them. Even though they play together in the way 5 yr olds do - heads touching.

Good luck!

Read your message that you had searched high and low for an alternative to Hedrin - well I found one and that it Not Nice to Lice -UK. I have tried everything and this is water based as you mention aphro hair and contains enzymes - it safe also and can be used to prevent them coming back when kids go back to school and get them yet again. Saved me loads.... No endless combing like many of my friends do - just comb through and follow up within a week in case missed any of tiny nits. It has saved my sanity and that's it really. ...........it does what it says it does

Just to remind everyone you can get headlice treatment free on the NHS if you can get to a doctor or via a pharmacy if your health board runs a minor ailment scheme or you live in Scotland.

Hedrin works mechanically and it is not possible to evole a solution and while i would not recommend it as first line treatment I would definately recommend it after a treatment failure or repeated reinfections.

For repellant effect two drops of tea tree oil in normal conditioner.