My little boy has some lice eggs (sorta like mice - see one and you now that another 20 are out there lurking!!). Please enlighten me with your favorite tips of getting rid of these obnoxious beasts!!!

Luckily my other 2 girls haven't been attacked yet, probably just a matter of hours though!!

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), December 03, 2000

Answers

I'm a barber by trade so I have definately seen lice. By law a barber/cosmotologist can't serve someone with lice. What I would do in your situation, thank goodness it is a boy, is give him a close burr to get rid of the 'nits' and then treat him with Rid. If I had them in a girls hair I would cut the individual hairs that the eggs were attached to and then treat with Rid (takes a long time to do but it is better than cutting off really long hair). It generally takes several treatments to 'cure' it. Of course you want to burn the hair with the eggs on it. While doing this you might want to put conditioner on your hair nice and thick so that the little buggers can't hop onto you. Wash all linens, coats, hats, etc in hot hot stong soapy (add bleach if possible)water. Check all members of the family at least every other day for signs of reinfestation and take action at the first sign. I'd also find out where the kids were getting the lice from and see if I couldn't prevent it in the future.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), December 03, 2000.

My youngest son has had lice a couple times, but the other 5 of us have never gotten them. We have always used the lice medicen from Wal-mart. Use their store brand and it works fine, although you need new medicine, don't use old stuff. I have heard you can cover the hair with mayonnaise and then wrap with a plastic bag (use clothespins to close the bag) around the head and leave for a couple hours. This smothers the lice. Don't know if it does anything to the eggs though. You may need to do it agian in about 5-7 days. There are lice combs (tiny,tiny spaces between the tines) that come with the medicine or you can purchase them seperately (expensive), and they get eggs you can't see. I only saw a few eggs in my sons hair, but got out lots with the comb. Have heard recently that other countries do not allow the medicine that we use hear in the US, due to it's toxicity, so be careful.

-- Amber in WA (mikeandamberq@hotmail.com), December 03, 2000.

I read the other day about a new product that dissolves the outer shell of the lice and kills them that way. Seems like they are becoming immune to the typical over the counter remedies. If anyone knows the name of this new product I would love to know about it.

Kathy

-- Kathy (DavidWH6@juno.com), December 03, 2000.

I wonder if you covered the hair with diatomaceous earth and put it up in a cap all day and all night if that wouldn't kill some of the buggers. If it does, then doing it every weekend for a month or so seems like it would eventually wipe out the population. Any comments?

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), December 03, 2000.

We had a round of this when mine were little--talk about a nightmare!!! We are Pentecostals, and cutting the girls' hair was OUT of the question--it takes one faimly size bottle to treat one Pentecostal female head (:o)!!!). Wash all the bedding and clothes in HOT water and dry them in a hot dryer; pack up all the stuffed animals that can't be washed and machine dried in a trash bag, seal them up and let them sit for three weeks--that starves any of the little buggers that might be on them. Vacume the mattress and carpets (we finally pitched the mattress--it was old, anyway--and ripped out the carpet, and burned them), then PITCH the bag. Scrub and bleach brushes and combs. Living room and car uppolstery, all have to be vacumed and maybe sprayed. It is a LOT of work, and can get expensive; but if you are not through, then they will come back, and you'll have to do it all over again. UGH. News of an outbreak will signal a frenzy of headchecks and church pew scrubbing at our sort of church!

Our school nurse said that there is a pool of the little varmits out there that will never totally be gotten rid of. I realized what she ment when a lady visiting our school had hair crawling with the bugs so thick that you could see them from six feet away. Made all of the other adults start itching, just to see her! If your kids have a slumber party with your kids, or go the camp the next week after her kids slept on the same bunk--guess what they'll bring home...???? Our health assistant always does a head check after vacations...and always has to send a few (sometimes a LOT) kids home with bugs. But you can get rid of them.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), December 03, 2000.

I have heard that Listerene Mouth Wash works good for getting rid of lice. I have never used it myself, but I have a friend who says it works good. She has 3 school age kids and it was gettig costly to use Rid. Some one told her about using Listerene Mouth Wash and she has been using it ever since with good results.

-- Mark in NC Fla (deadgoatman@webtv.net), December 03, 2000.

I always tell my students familys to blow dry their hair every night after shampooing. dont use rid its dangerous this problem esclated in the early eightys and the lice have become about immune to the stuff. use mayonaise it softens the eggs and makes them easier to comb out. also use a hot iron on the head rests of your furniture. I actually washed my sons hair in lysol the stuff with the red label thats safe for laundry we discovered them late one night and I didnt have anything else in the house. good luck all

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), December 03, 2000.

I have six children and before I began to homeschool them, lice was a very big problem!! I found out that Thermasilk for volumizing hair works wonders!!!! It gets them out with out hurting the hair or child. Shampoo the hair, then coat well with the volumizing conditioner, comb with a nit comb, rinse out. Check...if you see any more, repeat with conditioner. This usually only takes one time, wash the sheets etc...but the heads are clear. I never had to repeat at home once I did this. I passed this on to the health department and now it is on the lice killing list of things to do. :-)

-- Cindy in OK (cynthiacluck@yahoo.com), December 03, 2000.

The blow drying of the hair is a great answer. You also need to strip anything material in the rooms and wash them, put the stuff that can tolerate it, on the hottest setting in the dryer, especially mattress covers and pillows. If you just saw the lady lice you could pick them off individual but since you have eggs you really have to pay the bucks for the Rid and some places sell the generic eqivilant, and spray the couches, and shampoo everyones head, works better if you simply let it set on the head while you all play cards :) I went on the great lice hunt when my kids kept getting infested, and sprayed the school bus. When I found a friend of my middle daughters with lice, I went to the mother and the school, and drove my kids to school until her head was clean. Your son has caught this from someone, though it could be as easily caught as trying on a hat at the store, or leaning back on a car seat at a friends. Start blow drying the hair everyday, and remember if he has it, you and everyone else in the house is likely to be crawling with them also. Makes me itch just typing this :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

thanks so much for your answers! Today we will start the full blown treatment before it gets out of hand. ITCH ITCH ITCH!!!

-- kelly (kellytree@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

Kelly---I'm an old Cosmetologist for over 30 years----if I had a nickle for evertime I had given this advice I'd be a millionare!!!!!!!!!!! Buy the cheapest brand of mayo you can find & put it on all of the hair & conb it through & coat it all good!!!!! Really good!!! Now put a plastic bag on their head over their hair & if there is a heat sorce like a hair dryer sit them under the heat or close to the wood stove--what ever to build up heat under that bag. Leave it on as long as they can stand to keep it on their head!!!!! Then wash out with a ph balanced shampoo, & then put vinegar in the rinse water. Wash everything they have came in contact with /clothes, bedding--as you have to treat everything not just their hair!!!!! If the first time doesn't get it do a rerun!!!!! Still doesn't work do it again until they are all gone!!!!! It will work & you won't be useing those terrible chemicals on your children!!! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), December 04, 2000.

We had an incident with the two girls a few years back. We used the OTC shampoo and it didn't work! It only slowed their movement. I called the doctors office and the nurse said they are seeing lice that are resistant to the shampoo more and more often. They mentioned the mayo treatment but their method of choice for the resistant strain is olive oil. It runs a little so I put coil cotton around the hair line like if you were getting a perm. Then put on a shower cap overnight. It suffocates the adults. Follow up daily with a nit comb or pick by hand. I repeated the olive oil 7 days later just to make sure like it recommends on the shampoo. We never had another problem! Of course vacuum upholstered furniture, car upholstery, and wash all linens and bag the unwashables.

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), December 04, 2000.

Here's the instructions I have

1. Use 100% real mayonnaise

2. DO NOT USE light mayonnaise low fat mayonnaise fat-free mayo salad dressin ( miracle whip)

3. Apply generously to the hair make sure all the hair is saturated pile the hair on top of the head if neccessary cover with plastic wrap or shower cap leave covered at least 2 1/2 hours

4. Rinse out with warm water and shampoo

5. Pick or comb out dead nits for the next few days until they are all gone repeat in 7 to 10 days

When our boys had this years and years ago and it kept coming back with the use of Rid, we gave them burr haircuts and kept hair grease on their hair all week and washed it out on Sat night for Church the next day then regreased Sunday night, it kept them away, also we did all the washing and stuff already mentioned.

-- Carol (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), December 04, 2000.

After you get rid of the initial infestation, you'll have to work at not getting them again as long as your kids will be exposed to people carrying bugs. I received an nice little pamphlet from a teacher on how to prevent them. It is so much easier to prevent them than to get rid of them.

After all the poison shampoos and hot water washing with poison for the bedding, clothes, hairbrushes and stuff here are some of the tips:

Brushing hair vigorously will dislodge any adults that may have crawled on. do this several times a day, outside. Short hair is easier to brush vigorously.

Do NOT share brushes, combs, hats, hair assessories or coats with other children. Keep your stuff separate from others, in a cubby, or pack or hang your coat on the back of your chair. Do not toss your coat in a pile with everyone elses. Wash your brushes and combs daily. Besure to wash them every time you wash your hair.

Oil of thyme, oil of rosemary and tea tree oil act as repellants to lice. Feel free to use it on your children's hair and clothing.

In spite of serious exposures to lice, my kids have not yet brought any home. I have drilled these preventive practices into them from the time they first wanted to brush their own hair.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), December 04, 2000.

Kelly,

I send you my sympathy. We homeschool, but still go through this at least once a year. (Lots of cousins in public school.) Lice treatment time is met with shrieks and groans around here. We all call it torture time!

That said......let me tell you what works for us.

Combine tea tree oil and olive oil in fairly equal amounts. I don't measure, I just pour them both into a quart jar.

Coat the hair with this mixture.

Blow-dry hair for as long as you can stand it and as hot as the kid will let you.

I then comb through the hair with a comb made by ACU-MED. It comes in a box that says LICEcomb. I have found it to be very effective. My daughter has very long, thick hair.

Examine the hair thoroughly. A BRIGHT light is essential! Direct sunlight works best.

Repeat as necessary.

I repeat what the others say about the chemical treatments being toxic and non-effective. Washing bedding is of course a must. Some things that can't go in the washer, we just put in the dryer and run them on hot for a while. I think the heat kills them more than anything else.

Good luck.

-- Mona in OK (jascamp@ipa.net), December 04, 2000.

Go to www.safe2use.com for a safe alternative to RID, which is a poison. Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), December 04, 2000.

Great advice, wish I known the mayo remedy when my kids were young, gosh that RID is awful. One thing I didn't notice mentioned: The school ROOM must be treated, as well as the library and nurses office! Anywhere there is carpet or fabric. Kathy

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), December 05, 2000.

This will give you the creepies...my husband got head lice the winter we last visited my father out-of-state. We flew so we're pretty sure he got them from the seat headrest on one of the flights. Remember, they used to velcro those white "hankies" behind your head. They stopped that in the past couple of years. BEWARE!

-- itchy (zumende@aol.com), December 06, 2000.

Lady thats Pentecostal..I know what you have been through..I have 2 girls and my self have very long hair..but i did try the listerene..first we washed our hair in cider vinegar then the listerene..then shampooed..you could see the lice dead and floating in the tub..be sure to comb out any nits left in the hair

-- Cheryl Moore (cheryl@acts238.com), August 22, 2001.