Head lice advice

[KeeKee]

This isn't a worry as such I'm just wondering if anybody has any experience with head lice in their children. My child has head lice for the 3Rd or 4th time now and last time she had them (June) she had a reaction to the treatment and the person at the walk in centre said we should probably not use any products on her in the future.

I've been combing her hair everyday for a week now and even though I think I've caught them all, the next day there are loads more. There are loads and loads of nits too and I'm finding it very hard doing this everyday, the nits are firmly attached to the hair and the comb just bypasses them. Her hair is past her bum and it gets very tatty and is uncomfortable for her also.

My question is, does anybody know if it would be safe to try another treatment? The one she had the reaction to was Full Marks and only has 2 ingredients. I've bought hedrin as I've also found a full grown louse in my hair so will have to treat myself and it doesn't contain any of the 2 ingredients the other one had. I've asked the pharmacy at Boots and they were clueless and even said they don't know.

I can't face doing this much longer, it ends up with me feeling like I'm about to explode and her crying from all the hair pulling. If I treat myself and not her, then I'm just risking getting another one me too. I need to use something. Vinegar and mayonnaise have been recommended but the Internet says there's no proof in either of them working.

[Autumn4]

I presume that you are using plenty of conditioner prior to combing your daughters hair ?
How old is your daughter ? If it was me I would have her hair cut to a more manageable length which will help with the combing & control of the head lice problem. You do need to work through the hair in small sections starting v close to scalp & keeping uncombed hair well away. The chemical treatments aren't the answer for everyone. Conditioner & combing is just as good if done properly & regularly. I think you are bound to find the process difficult with your daughters hair as long as it is.
My granddaughter had them & her hair is just past her shoulders. My daughter wouldn't use the chemical treatment but did daily condition comb & wash & it has sorted it. It is a tedious process but it works if the hair is manageable.

[KeeKee]

Thank you for replying Autumn. My daughter is 9 and yes it's the conditioner method. I also dry comb it on a morning before school so I'm doing it 2 times a day most days. Her hair is due a trim but we only trim it just above her bum we like her hair long. My hair is also very long although mine never gets tatty. I am also doing it in sections but I am just finding it very, very difficult at the moment. I am quite squirmish when it comes to insects too they make me feel ill.

[Cakelady]

Argh, hate those things!!! My daughter was plagued by them at primary school. Headlice dislike tea tree oil. Alberto balsam does a really nice & inexpensive shampoo & conditioner. I would brush my daughters hair before putting her in the bath then wet hair a little & smooth through a generous amount of the conditioner. I would then nit comb her sitting in the warm bath & rinse the comb in the sink after each stroke. I feel for you, I remember being in tears with those little critters & my daughter too hated getting it done. It might be worth reading about the like cycle of headlice, I can't quite remember! Also have a little word with school as there's a chance her friends have them too so once your daughter is clear she doesn't get more the next day. Oh I'm scratching lol! Very best of luck xx

[KeeKee]

Thanks Cakelady we do usually use the tea tree shampoo and conditioner but they've changed the formula now and I've had to stop using it as it makes my ears itchy. It was fine for my daughter though so I guess I could start using it again for her.

I called the school last Monday as when she had them in the past they told us to keep her off until we'd used the treatment but this time around they said as long as her hair is tied back (it's always in a plait anyway due to the length) and I comb it every night it's fine for her to still go.

I've read about the life cycle and was hoping to 'break the cycle' by just doing it daily but still finding full grown ones. Less and less but I know they can lay their own eggs once fully grown.

I just think if it's safe to use the treatment it would be the better option as it kills them all. The few times we've used treatment before she didn't even get any stray ones or anything after and yes I've shed a tear too because of it.
It's awful but obviously just part of life. She's pretty sure she knows who gave her them as she's been told before no head to head contact with others and a girl in her year came over to her and randomly brushed her hair over my daughters face and hair but just in case it's not I haven't mentioned that to the school

[Catherine S]

There are natural treatments such as almond oil and olive oil you could perhaps try. Just coat the hair and comb through. The oil is supposed to smother the beasties, and makes it easier to remove the eggs from the hair. Apparently any of the essential oils like eucalyptus etc works too.

I have to say it may be better for your daughter to have her hair cut shorter at this age, easier to take care of. I have 2 daughters both grown up now, and I never let their hair grow past shoulder length while in infants and junior schools. This made life easier for them and for me. Once they got to high school they could please themselves...long or short, because they were then old enough to look after their own hair.

ISB x

[KeeKee]

Thanks ISB I will try olive oil as I already have some in the cupboard.

I'm not cutting my daughters hair unless she was the one who wanted it cut, her hair is gorgeous.

[Catherine S]

Yes, my 8 year old grandaughter's hair is gorgeous too...thick and a lovely honey colour and until last September it was long enough to sit on. But she and her mummy had had enough of the tangles and head lice treatments, the shouting and crying trying to brush it every morning and evening, only to have it tied back most of the time anyway.

So last summer she had it cut into a lovely chin length bob which really suits her, and she donated her hair to the specialist wig makers for children with cancer. She's very proud of the certificate she has for doing that. She tells us that she will grow it long again when she's older. I blame Disney! Sometimes I wish they'd have princesses with short hair too :D

ISB x

[Cakelady]

Did look in the search engine for "best headlice treatment& came across a Mumsnet thread on the subject (I would send link but not sure how) , just different ideas, might be worth a look. :) I still believe that's such a lovely thing your granddaughter did xx

[KeeKee]

Yes, my 8 year old grandaughter's hair is gorgeous too...thick and a lovely honey colour and until last September it was long enough to sit on. But she and her mummy had had enough of the tangles and head lice treatments, the shouting and crying trying to brush it every morning and evening, only to have it tied back most of the time anyway.

So last summer she had it cut into a lovely chin length bob which really suits her, and she donated her hair to the specialist wig makers for children with cancer. She's very proud of the certificate she has for doing that. She tells us that she will grow it long again when she's older. I blame Disney! Sometimes I wish they'd have princesses with short hair too :D

ISB x

Aw that's a lovely thing to do. At least at the very end of Tangled Rapunzel cuts her hair off and has a nice bob herself ;-) although that's the only one I can think of.

To be fair this is only the third or fourth time my daughter has had lice, it's just not that much of a hassle to warrant chopping years of hair growth out (for me, it obviously depends on the hair type - my daughter has straight hair, I imagine curly would be much harder to deal with). Obviously if my daughter asked if she could cut her hair I'd allow it as it's her hair not mine, but I like her hair long. Same with my own hair, although my hair's never tatty even though I wear mine down each and every day.

---------- Post added at 13:46 ---------- Previous post was at 13:44 ----------


Did look in the search engine for "best headlice treatment& came across a Mumsnet thread on the subject (I would send link but not sure how) , just different ideas, might be worth a look. :) I still believe that's such a lovely thing your granddaughter did xx

Thanks I'll do a quick Google search. I've read they also don't like heat from the hairdryer but not sure if that'd kill them or they simply do not like it. I usually let her hair air dry but did use the hairdryer yesterday.

[Magic]

I still believe, that was a really lovely thing to do with your G/daughters hair, I bet she is very proud of her certificate.

I used the stuff from the chemist.(expensive stuff) Wondered why my head was itching.
I caught them from my G/daughter when she first started to school

I remember having them when I was little and my dad did the comb method.

[GlassPinata]

Here in the US, they have hairdressers who specialize in the removal of headlice, mainly in children.
I wonder if there is anything like that in your area.

[nivekc251]

My sister kept lice while in school grade 1-5. It was horrible she and her friends would just keep giving it to one another. You may want to trim it shoulder so it will be easier to treat. My sister had hair to her butt and we eventually had to cut it to her shoulders. I can remember them using that fine comb and her screaming. Luckily my hair was short and I never got them that or I tasted horrible lol

[23fish]

I never used lotions as I think lice become immune to them. I found it best to use a Nitty Gritty comb with conditioner every day - it has longer, slightly wavy teeth. There was an article on tv the other day which said the chemical treatments were useless!