Ack! Lice!

[Misty]

So last weekend we took a family vacation to Cape Cod. My sister, her friend and her friend's family, and my brother's three kids (he and my SIL had to work) all stayed in a tiny rented beach house. My mom and I stayed in a nearby hotel. We had a great time going to the beach, playing mini golf, barbecuing, etc. At the end of the weekend we dropped the kids back home, and my sister returned to Sydney where she lives with her Aussie fiance. So we all got to spend time with my 2 nieces and nephew (whom we rarely see), and their parents got a break. Win-win, right?

Well, two days later my brother sent an email informing us that all three kids have lice. He thinks they probably got it at the beach house. They all washed their hair with medicated shampoo, and washed all of their clothes and linens. Even after all that, they found eggs in my nephew's hair, so they shaved his head; luckily, he likes the look

My bro then suggested we get checked and inform the beach house owners of the situation.

My mom is a teacher, so she had the school nurse check her out (she's clean). I don't want to have to pay a doctor just for a lice check, since I didn't stay at the beach house. Still, my scalp feels a little itchy. Anybody have any tips for self-examination?

[Slayer]

Go to the pharmacy and talk to a pharmacist. They will explain how to check and show you what to use.

Here, the lice shampoo is behind the counter. I see it all the time when I pick up my mom's meds.

It's a good idea to inform the place they stayed at. It could have happened anywhere, tho, as those guys spread easily. I remember getting it in grade 6 and tons of kids got it. Didn't help that my hair was down to my waist, lol. My mom's a teacher, too, so there's always the risk with kids.

[Aethian]

I was told that some type of oil put into shampoo will help keep them away while they are going around. Easier then the medicated stuff.

[Amina516]

I remember someone saying that applying hair color seemed to kill them. Up for a new do?


Symptoms of head lice can include:
*having an itchy scalp
*seeing red bumps on your child's scalp and neck
*seeing live lice moving around on your child's head
*finding nits (lice eggs), which are tiny white oval shaped specks that are attached to the sides of hairs

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weekl..._head_lice.htm

Theres some home remedy info on there too. Ive heard tons talked about Tea Tree oil. Good luck. When I was a kid i had my head shaved......I do not have a nicely shaped head. :/

[Shpepper]

Tea Tree Oil and Rosemary Oil. You can put them both directly in your shampoo and they will repel the lice.

You can also use Mayo and just smother your head in it. It will smother the lice. But the oils are better and smell nicer

[Marmalady]

I got them once, as an adult, and to this day I don't know how or where.. my son was only a baby, hadn't even started pre-school. I checked his head but he didn't have any

I washed my hair, smothered my head in conditioner, and went all over my head, slowly and thoroughly, several times with a lice comb. Then I did it all over again. That got rid of the nasty little critters.

Why is my head itching now...?!

[fireheart]

A few tips from previous life infestations...

-hair spray DOES work, as does any hair product in general, since the little buggers can't grip on. So for the boy, once he grows his hair out of the buzz cut, it might be time to introduce him to the spiked up fringe look.

-hair colour will work, which is what killed mine, but if you are going to go with the dye job on the kids, maybe use a temporary colour or something ie the Schwarzkopf live colour packs which wash out after 8 washes.

-the electric nit combs aren't too bad for checking and/or detecting lice, but if you have pets in the house, they're not so great because they emit this very very high pitch which can be distressing to them. The best ones to get are the ones with the metal teeth, don't get the plastic ones. Use the metal ones in the shower and comb through it while you're washing your hair to check for lice.

Edited to add: for future, if they do come across eggs in the son, they dont need to shave his head. The robi comb or a metal lice comb should be alright.

[Merriweather]

Good suggestions, been there, done that - don't know why, but some kids seem to get them easier than others. Never had them as a child myself. My daughter had several rounds with them in grade school, some especially hard to get rid of. And she's now had a couple of rounds of getting them off her daughter's head, now she's in grade school.

They do spread so very easily, and as someone pointed out, cling more often to clean hair than dirty, so there's on myth shot down, they get them from nice, clean, well cared for friends, just like themselves. Doesn't take much. Two little girls put their heads together reading. Bingo. One puts on another's cap, there we go (some kid's museums still have lots and lots of hats for "dress-up".

When my daughter would get them, I would just always wash my hair with the same shampoo I bought for her, just to be sure. And self-check in a mirror, plus have another adult check my hair if I had any doubts. I know my daughter & son-in-law do the same when granddaughter got them (we don't live nearby, so no worries).

Killing them isn't always the worst problem, it's getting the darn things off (the eggs, especially). Most schools won't let the kids go back until there are no traces, so that can mean hours with a nit comb trying to make sure there are absolutely none left for the school nurse to find, since you can't let them miss school long enough for dead eggs to come off on their own. Oh, and be sure to followup with the shampoo later (not sure quite how long, just check the bottle), to get rid of stragglers.

One other suggestion, perhaps the hardest one for small children. Others have mentioned washing all bedding, etc. But don't forget that teddy bear and other cuddlies, especially the ones they sleep with. Any that can't be washed or at least put in the dryer on high for quite a while absolutely need to be put in plastic bags, and left until you're sure the child's head has been cleared, and long enough for anything on the toys to die (can't recall if it's 48 hours, or longer). If the child is young and needs something to sleep with, either find one that's been on a shelf or in a closet or packed away, that hasn't been near the child recently, or just go get a cheap one from the store - one for each night until they're cleared, taking each away to a bag after one night.

Ok, and now my head itches, LOL.

[AccountingDrone]

Damn, I know I shouldn't have opened the thread, now I have psychosomatic scalp crawlies

In my 50 years, I am very happy to report that I have never had lice or bedbugs [though an occasional flea infestation thanks to the occasional cat escape to the outside, and one roach infestation from new neighbors in the duplex moving in with them along for the ride.]

[dragon_wings]

Aw AD... Why'd you have to bring up bed bugs? I've had both lice (once when in 6th grade I believe) and beg bugs (for several months when I lived with my ex gf). Both sucked.
Good luck. Hope you don't have them.

[wolfie]

Aw AD... Why'd you have to bring up bed bugs? I've had both lice (once when in 6th grade I believe) and beg bugs (for several months when I lived with my ex gf). Both sucked.

Of course the bed bugs sucked (not so sure about the lice) - after all, they feed on blood.

[Mikkel]

can't recall if it's 48 hours, or longer

AFAIK 24 hours in a freezer will kill everything.

[AccountingDrone]

AFAIK 24 hours in a freezer will kill everything.

3 days for the nasty little moths that live in grains.

[Aethian]

3 days for the nasty little moths that live in grains.

But would you even want the grains then?

[dalesys]

Moth-eaten grain to eat
vs.
Nothing to eat

Sounds like the lesser of two weevils to me.


Besides, it made good bread... which we gave to my mother-in-law.