So, once again, I have lice. EVERYTIME I get them, I always freak out because I think that once I finish de-licing my hair and start on the house, that they will GET BACK into my hair BEFORE I even FINISH. Then I think if I de-lice the house first, that they will get ALL OVER the house BEFORE I finish and that I'll NEVER get rid of them.
So, sorry for all the shouting, but I just freak out evertime I get the evil bloodsucking monsters because I'm scared I'll never get rid of them. I had them TWO WEEKS ago.
So, I have two questions....
Once you wash your hair with the lice shampoo, will any onces lying around the house or wherever stay away for awile? Like does the smell of it natrually ward lice off or something?
AND
How lond after you treat your hair, do you have to retreat it?
I'm using the CVS maxium strength one if that helps any.
Thanks =) I can't live without my teddy bear though. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles getting rid of lice. My answer is going to be long, but I think you'll get a lot of useful info out of it.
First of all, don't use the OTC or prescription lice shampoos (ie Nix, Rid, etc) because the little buggers are getting immune to them and all you're doing is slowly poisoning yourself. Buy some shampoo with tea tree oil (lavendar and eucalyptus helps too), found in the organic haircare aisle or natural health store and use it daily. If you can't find any shampoo, get some tea tree oil essential oil bottle and add it to your regular shampoo or conditioner AND get a spray bottle with water and add the oil to it (don't use it full strength). Spray your hair thoroughly between washings. The essential oils are both a treatment and a preventative and are usually used in natural lice treatments. Keep using the natural lice treatments for at least a month even if you think they are all gone because that's how long the lice life cycle is.
Second, get a friend or relative to nit-comb thru your hair daily for a week and get every last nit out of it. Nits are glued to the hair and don't come off until you comb them out or cut off your hair. The lice shampoos don't penetrate the nits so any baby lice within the eggs are going to hatch in 7-10 days after being laid, regardless if you just shampooed.
Third, be sure to wash your bedding and recently worn clothing, including outerwear and hats/scarves. You can wash them at normal temps but make sure you have the dryer on the hottest setting. Vacuum the mattresses, furniture and don't forget your fabric car seat. DON'T bomb your house or spray because all you are doing is poisoning your home and it DOESN'T WORK. Lice are localized pests and don't stray far from your head. If they are away from a host more than 24-48 hours, they die.
TOOLS:
- 100 watt lightbulb or natural light is best
- nit comb (recommended instead of fine-toothed comb)
- old toothbrush for cleaning out the nit comb after each check
- magnifying glass (easier to determine what's what)
- natural lice treatment/preventative (normally contains tea tree oil and/or lavender essential oils)
- rubbing alcohol and glass cup (to put combs, toothbrush in after checking)
- option: pup tent for the child to "camp" in for the duration so you don't have to keep stripping down the bed every day to wash
DO:
- Make sure you know what ingredients are used in the lice treatment product and research how safe it is
- Treat the hair according to the lice treatment product directions
- Be vigilant about combing every strand of hair with the nit comb (every day the first week, every other day the following week)
- Vacuum car seats, mattresses, furniture
- Wash all bedding and recently worn clothing (put dryer on the hottest setting)
- Soak all affected combs/brushes in rubbing alcohol for at least 24 hours
- Notify/check all family members and any visitors that have been in recent contact with your family
- Make sure your kids don't share hats, coats, scarves, etc at school
- Make sure your kids bring their own sleeping bags/pillows to sleepovers
DON'T:
- confuse nits with hair debris (see article When a Nit is not a Nit > http://www.headlice.org/faq/notnit.htm)
- get/use lice spray > lice are localized and won't stray from the head unless there's another head of hair close by to set up shop in
- use OTC or prescription lice killers because they are pesticides, therefore poisonous (the CDC concedes that "treatment failures are common" and states several health hazards with using the following: pyrethrins [A-200, Pronto, R&C, Rid, Triple X], permethrin [Nix], malathion [Ovide], lindane [Kwell])
- use mayo, vaseline, pet flea shampoo, vinegar, gasoline > not only are they a PITA to clean out but some like gas are flammable and dangerous to use (c'mon, use a little common sense!) or strip the hair
- buy a lice treatment product if it doesn't state what is in the ingredients
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
My first (and hopefully last!) experience with lice was when I noticed nits on my oldest DS 3 weeks ago. I had those little buggers gone within 3 days! I did not spray, use crazy home remedies wearing a shower cap all night or bag up all sorts of stuff (like stuffed animals). I did not have to use Rid, Nix or any of the other OTC stuff.
I combed my DS every day, twice a day for a week. I washed all the bedding and dirty laundry using the normal water temperature but put the dryer on the highest heat setting. I checked my son twice a day for a week, being careful to comb through his entire head. I bought the Robi-Comb but it wasn't very reliable. It considers dandruff and other hair debris as lice, and doesn't detect nits. Nobody else we had been in contact with or within my household (me, DH, youngest DS) ever got infested. I do, however, insist my family use a natural tea tree oil & lavender shampoo/conditioner as a treatment and preventative (I like Giovanni the best; also tried JASON; California Baby makes one too), along with Lice Off spray daily, in between shampoos.
Good luck and email me if you have any questions! Well I used the shampoo and my mom had to get them all out of my hair when I had them. When I blowdryed my hair i think that did it for good.
Wash and dry your sheets, put anything around your bed [any stuffed animals or anything that can't be put into a dryer on high heat] into a plastic bag sealed for 6 months out of the way somewhere.
For furniture and stuff i think you can get spray to kill them or vaccume them or something.
Combs, brushes, headbands, everything needs to be cleaned.
I hope that helped a bit :] I treat the head 1st & then i use a flea bomb i know that sounds extreme but houses can get infested with them & if the product can kill a flea it can kill lice!! Hey, I'm with you, sister!!! I freaked out when I got them like a week or two ago. This is the first time I've had them, and the second I got rid of them, I got them again!!! As for your hair, I'm tellin' ya - DON'T BUY THE CHEMICALS. I used that for the first week. The mayonnaise really works!!! It kills the nits pretty well. And as for how long after you re-treat it, I think every day!!! If you wait for a week, like some people say, the nits can hatch, and you don't want that!!! For your furniture, spray everything!!! Instead of buying the lice KITS at the store, that come with spray and combs, and all that stuff, buy lice SPRAY for your furniture. If you get good stuff, you can spray everything in your house with it!!!
Hope that helps a bit!!!
Thank you for reading my answer. hey
just shampoo ur hair with gud shampoo and conditioner in right way
it really work
caz i too hav these lice and noe its completely gone |
