cry for help... lice.

[Sabriel]

I just typed out a longer post TWICE and lost them because I got logged out and wasn't smart enough to hit copy before hitting submit. Well, it's past midnight and I'm both freaking out and exhausted. My mom thinks it's fleas but I am pretty convinced it's lice. Thanks to LHC, I grew my hair to hip/tb... but I'm reading about treating lice and all the combing involved, and I feel like this shudder::pray::wail:

I've never been good at posting regularly (I've been spending a lot of time abroad), but I'll always love this site because it's the main reason I was able to get my hair to the length I wanted for years. And now, literally only a couple months after I reached this length, I'm scared that I'm going to have to cut some off...

So if anyone has any advice, I'd be grateful.

[Katrine]

I found this old thread about using henna to treat lice. You may find it helpful. There may be others but this is the only one I found.....HTH

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40883

[Wildcat Diva]

I've read several of these threads over the past months. Why reinvent the wheel? If you'll conduct a search, I'll bet you find some good reading on here.

[Majormiles]

You don't need all the chemicals involved with treating lice. Get a huge ton of conditioner and a lice comb and sit for a long te gently combing the blighters out. Do the same thing every night for a week and you should be free...when your combing have a bowl of water or tissue ready to get rid of the conditioner/ lice so your not putting them back on your head!!! Then thoroughly wash your comb or if it is metal, Boil it. Good luck and don't freak out, it's okay!!

[Majormiles]

Ps do it in very small sections of your hair so it is less damaging

[goldenlady]

I've heard olive oil kills them.. & it's good for the hair and scalp :)

[jacqueline101]

I had them a few years ago after a homeless woman moved into my work place. I used lavender conditioner. I put it on dry hair covered with shower cap for hour then used lice comb to remove them. Rinse out conditioner and use coconut oil on hair. Coconut oil kills them.

[woolyleprechaun]

Oil does seem to smother them. When DD had them, I freaked out as she has long, thick, wavy hair and the thought of the chemicals and mechanical damage made me shudder. In the end I mixed a ton of EOs (lavender, tea tree...) with olive oil and covered every inch of her hair and scalp. I put a close fitting shower cap on her, and left it for some hours. I then combed it thoroughly with a nit comb (went through like butter, thanks to the oiling), rinsing the comb often and then conditioner only washed it. I did the same with the conditioner (the shower cap and combing) before rinsing. I did that for few days to be on the safe side, but the lice seemed to be gone after the first treatment.
I oil her hair lightly most school days, with a similar mix to the anti-lice oil I made. I do think that it may help deter them :)

[Firefox7275]

I just typed out a longer post TWICE and lost them because I got logged out and wasn't smart enough to hit copy before hitting submit. Well, it's past midnight and I'm both freaking out and exhausted. My mom thinks it's fleas but I am pretty convinced it's lice. Thanks to LHC, I grew my hair to hip/tb... but I'm reading about treating lice and all the combing involved, and I feel like this shudder::pray::wail:

I've never been good at posting regularly (I've been spending a lot of time abroad), but I'll always love this site because it's the main reason I was able to get my hair to the length I wanted for years. And now, literally only a couple months after I reached this length, I'm scared that I'm going to have to cut some off...

So if anyone has any advice, I'd be grateful.

See your pharmacist, not all effective treatments involve loads of combing or nasty chemicals and you need to kill the eggs not just the lice. In the UK at least there is an effective silicone based treatment. If there is a possibility of fleas see your veterinarian for a prescription treatment, you need to kill the eggs and fleas in the home not just the few fleas on the pet.

"What probably won't work--Some home remedies include cooking oil, mayonnaise, vinegar and other combinations. Studies have shown lice can survive in hair covered with olive oil, mayonnaise and even petroleum jelly--even when it is left on the hair overnight. Shampooing with ordinary shampoo won't kill lice; lice can survive through two consecutive shampooings, even when the hair is not rinsed for an hour after the second shampooing. Lice don't drown easily. Research has shown lice can survive when immersed in water for 14 hours at 86-98 degrees F."
http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/lice/headlice018.shtml

[CurlyMopTop]

Lice do not drown, they have gills. They do however smother. Use any oil of your choice, olive oil works well. Coat hair thoroughly, put a shower cap on to contain the mess. Best if left on overnight. Retreat after 3 days for a couple of times to be sure you get any hatched eggs. Wash everything, vacuum well. Don't forget the back of your couches and car. Good luck. :D

[Mindy]

My daughter got them in May after going to a friend's birthday party/sleep over. See if your doctor can prescribe something for you. In my experience the OTC shampoos are not very effective. Her pediatrician prescribed an alcohol based medicated shampoo. It doesn't have all the nasty chemicals that the OTC treatments have. It kills the live lice, but it doesn't kill the eggs.

The only way to get rid of the eggs and prevent reinfection is to comb every single egg out. It takes a lot of time and is not a fun job, but if you coat the hair in oils or conditioner first you can minimize the damage. Use a good quality metal lice comb, not one of those plastic ones that come with the shampoos, they don't work and are probably more damaging.

[Periwinkle]

I've done really well with basic over-the-counter stuff, and apart from being impossible to actually wash out of your hair, it was fine! The chemical damage (which I've not noticed anyway, though I'm sure it did my hair no good) was worth it to me just to be rid...

[0xalis]

I know this thread is about 20 days old now... but did you have any luck with the oils and such? I have 3 little sisters, one still in grade school, so lice is an on and off problem I have to deal with a lot so It'd be great to know if it worked for you :D I absolutely dread lice shampoo... the last time I did a treatment I shed like crazy :(

[Allychan]

My daughters both have waist length (or longer) hair. I have been using the comb and chemicals since they started school, the lice just kept coming back. The easiest and lazy way I got rid of the headlice was oiling their hair every night with coconut oil. After a week no more lice and not once did I have to use that dreaded comb. We now just oil 2-3times a week and their hair is healthy and nit free.

I nearly ruined my daughter's hair with chemicals and kero nit treatments, and she has curly hair which does not do well with those combs regardless of the amount to conditioner I poured on her head
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6308&d=1379214960

[Panth]

I'm honestly not usually one for recommending weird "natural" remedies (!) but in this case, I've always found quassia bark to be a fool-proof treatment for nits. You can buy it at wholefood shops. Put a good handful or two in a saucepan, cover in water, boil for 15 mins and strain. Use the liquid as a rinse after washing and do not rinse it out. If I remember correctly, it only kills live nits, so either don't wash your hair for one to two lifecycle lengths of the nit or apply it repeatedly to catch the eggs once they hatch.

[kmcg]

Tea tree essential oil is often used to treat lice. If you have any you could add it to the oil for an extra kick. It has a many other uses so I think it's worth buying.
I hope it clears up quickly!

[0xalis]

I'd used tea tree oil before but got no results, though, I probably wasn't doing it right. Next time I find a bug I'm definitely going to try using olive oil and tea tree oil.

[BrendaLoan]

I read an article about the effects of tea tree oil here... I would give it a try :shrug: (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15025863)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15025863



(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15025863)

[Babzilla]

Two words: Neem Oil. Kills them, their eggs but it REEKS like garlic and peanut butter.

[kmcg]

Two words: Neem Oil. Kills them, their eggs but it REEKS like garlic and peanut butter.
Oh geez that made me laugh. Babzilla, I've heard some colorful descriptions about the smell of neem oil but that takes the cake.
Man, neem oil does everything. Tamanu oil is a close 2nd and it smells like maple syrup but I'm unsure if it gets rid of lice.
I have some neem powder that I use for all sorts of stuff and it doesn't stink. That might be a good alternative (it was cheaper than the oil too) but I don't know how much of a pain it would be to brush out.

[Busymom]

Two words: Neem Oil. Kills them, their eggs but it REEKS like garlic and peanut butter.

I freaked out when I saw nits on my 4 year old daughter's soft, fine, BSL hair (from the montessori school). I used neem oil 1/2 tsp in a 200 ml coconut oil bottle and added some dried holy basil(thulasi) leaves to it. oiled her hair thoroughly and washed with baby shampoo after one hour. With one treatment it was gone but I did it on 4 consecutive sundays and never saw the nits again.. Didnt have to use the dreaded nit comb.So No hair loss whatsoever...

[Babzilla]

Oh geez that made me laugh. Babzilla, I've heard some colorful descriptions about the smell of neem oil but that takes the cake.
Man, neem oil does everything. Tamanu oil is a close 2nd and it smells like maple syrup but I'm unsure if it gets rid of lice.
I have some neem powder that I use for all sorts of stuff and it doesn't stink. That might be a good alternative (it was cheaper than the oil too) but I don't know how much of a pain it would be to brush out. You may be able to make a tea out of it and mermaid soak in a bucket while dousing the parts that are not submerged. It may take contortions!