PDA

View Full Version : Lice-- fun times (not)



systemaurora
August 2nd, 2009, 06:52 PM
So, what do y'all do when you get or suspect lice? We're just paranoid about it here because my youngest brother's friend had it. My mom and I used a dimethicone treatment (I'll take cones over pestocides on my head ANY day!) and now I've been "ordered" to straighten my hair every day for the next week. XD I may actually get to straighten my mom's hair for her. She normally hates the flatiron but will tolerate a bit of the blow drier if she's in a hurry. Since the heat kills lice we get a bit more generous with it when we're concerned, lol. Since I'll be flatironing every day I've brought the temp down from the crazy 450 degrees to 300-350. Still bad, but it doesn't seem nearly as fried when I'm done. :) I'm also using my usual heat protectant which has dimethicone in it too.

What do you guys do when you get lice? I'm sure it's high up on the list of hair nightmares for most of us! Mayo and olive oil have never helped us beat the lice, though it does make for very nice hair. ;)

theskeletonkey
August 2nd, 2009, 07:25 PM
Oh man! I got lice last summer, it was AWFUL.
The only thing that got rid of it for me was slathering my dry hair in cetaphil
blowdrying it dry once it was dry I put it up in a shower cap over night, the next day I washed my hair like normal and my sister nit-picked for me.
We tried all the different chemical lice treatments but the above treatment was the only
thing to work.
if you are only worried about getting it, one treatment should be enough.
But if you do get it, do it once a week for a month, or until the lice are completely gone.
Hope this helps.

Speckla
August 2nd, 2009, 07:26 PM
I always had to break down and use the chemical shampoos. The olive oil helps to restore hair afterwards.

KaeleyAnne
August 2nd, 2009, 07:43 PM
I've never heard of using heat and cones before. One more thing to add to my arsenal!

The treatment that I've heard that works really well is to slather one's hair in olive oil and let it sit for a long time (I don't remember the timing).

Farina
August 2nd, 2009, 07:49 PM
my cousins had it once and my old school italian grandmother slathered their head in mayonnaise. That worked after a few times. Mayo is good for your hair too :)

systemaurora
August 2nd, 2009, 07:52 PM
We used to sleep with it on our head, using shower caps and towels over the pillows! It didn't work, though we did have fabulous hair for a few days afterwards. ;)

I personally am not very flat-iron shy, so doing it every day probably won't be too bad, especially since it's summer vacation. :) I flatironed my mom's hair a few minutes ago (it was hard because she didn't completely wash the cones out on one side, lol) and she looked really nice. Since she never does anything with her hair but put it in a ponytail and wash it with suave naturals (coconut) it was gorgeous and shiny and caught the light like glass. My little brother (who doesn't normally notice our appearance) walked in and said "Oh wow, Mom's hair is sooo pretty!" :D When I was done I put a little extra coney gel in the none-wettish side and pulled it into a twist braid for her. She has somewhere between 2c and 3a hair so it weirds her out to see it straight. Still, I think it's nice not to worry too much about lice, which is really the main reason I started flatironing to start with. We had lice that we just could not get rid of, especially on me (my hair was between APL and BSL), and when my mom was buying lice treatments AGAIN the cashier (who was black) informed my mom that people with ethnic hair rarely get lice because of the chemicals and oils and heat they usually use.

heatherdazy
August 2nd, 2009, 08:18 PM
Honey, if you actually have it, the flat iron isn't going to make it go away. Even if the heat were to kill all the ones on your head, it wouldn't kill the eggs, or keep you from catching it again from your own pillows/sheets/clothes.

You mention you're 'just paranoid about it', though... why don't you have someone check you for it?

Aranhil
August 2nd, 2009, 08:32 PM
haha i got lice like a year ago, and that's when i cut all my hair off. (but i'm growing it again) Cutting it all for some reason solved that, they were no longer interested in my head i guess lmao. But...i didn't cut it for that reason. i'm sure you don't wanna cut all your hair off though loool. :p

RancheroTheBee
August 2nd, 2009, 09:34 PM
haha i got lice like a year ago, and that's when i cut all my hair off. (but i'm growing it again) Cutting it all for some reason solved that, they were no longer interested in my head i guess lmao. But...i didn't cut it for that reason. i'm sure you don't wanna cut all your hair off though loool. :p

Odd; that worked for me, too, once. I cut about 12 inches off, though. You probably don't want to do that.

systemaurora
August 2nd, 2009, 09:58 PM
Honey, if you actually have it, the flat iron isn't going to make it go away. Even if the heat were to kill all the ones on your head, it wouldn't kill the eggs, or keep you from catching it again from your own pillows/sheets/clothes.

Yeah, that's kind off why we've spent the past two days washing/drying/spraying everything in the house. And as far as the eggs, even if the flat iron doesn't kill them, it'll get them when they hatch. And there are lots of articles out there that talk about using the flat iron to end a lice infestation, so it seems a ton of other people have had success with it too.



You mention you're 'just paranoid about it', though... why don't you have someone check you for it?

I should clarify that my mom is the paranoid one. :P And yes, we've checked each other multiple times. She still insists on treating the whole house despite none of us really finding anything.

plainjanegirl
August 2nd, 2009, 10:15 PM
I have never had them and hope we don't ever get them. I wouldn't even know what they look like. But I heard a kid was sent home from the daycare my kids go to last week with lice.

Aranhil
August 2nd, 2009, 10:53 PM
I have never had them and hope we don't ever get them. I wouldn't even know what they look like. But I heard a kid was sent home from the daycare my kids go to last week with lice.
they are ugly lil bastards :D

bugeyedmonster2
August 2nd, 2009, 11:06 PM
Oiling your hair will keep them from coming back into your hair. That said, where did they come from? If you have any idea, then avoid that place so you won't get re-infested.

If you have oily hair you will have the good luck not to get them as lice don't like oily hair. A friend of my mom's has dry hair. She got lice numerous times. She and her sister shared a bed. Her sister who has oily hair, never got lice.

I'm just wincing at what flat ironing will do to your hair. That said, you do have to try to get rid of lice as they carry typhus.

A friend of my sister's once got lice from a chair. He got lice twice, and the second time, he realized he was getting it from his boss. He would go sit in her chair you see, and she was always digging and scratching. So the lice were living in her chair as well.

(^_^)/
BEM

hennaphile
August 2nd, 2009, 11:07 PM
I've never had lice, but henna kills them.

Aditi
August 2nd, 2009, 11:08 PM
Does anyone knows that Lice helps in increasing your length?? I had lice like 2 years ago and i didn't had any other option except to take help of harsh chemical lice killing shampoos. Afterwards when there were no traces of lice it took like a year to replinsh my hair with moisture and all was a horrible experience:no:

Ndnlady
August 3rd, 2009, 12:14 AM
Oh boy! Reminds me of the time my sister got lice when we were younger we were sleeping in the same bed I listened to her scratch her head all night, so loudly in fact she woke me up every time! I never got lice though, proof that lice do not like oily scalps or hair I guess.
My mother cut off all of my sister's long hair and bought the chemical stuff and was combing the little eggs out of her hair for days. Bad experience all around!
I have heard slathering oil in your hair band leaving it in for hours will actually suffocate the little pests. But henna will also do the job too!

systemaurora
August 3rd, 2009, 12:28 AM
woot, henna. If I weren't quite happy with my hair right now I might give that a go. Definitely planning on oiling up, though. I have some coconut oil but I don't love it. I just ordered some camellia oil and plan on using that religiously when I get it, so yeah.

My little brother would have gotten it from his best friend's house. Given that they're both little 10 year old boys who spend more time in the pool and outside than trading hair things and doing each others' hair and sharing pillows, I'm not too terribly worried.

Quixii
August 3rd, 2009, 02:37 AM
I haven't had lice in years (knock on wood), but I remember when I did my parents had my slather my head/hair in mayonnaise and leave that sitting for as long as I could stand with it in a plastic bag. It seemed to work. I think.

toodramatik
August 3rd, 2009, 02:39 AM
TEA TREE OIL! It stings them to death and they cant stand the smell. I quite love the smell. I highly recommend it, most organic/natural lice medication is made of tea tree oil :)

Also, conditioner paralyzes them for 20 minutes. Get a lice comb and try to comb them out. Wont do much for the eggs though.

systemaurora
August 3rd, 2009, 02:52 AM
TEA TREE OIL! It stings them to death and they cant stand the smell. I quite love the smell. I highly recommend it, most organic/natural lice medication is made of tea tree oil :)

I seem to be allergic to TTO, but it's a good idea for others! :)

toodramatik
August 3rd, 2009, 03:19 AM
I seem to be allergic to TTO, but it's a good idea for others! :)

That sucks :(

It would probably be drying but.. how about lavendar oil? Or any other essential oil with a really strong smell? I guess it might "fumigate" your hair?

I dont think the flat iron would do much. My sister has waist length medium thick hair, and she always flat irons. And always gets lice.

akka naeda
August 3rd, 2009, 05:35 AM
It's not necessary to wash bedsheets etc. DD had lice and we got rid of them with a chemical treatment and then an electronic comb - it zaps the lice and kills them, even if they don't get stuck in the teeth. It also emits a high pitched noise which stops when one is in the teeth. I'd really recommend one because it saves you having to look at the comb each time you've taken it through the hair! We didn't wash the sheets and she is now louse free. She's had lice several times in the past year, usually I'd do the sheets, but this time I didn't. And the first time I had lice (which was when I was 22 or so) I never thought to wash the bed sheets. I got rid of them with combing and a coconut/rosemary/cedarwood oil mix.

I had lice not so long ago despite oiling my hair regularly, the worst part is the constant combing with a fine tooth comb (and not the chemicals), it seriously trashes your hair if it is as thick as mine is. I have unbelievable numbers of splits now and my ends have thinned noticeably. I'm probably going to have to chop off 9" or more.

karli
August 3rd, 2009, 07:52 AM
We had lice several times when dd was younger. We used chemical treatment and combed for a couple of weeks. With Akkas length I understand that it was difficult, dd:s hiplength iii hair took me about an hour to finecomb, even though I did it while she had a lot of conditioner in her hair.

I know much more about lices than I want to, and when they are off the scalp they only live for about ten hours, they need the human body to stay alive. Therefore it shouldn`t be necessary with extra cleaning and washing.

Wouldn`t you need to burn the scalp with the flatiron to get rid of the lices? Can`t they just run away when they feel the heat and go to cooler areas?

systemaurora
August 3rd, 2009, 08:58 AM
I don't think so. The heat kind of radiates from the steaming hair (yikes!) up the shaft and onto my scalp and stuff... I start pretty close to the scalp, so I think that has something to do with it.

andrea1982
August 3rd, 2009, 09:36 AM
The licemeister metal not comb is awesome! It actually combs the nits right out. I haven't had lice myself since I was a kid, but as a community nurse I perform head checks all the time and I help families and schools treat it.

enfys
August 3rd, 2009, 11:58 AM
TEA TREE OIL! It stings them to death and they cant stand the smell. I quite love the smell. I highly recommend it, most organic/natural lice medication is made of tea tree oil :)

Also, conditioner paralyzes them for 20 minutes. Get a lice comb and try to comb them out. Wont do much for the eggs though.

When I had them as a kid even the eggs would be loosened and comb out with enough conditioner. My mum refused to use chemicals on me, or cut my past waist hair. Thanks mum :D
We combed it with ever decreasing combs until we got to the fine tooth nit comb, that stopped too much breakage.

Infact, since I was spending about 10 hours with conditioner on my hair in a week it actually gave me pretty nice hair afterwards.

I guess the heat could work, but if it's just a suspicion of lice now, at what point will you stop using the straighteners? I'd hate for you to wreck your hair if you don't even have them, even if it's fine now.

eshta
August 3rd, 2009, 02:06 PM
I've found this recently and saved it just in case (I have a daycare attending toddler). I know I found this somewhere on these boards, but didn't save the source. So I can't credit the original poster, if you're reading this thanks!

I underlined the EO's that are effective against lice, so you can substitute TTO.

This was the information I gathered in my recent attempt to destroy these pesky buggers...I complied this information from various internet sources, so I can't give credit where it's due...I just wanted to post this, in case someone has the misfortune of having to deal with this issue...

I would also like to note that from personal experience, I have discovered that the box treatments don't work. Lice are becoming immune to the pesticides...Yes, I said pesticides! I would NEVER have used a toxic poison on my child; if I had known what I know now.

I would also like to mention that once I tried this natural method of lice removal, the lice was gone the very next day from my child...I did keep washing her bedding and nit combing her hair for 10 days in between the natural treatments. We had another lice breakout at the school about 2.5 weeks later; I once again used the natural method and the lice was gone by the end of the day.

Ps. Make sure you are purchasing your essential oils from a reputable vendor. I found the essential oils necessary for this remedy at my local health food store.

Essential oils are becoming a popular method to deal with childhood head lice. The pesticide treatments commonly used contain toxins that pose serious health threats. Because the scalp has many blood vessels close to the skin, these toxic substances are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
Pesticide treatments which are commonly used to repel lice contain toxins that pose serious health threats. Because the scalp has many blood vessels close to the skin, these toxic substances are absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
Harmful side effects from chemical lice treatments include nervous system damage, convulsions, seizures, nausea, vomiting, headaches, mental confusion and even death. To make matters worse, these pesticides are becoming less effective as lice are developing a resistance to them. This often leads to repeated treatments. The additional exposure adds to the potential harm.

Head lice are highly contagious and very common among children. Because certain essential oils are highly effective against lice, there is absolutely no reason to expose children to dangerous pesticide treatment.

Laboratory tests (Veal 1996) show the essential oils of aniseed, cinnamon leaf, red thyme, tea tree, peppermint, nutmeg and oregano to be effective in killing live lice and their eggs. Other essential oils used to repel lice include lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, juniper berry, bergamot, clary sage, and lemongrass.

Tea tree oil may be the best choice for several reasons. Tea tree oil was found to be 93% effective against killing adult lice and 83% effective in killing their eggs. It is generally safe and is one of the only essential oils that can be used neat (undiluted) on the skin (in small amounts.) Tea tree oil can be used on children as young as one year old. Tea tree oil is so versatile that it should be on hand in every household. Having it on hand for other uses will prevent having to search for ingredients when dealing with a lice infestation that requires prompt action.
Many of the essential oils listed above should not be used on children. It is important to check safety data before using any essential oil. Oregano oil and red thyme oil should not be used at all. All essential oils, including tea tree should only be used by children on an "as needed" basis, and must be properly diluted.
Essential oils can be used both to rid the scalp of lice when an infestation is present and as a preventative measure when there is a potential threat.

TREATING THE HEAD LICE
These are a couple of tried and tested home remedies to treat head lice. Good luck, and remember to wash and clean all linen and furniture where the head rests.

*Aromatherapy Recipe*
2t Jojoba Oil
3T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10 drops of Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
5 drops of Tea Tree Oil
Shower Cap

Mix well and saturate the entire head, cover with a shower cap for several hours, or overnight. Comb thoroughly with nit comb, then wash normally. You may need to wash twice to make sure all of the oils have been removed, this will also help to rinse the nits and lice out. Follow up with the final rinse recipe listed below.

FINAL RINSE
1-quart warm water
¼ cup cider vinegar
2-5 drops tea tree oil

Shake well to disperse essential oil. Pour over clean hair. Do not rinse out. When hair dries, saturate a nit comb with tea tree oil and re-comb.

LAUNDRY
Lice can remain alive for up to 72 hours after they have left the human host. Re-infestation can occur if lice remain on pillows, bed linen, combs, clothes and towels. Completely wash all clothing and bedding DAILY that the infected person has come in contact with. One teaspoon of tea tree oil can be added to each wash load. A few drops can be added to a washcloth and placed in the dryer with clothes and bedding. Dry on hottest setting available. Wash sheets, blankets, pillowcases, mattress pads, stuffed animals, scarves and any other washable item that might be infected in hot water. When they have washed, dry them in the dryer on the hottest setting for 30 minutes to an hour. This helps prevent re-infestation. Dry cleaning is another option. If you can’t wash or dry clean, all infected articles can be put into a large garbage bag, with as much air squeezed out as possible and tied off, and left for 2 weeks. The lack of oxygen will kill any lice and prevent a re-infestation. The garbage bag method is very useful in treating stuffed animals or large articles that would otherwise be too expensive to clean or can’t be washed.

SHAMPOO
During the weeks following lice infestation use the following shampoo formula. Add 2-4 drops of tea tree oil to your normal amount of shampoo for one use. Leave shampoo in for five minutes before rinsing out. Finish with final rinse. Comb with nit comb.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES
To prevent lice from infesting your child's hair, especially if there is a potential threat, several precautions can be taken. The shampoo and rinse formula described above can be used for precautionary measures. Another quick method to deter potential lice infestation is to dab a few drops of tea tree oil on your fingertips and run your finger through child's hair.
Explain to your child why they shouldn't borrow someone else's comb, hairbrush, helmet, hat, or other things that might be infected. Warn your child about head to head contact with other children. When they know not to do these things, you can reduce their risk of becoming infected in the first place.
If they are in day care or elementary school get in a habit of checking their scalp for nits on a regular basis. Early detection will allow quicker relief with fewer side effects such as itching and scabbing.

In order to kill head lice on hairbrushes, combs, hair accessories, and similar items, place them in your sink. Stop the sink with a plug and boil some water in a tea kettle or pot. Place a few drops of eucalyptus or geranium oil in the sink with the items and pour the boiling water into the sink until it covers them. Allow this to soak for 30 minutes to an hour, and the head lice should be dead. You can also opt to trash all of these items and purchase new ones.

Tea tree oil is known as a "first aid kit in a bottle". If you keep a bottle on hand for possible lice infections, you will soon discover it's many other uses and benefits.

RULES THAT MUST BE ADHERED TO
*Contact the school or daycare your child attends as soon as possible.
*Don't let your child return to school until all lice are dead and been removed, from the whole family's hair.
*Treat everyone in the family, although some people may not have symptoms of lice.
*Notify the parents of any playmates the infested child may have come in contact with.
*Wash and disinfect all pillows and bed linen before and after the hair is treated.

bugeyedmonster2
August 4th, 2009, 12:59 AM
I've found this recently and saved it just in case (I have a daycare attending toddler). I know I found this somewhere on these boards, but didn't save the source. So I can't credit the original poster, if you're reading this thanks!

I underlined the EO's that are effective against lice, so you can substitute TTO. [/COLOR]

Thanks for the info!

(^_^)/
BEM

Milui Elenath
August 4th, 2009, 06:44 AM
Oiling does not work on lice unless it contains tea tree oil or other essential oils. I know because I oil my hair regularly and had done so before I caught them. It is an absolute complete myth that they don't like oily or dirty hair. I work with toddlers and I was almost in tears to see the toddler's hair who I caught it from. Her hair was disgustingly dirty and her head was infested. The poor thing. I've also sent home children with ultra clean hair at other times.

I have to jump on the bandwagon with Tea tree oil, definitely works, I experimented to be sure before I put it on my hair as I too am allergic - gives me asthma. I took the risk to get rid of the beasts.

I also read salt water works but I never tried it.

I used conditioner with tea tree oil added to it and a fine metal comb. Unfortunately this was pre LHC and I was way too rough and way too freaked out and ruined my waist length hair by ripping through it. Despairing of the damage I found LHC and six months later hair is just recovering. So please be gentle!

If you use conditioner only the lice will only be temporarily stunned, you need to remove them with a comb while the conditioner is on, it's the tea tree that kills them. Once you've removed them and they are on the comb have a bowl of boiling water or tea tree to put the stunned lice in. You will need to repeat this seven and fourteen days, if you don't find any more your safe. If you do another seven days again. Lice have a life cycle of aprox 21 days - if memory serves.

I really really hate lice now. :(

BTW Straighteners may kill the eggs on the hair shaft if they are low enough down but not the lice as they are on the scalp.

Vermelha
August 12th, 2009, 03:28 PM
Personally, I've never had lice (knock on wood).

However, I think that oiling the hair regularly would prevent it. No one in my family, I can recall, has ever had lice/nits whatever they're called. We keep our hair and scalp oiled regularly, day and night, and have done so for years. The only people I've ever known to get lice are people who have dry hair.

I've heard the Tea Tree thing too...maybe I should make an investment...

Ryanne
August 12th, 2009, 03:42 PM
I had them once. Years ago, they used to control every child's head every so often at our small school. I remember special reeking lice shampoo, and going through hell when my mother used that tiny lice comb. All my stuffed animals (they took up over 70 percent of my bed) were stuffed in plastic bags and banished to the garage.

Pierre
August 12th, 2009, 11:25 PM
Neem is also good for getting rid of lice. I have 2% neem oil in the jojoba I oil my hair with. On top of the henna, that should make me liceproof.

Merlin
August 13th, 2009, 02:08 AM
We get them ever few months - comb and conditioner usually shifts them in a week or so. No big for us

ladylibra
August 13th, 2009, 06:38 AM
...and when my mom was buying lice treatments AGAIN the cashier (who was black) informed my mom that people with ethnic hair rarely get lice because of the chemicals and oils and heat they usually use.

Actually, she's wrong. Lice don't like the tighter texture of AA hair; it's harder for them to grip. I know lots of black people who have gotten lice, and they're usually those with looser-textured hair. So tell that lady to shove it and mind her own business. :p

I hope you and your mom get rid of the lice soon!

Vermelha
August 13th, 2009, 01:44 PM
Neem is also good for getting rid of lice. I have 2% neem oil in the jojoba I oil my hair with. On top of the henna, that should make me liceproof.

I'm sure oil period would keep lice away...they can't latch on to oily hair...But I'm sure the scent of neem and henna would rid them even further...

Vermelha
August 13th, 2009, 01:48 PM
Actually, she's wrong. Lice don't like the tighter texture of AA hair; it's harder for them to grip. I know lots of black people who have gotten lice, and they're usually those with looser-textured hair. So tell that lady to shove it and mind her own business. :p

I hope you and your mom get rid of the lice soon!

LOL...the myths about AA hair...:o

Yeah, I don't think lice would be able to survive hot combs, curling irons, relaxers, neutralizing shampoo, hair grease and oil, close hair cuts (for the men), along with the natural texture of the hair...

But yep, AA people can get lice, just like anyone else. It's all about texture...I don't think lice actually have a color preference :D

But no, seriously, don't go buy hair grease to ward off lice. Don't do the hot comb either, or any hot tools. It works, but not at the risk of healthy hair...

Ursula
August 13th, 2009, 02:26 PM
Here is a link to a good article in the LHC archives on using oil to treat lice: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=49550

I know zift had good luck with this method when she had lice a few years back, and others have had success as well.

rach
August 13th, 2009, 03:29 PM
never had them. but if i ever have to i'll do another henna, lol (http://www.mehandi.com/shop/headlice/index.html) i've got far to much hair to sift though it.

as for my daughter (with fine dark blonde hair) she's caught them once and nitty gritty comb
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:yc91ZFcPeYWTIM:http://www.littlebigheads.co.uk/images/Nitty_Gritty_Comb.jpghttp://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:vXp7kM1DXTdXnM:https://www.designfishserver.co.uk/vantagechemist/catalog/images/nitfree_comb_teeth.jpgand a heck of allot of patience and sharp nails to pull the eggs off the hair all worked a treat.
can't do the conditioner thing - can't see what i'm doing through the conditioner goo

Ursula
August 13th, 2009, 03:42 PM
I wouldn't rely on something like a hot iron to treat lice.

Lice live right at the scalp. But you can't hold the iron to your scalp without causing yourself serious burns. Lice don't live on the length of the hair, but that's what the iron affects directly. So you wind up applying a lot of heat and damage to the length of your hair without having much effect on the part of your hair affected by the lice.