PDA

View Full Version : Help! Head lice at daughters' school



Milo
January 4th, 2011, 05:03 AM
My daughter (who is four and has almost tailbone length hair) started school yesterday and today she brought home a note that said one or more children in her class had been found to have head lice. :scared: My daughter doesn't have any (yet), and I will do anything to keep it that way. I just can't imagine putting chemicals in her hair or combing with a nitcomb. Anyway, all I can find about prevention is to teach kids to not share scarfs, hats etcetera and to check the whole family regularly. Thanks Google, but I know that already.
But I was thinking if I have her wear a headscarf to school to cover her hair, wouldn't that at the very least put up a lice-barrier? I was thinking of getting a square scarf and tying it tight, so no loose ends hang about that could get in her way/get caught on stuff. Do you think that would help? What else can I do?

Avital88
January 4th, 2011, 05:39 AM
I think that would be a good idea. Also make sure her coat is in a plastic bag and not between the other coats at school thats how they get to others.
Hope she will not get them!

midnightwolf
January 4th, 2011, 06:04 AM
I think that would be a good idea. Also make sure her coat is in a plastic bag and not between the other coats at school thats how they get to others.
Hope she will not get them!

i agree! thats how they mostly spread as coats are hung all squished together. same with any PE kits etc. Id recommend not only a plastic bag but seeing if she can keep it under her chair/ over the back of her chair or something so it has no chance of coming into contact with others.

Ishje
January 4th, 2011, 06:09 AM
the other day I read from a woman who's daughter had lice, and she used apple vinegar to get rid of them.
maybe it also helps against getting them?

julliams
January 4th, 2011, 06:12 AM
Please don't worry. Here in Australia getting headlice is not a big deal and most children will have at least one case (if not many more) during their time at school. Before my children got them I was very fearful of them getting lice, but the truth is, it's nothing to worry about. It does however take some work to get rid of them.

For prevention - Have her wear her hair in braids - it's supposed to be the most difficult hairstyle for lice to transfer. You can lightly oil her hair too as lice dislike "dirty hair" and the oil will mimick this - they can't easily climb up the hair. You can buy a shampoo with tea tree in it - this is supposed to deter them.

If she gets them you don't actually have to use chemicals on her hair. If you suspect she has lice you need to find either a nit (the egg - looks like tiny teardrop shapes sitting about 1cm from the scalp that are really hard to get off - not like dandruff) or the host (adult lice) or a nymph which is a young one.

If you do find either eggs or lice lather her hair with cheap conditioner. This stuns the lice for about 20 min or so. Then you do need to comb through the hair with a lice comb and basically get them all out. After I comb through a section I wipe it onto paper towel and check for eggs or lice.

You will need to go through all her hair and if you find nothing, she doesn't have them. If you find eggs but no live lice, you may have missed it. In my experience, twice my daughter had no live lice on her head. In both cases it must have got off her head and I found it between the sheets as I had changed her sheets immediately. This is unusual though, mostly there will be live lice on the head.

You will need to repeat this process every couple of days until you find no evidence of lice or their eggs. If you leave even one egg, it will hatch a couple of weeks later and the process will start all over again.

I personally find it a little therapeutic going through the hair looking for them. My daughter hates it as the comb does pull her hair a bit. She also had hip length hair when she got them a couple of times.

It's a really good thing that the school has notified everyone as it will mean that they will be looking for them and deal with the problem as it arises. You will find that it is often the same children that keep getting them because their parents only use the chemicals on them and don't actually get them all out. Even if you do use chemicals, you still have to comb them all out.

Hope I have been of some help. I have dealt with at least 5 cases in my own children and once on myself as I am a school teacher. It is a pain but it really isn't a big deal.

Being a flute teacher you would not believe how many cases I see in children as I am teaching them. I always let the parents know. In the "old days" a child would have to go home if they were diagnosed, but now we are not allowed to do that. The parents just have to be informed.

julliams
January 4th, 2011, 06:16 AM
I just wanted to add that lice need food to live, so they are not just crawling around on everything in the classroom. They can get on backs of chairs and clothing and things but if they have no food source (blood) they eventually just die.

T.L.T.
January 4th, 2011, 06:22 AM
When I got lice when I was little, my mom put tea tree oil in my hair. I would sleep in it overnight, wash in the morning, and then she would put braids in for school, and lightly oil them. This went on for about a month or two, until it cleared up from the other students.

Purdy Bear
January 4th, 2011, 06:47 AM
On the Edwardian Farm programme, they advised using any oil to coat the scalp as the lice breath through their skins so suffocate.

I never got head lice with TBL hair at school, my hair was always dirty and they apparently like clean scalps.

Milo
January 4th, 2011, 06:57 AM
thanks all! I knew they prefer clean hair, just hadn't thought of making it "dirty" with oil. I'm glad there are alternatives to the chemicals if she does end up getting them. It is mainly the "combing all her hair with a fine comb"-part that has me worried and that is what I would like to avoid. Thanks again!

Aveyronnaise
January 4th, 2011, 06:59 AM
When I got lice when I was little, my mom put tea tree oil in my hair. I would sleep in it overnight, wash in the morning, and then she would put braids in for school, and lightly oil them. This went on for about a month or two, until it cleared up from the other students.

This is what I use here, but I put a few drops of tea tree in my little guys shampoo. Sometimes when I remember I also put some lavender behind his ears. I think also letting the scalp stay a bit dirty is helpful as well the oil makes it difficult for the buggers to survive.
In my area there isn't a stigma for lice, it's so funny , as soon as school starts all of the pharmacies have huge 'poux ' or lice displays for the shampoos. It actually cracks me up now.

craftybunn
January 4th, 2011, 07:02 AM
Cassia is supposed to kill head lice. Maybe it could also act as a preventative measure. Would you be willing to do a casia treatment on your daughters hair?:)

midnightwolf
January 4th, 2011, 07:03 AM
thanks all! I knew they prefer clean hair, just hadn't thought of making it "dirty" with oil. I'm glad there are alternatives to the chemicals if she does end up getting them. It is mainly the "combing all her hair with a fine comb"-part that has me worried and that is what I would like to avoid. Thanks again!

just lots of conditioner, maybe with cones, would make it easy. when my mum used to do it for me the comb would just glide though. but make sure you use quite a lot, but not too much that it fills the comb otherwise it may not be as effective for removing them.

Merlin
January 4th, 2011, 07:08 AM
Please don't worry. Here in Australia getting headlice is not a big deal and most children will have at least one case (if not many more) during their time at school.

Same here, we get a letter home from the primary school very often saying there is somebody with headlice (though actually my son cheerfully admits that in fact they hand this letter out so often he doesn't bother bringing them home any more) and headlice are just part of our lives. We can get them completely clear and they've got them again inside a week.

You just learn to live with them really....

lupiae
January 4th, 2011, 08:03 AM
One thing that work very good and it is pretty natural is to wash hair using wine vinegar. It is able to protect and kill the "little worms". And add some shampoo with the "permetrina" component (sorry, but I now the component name only in italian...).
Surely braiding her hair strictly can be a valid safety measure
Hope this helps.

Panth
January 4th, 2011, 08:28 AM
The one thing that always 100% worked when I was still at school was quassia bark. My mum got it as she works at a wholefood shop. It looks like wood chippings and is a pale yellowy colour with a thin medium-brown bark. You put it in a saucepan, boil it for 15 mins or so (I think - though you might want to check with the supplier if you do buy some) then leave it to stand until cool. Pick out / sieve out the bark (you can, I believe, re-use it once or twice - just dry it on some kitchen tissue). Use it as a leave-in rinse last thing after washing your hair.

It doesn't touch eggs, but if you apply it consistently for 2-3 weeks after you find head lice/eggs, you will get the next batch as they hatch, before they can lay more eggs. I presume it would also work as a preventative, and it's not harmful or harsh for the hair/scalp or environment (unlike those nasty chemical sprays). Also, unlike the chemicals, you don't get resistant lice (presumably because quassia is not a common treatment, unlike commercial chemical formulations).

At the time, I was also washing my hair only once a week, which probably helped.

Only thing to note is that the liquid tastes absolutely foul, so be careful to avoid getting it in your mouth when rinsing with it. And, while it's on your hair, your hair will taste foul - important if you have little ones who like to chew on their pigtails or anything!

laughinglynxie
January 4th, 2011, 09:02 AM
I got head lice this past year from my little cousin. :P I used all natural remedies for it. My first night I slept with my hair saturated with coconut oil (because it suffocates them and helps break down the egg). Then washed that out in the morning with tea tree shampoo and conditioner. Lastly, a good quality METAL nit comb and very precise eyeballs. You only really need to check for eggs about every three days or so.

I hope she makes it through without getting any! It can get stressful having to check really long hair!

Rebecca.1905
January 4th, 2011, 09:18 AM
My son's school (he's in kindergarten) has the kids all keep coats/winter gear in their backpacks so none of them EVER touch. Paint smocks/shirts are all kept separate from one another also. They're very careful about these things and his teacher says they haven't had one case in her classroom in years. If there are no other options, stuffing her coat in her backpack will absolutely help with prevention!

julliams
January 4th, 2011, 12:03 PM
It is mainly the "combing all her hair with a fine comb"-part that has me worried and that is what I would like to avoid. Thanks again!

Unfortunately you will have to do this unless you want to go through every strand yourself and pull them off with your fingernails as well as catch the live lice with your bear hands. You would need eagle eyes for that and loads and loads of time. When the louse lays an egg she emits a very sticky substance that adheres the egg to the hair. It is like superglue and it's almost impossible to get off other than scraping along the hair with your fingernail. That's what the comb will do for you - don't be scared of the comb.

I know it sounds like a mammoth task and I remember when a teacher friend of mine told me I would have to manually remove every last one, I was horrified, but it really is the only way. And honestly it's really not that bad. You will remove some hair this way but only hairs that are on their way out anyway. My daughter has been through the procedure a few times and still has lovely waist length hair.

For me, I would rather be in control of taking them all out, rather than simply hoping that they will suffocate in oil or whatever else and risk waiting 2 weeks to find out. If you look at the lifecycle of a headlice you will see that it can take up to 9 days from when it has been laid, for it to hatch and honestly, I'd rather get them all out the minute I'd noticed it than leave it to chance and meanwhile re-infecting someone else. The live lice that are in there will immediately begin laying eggs and once those hatch, will begin the mating process. You seriously want to get the one lice and eggs out before that happens.

Best of luck and hope your daughter is one of the lucky ones that the lice bypass.

PrincessBob
January 4th, 2011, 12:18 PM
I know that it is the combing that you specifically want to avoid, but when it comes to lice, there is no way to avoid the combing.
My mom discovered this when my little sister brought home head lice, it's called a Robi Comb. (http://www.robicomb.com/?gclid=CNrp4eygoaYCFQYLbAodOBvuog) My older sister bought one and later My mother-in-law bought one for my niece and nephew. This is a non-chemical lice killing system, but it electrocutes the little buggers and it is possible to accidentally cross the tines by trying to force too much hair through at once, then you have to stop and straiten out the teeth before you continue. It really works, though and I recommend it if you run into a lice issue.

Azhtabak
January 4th, 2011, 12:26 PM
I wouldn't worry too much, especially if you're taking lots of preventative measures - I suffered from a lice attack myself a few months ago courtesy of a shared riding hat, and they were gone within the week. I used lice shampoo and then combed through with a nit comb, and then did daily checks with a nit comb. Killed everything within about a week.

I didn't lose particularly much hair - I lost a little bit, but it was an insignificant amount even my short length. One thing I found that helped was running some conditioner through before combing, which helped the comb to go through a lot better without pulling hair. The specific lice shampoo I used was 'Lyclear' IIRC, which actually left my hair feeling really silky and smooth afterwards, moreso than normal :P

@lupiae: The english equivalent of that is 'permethrin', which is fairly standard in most lice shampoos I believe.

Milo
January 4th, 2011, 12:29 PM
I know, I know, if she gets them I'll have to comb. But that's why I'm so interested in the prevention part :). I have already located a health food store that sells tea tree oil (didn't find any cassia tho). Since we live overseas I can't just pop into the Walgreens any time of day. Buying something specialized and somewhat alternative takes some serious research over here! I bought two square scarfs today with a Sleeping Beauty print, Daughter loves them and doesn't mind wearing them. So far, so good. Oil and rags to school tomorrow. You'll definitely hear from me if she catches them tho. Thanks to all of you for the great ideas and info!

Anje
January 4th, 2011, 12:37 PM
Mostly, I'm just posting to mention that there's a lot of good info at www.headlice.org.

As others have said, there are a number of non-pesticide treatments out there, which is good if you don't want to use pesticides and because lice are getting pretty resistant to them. The downside to the no-pesticide route is that you can smother the adults very effectively, but you can't kill the nits (eggs). You have to comb them out, and any you miss will soon become adults that make more nits. So if she gets infected, you're best off doing several rounds of smother-and-comb. (Thankfully, if you smother the lice with oil or conditioner or mayo or whatever, you can get some nice slip to the hair, which should make combing much nicer than nit combing after a pesticide-based shampoo!)

If you feel suspicious of her hats or clothes, you can kill the buggers by cooking them in a clothes dryer for a while. Quarantining stuffed animals and the like for about 10 days is also sufficient to starve lice to death.

Great ideas about braiding her hair (maybe even bun it, if she'll tolerate buns -- I would have taken them down at that age!) and protecting her coat from the other children's. You might also want to educate her that there are nasty little itchy bugs that can get on things that have touched other children's hair, and she should keep her hair away from other people's things.

MafiaPrincess
January 4th, 2011, 01:46 PM
I got lice likely from a movie theatre seat with hip length hair. While lice do die without a food source.. It takes a while. I wore my hair up daily for years. Never shared anything ever. Made it out of grade school without lice ever though friends got them, and parents often chopped off their hair..

Wore my hair down for a date in grade 10 and in a day or two was itchy as heck. Took a month of work to get my hair lice free. Lice shampoo didn't do as much as I wish it had. Endless combing needed. Added tea tree oil to my shampoo. Was a nightmare.

Dragon
January 4th, 2011, 09:10 PM
All I can suggest is to keep a little oil in her hair and use a leave in conditioner as I have herd they also hate it. And to tie her hair up. My Dad read some where that by adding a little tea tree oil to the shampoo you use also helps keep them away. Some people find it works and others don’t. It worked for my brother and I. I also like to add it to my conditioner. At the hostel I stayed at when I was a kid, The house parents use to drown the little kids hair in conditioner and comb them out with the conditioner still in it. And leave it in a little while. The older kids used the proper treatments you can buy. About the combing, I don’t think there is any other way. I never got head lice in the year and a half I was there and I had to share a room. The only thing I did was use tea tree oil in my shampoo.

calicokatt
January 4th, 2011, 09:25 PM
I have two stories to share, firstly my oldest got lice when she had waist length, VERY thick hair. I mayonaissed, combed, mayonaissed, combed and it was all gone, even had the nurse check to be sure. Then she went to my sitter's house overnight and the sitter found lice and treated her with the chemical. Not only did I have to cut off all her hair (she was crushed, but it was totally fried and we couldn't comb it) it didn't kill all the lice :(

My nine year old got lice about a two years ago, and we caught it really early. I took her over to a friends house and we set her up on a stool in the bright sunlight outside and spent an hour or so going through her hair picking them all out and crushing them. Checked again every couple of days, never found any more, so it IS possible to get them without the comb, but much harder, especially if the infestation is bad.

Demetrue
January 4th, 2011, 09:32 PM
I would oil my child's hair with something like jojoba oil with tea trea oil added to it, then braid rather tightly and put it up in a braid bun, then wear the head scarf over that.

christine1989
January 4th, 2011, 09:49 PM
On the Edwardian Farm programme, they advised using any oil to coat the scalp as the lice breath through their skins so suffocate.

I never got head lice with TBL hair at school, my hair was always dirty and they apparently like clean scalps.

This is so true. Of all of my friends who caught lice they were all able to effectivly suffocate them via thick oil (coconut, olive, castor) or vaseline. Purdy Bear's idea to use it as a preventitive measure is a fantasic idea. You don't need to coat her hair in oil, just her scalp since that is where the lice inhabit most.

To keep them off of her clothes and coats she has worn to school putting them in plasic bags then into the freezer usually kills all paracites.

Milo
January 5th, 2011, 12:58 AM
Calicokatt, that is the saddest story!
I put coconut oil liberally behind the ears and in the neck, then made a figure 8 bun (that's what she usually wears anyway), then tied the scarf over that. I told her she needs to try and not let the scarf slip off because other kids have bugs in her hair and we don't want her to catch them. But she has PE today, so the teacher might make her take off the scarf anyway :(
I'll try to get some tea tree oil tomorrow.

Nera
January 5th, 2011, 01:39 AM
I've probably had headlice for three months. I've been to doctors, and they couldn't find any, but the itch on my had was making me crazy. In the third month I found one bug with my fingers. Two weeks later I had thousands of them.

They are strange animals and I still don't know if they are completely gone.

I have some advice for you just in case; Docters, products and webpages often advice you to make your hair smooth with a conditioner and to then comb the lice and nits out. You can't comb out lice or nits on long/thick/long+thick hair. You just can't.

I would indeed try everything to prevent them, when I was young I also had them often, and my mother always cut my hair. It can be a disaster if you have thick and long hair. I think that If I would find one again I would cut my hair. Can't deal with all that stress anymore.

bunzfan
January 5th, 2011, 03:39 AM
I had them recently as my son brought them home from school and believe me the conditioner comb method used daily is the best as well as white vinegar left on the hair while in the shower to loosen the eggs, i feel for you it was hard enough getting them out of my length hair also remember to wash pillowcases if she does get them. Good luck.