I feel so ashamed...

[MonaLisa]

Well, maybe some of you remember by post about itchy scalp..
It got better then worse etc..
few days ago I had it sooo bad for 2 days, i couldn't stop scratching, finally my mother came, saying she's sick of it...and had a look..
Almost immediately she said it's lice :(

I had my sister search for them carefully when it first started to itch but she found nothing. must have been very few...
I freaked out of course...
Felt terrible..
Where did i get them? It's been going on for a month...
Only thing that occurs to me would be in a bus..when its crowded..

Well anyway..she said she will go get me that insecticide shampoo..
I asked her to wait I want to try alternative methods and she said it's out of question I'm going to walk around with head full of that and test kitchen things on my hair ( lol)..
She said she had it several days before she was to give birth to my sister and she wanted to get rid of them before she'd go to hospital so she used that shampoo every day and that's when she lost a lot of her hair and since then it's thinner:confused::(

Ok so she got to pharmacy, first the lady there offered her a regular shampoo with insecticide with the comment - it doesn't really work so well..
Next thing - something which is great for removing nits...and it's sticky..
she asked how sticky? we're talking about really long hair..when lady answered that she should know i am supposed to cut my hair of course....:confused::confused::(
thankfully, my mom said it's out of question for me, and then lady gave her paranit! comes with sprey, little metal comb and a shampoo with conditioner.
Ingredients of sprey are mineral oil and dimethicone, and it says i should put it for 15 minutes and my hair inhabitants would suffocate..I held it for about 30 minutes, then washed with that shampoo with conditioner which includes mostly oils- neem seed oil or whatever it's called, castor oil, etc...
I spent next 3 hours combing it out...and got a severe headache - stress and it's been hard for my eyes..

Next hardest thing was to tell my DBF, i don't know why but i felt so ashamed...to say ' i have lice' :(:confused: Maybe something is wrong with me..
Anyway, his reaction was a bit of mocking ( we do this to eachother in a very 'mate' way ) then asked if i'll have to cut my hair and then said he's looking forward to me searching his hair...rofl..
He has longish hair and loves when i touch it or play with it.
pheww so that went well.

So far i've found none on him which is a miracle cause we're so close all the time.. and none on my family members.

Things i hear and read is that they are really resiliant, and hard to get rid of...and that scares me.. But i am going to be patient and dedicated and not going to cut any hair off.

Now, what's really surprising is that after this treatment - my hair feels so good. it's so soft and perfect, it looks very very good, better than ever maybe.
I'm guessing it's maybe the ingredients of the shampoo? or 3 hour combing?
Oh and it's finally not itching! my mood has improved a lot!
I am going to repeat treatment twice and keep searching DBF...

I only hope it won't make my hair shed more or destory it's quality.
There is no insecticide in it, just oily stuff. and mineral oil and dimethicone in that sprey which do worry me a bit...but well..

There, I said it...
Perhaps clicking the submit thread button will help me emotionally also..
I know it's not my fault or anything that i got them but i've really been feeling so bad about it.
I'm sorry for such long post and rant, and I hope someone finds it helpful maybe. Phewww...:o

[jaine]

:grouphug: it sounds very stressful!
I'm glad your hair is feeling better though ... sounds like what you tried so far helped a lot.

[Dr. Girlfriend]

I wouldn't be ashamed. Lice happen. I had them in junior high school, we had quite the lice epidemic that year. Several girls there who were not the most careful with their hygiene seemed to be the ones spreading them. IMO nothing wrong, shameful, or dirty about getting lice, it's when you keep them for months for lack of trying to rout them out that some thing's wrong.

[virgo75]

:grouphug:

No need to feel ashamed.
Lice isn't something you get for being "dirty" or there being something "wrong" with you.
It's something you get from contact with lice.


I'm glad your hair and scalp are feeling better and your DBF took it well. :flower:

[Rapunzal2Be]

Nothing to be ashamed about, but completely understandable.

Sounds like what you are using is what I would recommend. I've not had them, but my DD is four and has TB length hair, and someone at the playground scared me by telling me how often long haired girls get lice at school, so I read up on treatment and prevention.

Just keep repeating the process. In fact, you can also smother them in a mayonnaise mask, if you want to do some extra treatments. Be sure to wash ALL of your bedding/clothing/towels, etc. in HOT water.

If you worry about catching them again, consider adding a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender oil in your shampoo or conditioner or spray bottle. They can't stand the scent. Also, coconut oil based shampoos work well to prevent infestation. So good news, plenty of hair friendly ways to get rid of them and keep them away!!

And NO, you do not need to cut your hair because of them!!

[lindaton]

The same thing happened to me several years ago. I even went to the ER one night with my itchy scalp. They sent me home with a cortisone cream. Finally a couple weeks later as I was brushing my hair over the sink I start seeing these little dark flecks in the sink. LICE!!! Why didnt all these people checking my itchy scalp find them. I had them bad.

Of course remember you need to treat all blankets, sheets, pillows, and anything that you have touched or laid on. And if it were me I would go ahead and have DBF treat with the shampoo just to be sure.

Linda

[Altocumulus]

My kids have had them a couple of times. It happens. Don't bother with the insecticide shampoos - the lice have become immune to them. The best thing way I've found to deal with them is to get Pantene (I've tried other thick, slippy, coney conditioners, and nothing works as well as Pantene. Too bad I hate the scent they use!) and a really good comb, like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Terminator-Lice-Comb/dp/B002STJFP2). The important thing is that the tines are completely rigid (so no plastic), and very close together (so no flea combs). Then saturate the hair in Pantene, and comb carefully in tiny sections, starting at the scalp, and going all the way down to the ends. After combing each section, wipe the comb on a paper towel to remove the conditioner and any eggs and adult lice you may have removed. It will take a long time, especially since you have long, thick hair, but if you do it really carefully you may only have to do it once.

Also be sure to wash your bedding, towels and any other soft surfaces your head comes into contact with.

[McFearless]

Aw MonaLisa don't feel embarassed. I could have lice for 5 years and not notice. People have itchy scalps for all sorts of reasons. I'm glad you got it taken care of. Clearly your hair is responding well to one of the ingredients. Could it be the cones, neem oil or castor oil? At least something good came of it. :)

[Raqdoll]

My daughter has had several bouts. The only thing that knocked em out was olive oil. I mixed some lavender essential oil in it (lavender will turn the little bastards white FYI). Saturate your scalp and hair, sleep in it then wash, wash, wash and comb, comb, comb.

The insecticide shampoos just can't do the job. Olive oil suffocates both the adults and the unborn nits.

Take heart, lots of us have been through it.

[RitaCeleste]

You can use the cheap walmart brand shampoo. Its as good as anything else on the market. The real trick is to remove the nits. You need to invest in two metal nit combs. They have them at walmart too. Or walgreens if you're in the US. One has wider teeth one has teeth really close together. Look for a good set and pay whatever it costs. First shampoo with the shampoo. Then take a bottle of cheap nail polish remover, acetone, and mix it up with some cheap conditioner, about 25% acetone or more if it doesn't thin the conditioner too much. You are gonna need plenty of this stuff. You put it on your head and leave for ten minutes or so before rinsing to loosen up the nits so you can comb them and any lice out. Start with the big comb, you are gonna find bugs, some will still be moving, be careful and squish the things, or dump them in a trash bag and take it out as soon as you can. You are gonna want to wash all your bedding in hot water at least twice per week and spray all the upholstered furniture with lice killer (I am quite freaked out by lice so I do this every 3 or 4 days for a 14 day period, the life-cycle of lice). Use your combs everyday until you go a few days finding nothing, then back off to every other day. You may need to use the acetone conditioner more than once if the nits are not sliding off the hair shaft easily. My kids picked up lice on the school bus. There is no shame in getting lice. It costs money to get rid of the buggers. I went threw two bottles of the shampoo, four cans of spay for the couch and loveseat. The homemade nit remover is a real money saver, seriously. Combing the hair with the tiny combs in sections takes a lot of time and you will hate it but this more than anything gets rid of the problem. I am convinced that the poor breed lice because they can't afford the chemicals to get rid of them properly. I have used hearts 3 in one shampoo for dogs with great success but Walmart only sells 2 in one that does not kill lice now. GRRRR! I used it twice per week on my hair for two weeks, was gental on the hair and not harsh at all. Often people forget to shampoo other pets that can carry lice too or don't think they really need the spray for the furniture. I hear that a coconut shampoo and or conditioner helps to repel the buggers and reduce the chances of picking them right back up. Good luck, I hoped I've covered all the cheap tricks to get rid of head lice! Seriously the active ingredient in Nix nit remover formula is acetone and they charge an unholy amount of money for their conditioner with nail polish remover. Hearts 3 in 1 for dogs that kills fleas ticks and lice will be the most gentle lice shampoo you could ever find. Compare ingredients and concentration to the people version then look at the difference in price. Bite it and buy the spray for upholstered furniture though, its kinda a must have thing.

[getoffmyskittle]

When I had lice, the only thing that got rid of them was sesame oil and hours with a louse comb. The oil suffocates them, so it's easy to comb them out, and it dissolves the nit glue also.

Nothing to be ashamed of, though. And I had long hair at that time, and didn't have to cut it. :) It just takes patience.

[Mesmerise]

Ahh lice happen... my kids have had them so many times... and a couple of times I caught them (but I'm a freak, cause I managed to pick them out before they actually became an infestation... as soon as I found one I went through all my hair with my fingers lol).

As for my kids...what I do is make up bowl with cheapy hair conditioner plus tea tree oil and lavender oil and I slather it thickly over the hair and put on a showercap or wrap in cling film and leave a few hours. Then go through with a lice comb before washing out. I find that it kills the little suckers really well!

[Malibu Barbie]

It happens its ok:) The best things is now you know what is causing this and everything is going to be ok.

[KatiSasha]

I totally agree that things happen, my DH and I had a bout of fleas that came in through the garden traveling on his pants out of nowhere. We don't have any pets and the garden has a stucco wall, so go figure. However, I'd try and figure out where you may have picked them up. Don't know if you work with kids, but if you spend time with adults that spread lice, that can be a huge epidemic, since it's so hard to detect them.

[curlymarcia]

Don't be ashame, everybody can be expose to lice. Anyway, if you want to try natural remedies, vinegar rinses are 100% effective and tea tree oil. You will be fine soon, good luck.

[AnnaJamila]

Aww, I'm sorry you had to go through that! I bet that was embarassing. You are not to blame though, As Told by Ginger had a lice episode and they said that lice liked really really clean hair, so far from meaning your dirty, the lice thought you had clean, soft lovely hair! :)

[RitaCeleste]

If I ever get lice again, I'm going to try the natural way. The chemicals are so expensive and I felt like the metal combs were doing all work anyway as the chemicals do not seem to work.

[bettylibertine]

As everyone else has said, nothing to be ashamed of.

When I get lice, I always end up using Frontline puppy flea treatment. Two little drips on the scalp and they're gone! It was the only thing that would get rid of them when I was little. My mum tried everything and after two years they still weren't gone. Out came the flea treatment and they were gone!

[jasper]

The first time they told me I had lice, I fell off the chair and collapsed on the floor. But it isn't that bad, really. I was being over dramatic. It was when I was working at summer camp and everybody got them. It became a joke within a few hours. The only really bad part was the way everything had to go into the laundry and super hot dryers.

Anyway, if I get lice again, I will be treating with olive oil to smother the critters and bagging my clothes for several days instead of putting everything through the hot dryer routine.

[julliams]

Hey I've had headlice as an adult and I'm not ashamed. It would be like feeling guilty because a mosquito decided to bite you. It's simply a case of being in the wrong place and the wrong time. I would say that probably 70% of school children get headlice at one time or another and with all those kids riding the bus it's always possible that they left one behind at the stop before yours and when you sat down and rested your lovely long hair on the back of the seat, it climbed up and made a new home.

Good that you got to the bottom of it. There is no need to cut long hair because of lice. If you lived in lice infested conditions in a place where you didn't have the money or means to get rid of the problem, perhaps it would be necessary, but I'm sure that you can get your hands on some cheap conditioner and a lice comb.

Just lather up and run the comb through small sections and going all the way over your head. Whatever comes off the comb, wipe it on a piece of paper towel and examine what is coming off your head. Adult lice are about the size of a small black ant, babies are smaller and the eggs are like little teardrop shapes. They will all be a dull dusty brown colour and sometimes they seem to take on the colour of your hair so they could be lighter or darker depending on what colour hair you have.

You really need to firstly get all the live lice out (that's why the medicated conditioners are helpful, as they get killed) and then it's a matter of getting each and every egg out. If you miss two, the whole process will start again in a couple of weeks.

Try and comb through your hair every evening using cheap conditioner (no need for the medicated stuff every day!!!!) for the next week or so and when you have absolutely NO eggs coming off that comb and onto the paper you can safely say that you are all clear.

You will actually lose a fair bit of hair by using the comb, but they are usually only the loose ones that are due to fall out in the next couple of days anyway. Your hair will be completely lovely and moisturised due to having conditioner baths every day for a week.

I know you probably feel a bit icky about the whole thing but know that everyone else will just be thinking "thank goodness I don't have them" and not anything nasty about you. It's just part of life and it's nothing to be ashamed about.

[julliams]

As everyone else has said, nothing to be ashamed of.

When I get lice, I always end up using Frontline puppy flea treatment. Two little drips on the scalp and they're gone! It was the only thing that would get rid of them when I was little. My mum tried everything and after two years they still weren't gone. Out came the flea treatment and they were gone!

Hey wow - I've never heard of this idea. The only issue here is that you aren't getting rid of the eggs but I'm guessing that since that stuff goes on working for a month it might kill them as they hatch??? An interesting way to treat lice and hey, if it works, that's great. Interesting to note though that you can't use dog stuff on cats (it can kill them) so I'd be wanting to know that it was completely safe for people.

[Seharia]

When I got lice a couple years ago what helped the most was the louse comb even though the spray I got did help a little. I have a strong feeling though that heavy oiling my hair than going through it with the metal louse comb would have done the same as the louse comb plus chemical spray. Especially since lice are attracted to clean hair so if you keep your hair sebumy (that's a real word... really) lice will tend not to want to live in your hair!
Good luck getting rid of them, but don't feel ashamed.

[Chibbylick]

http://www.hedrin.com.au/ Is my new go to treatment for headlice. it is sooo easy and effective.
The active ingredient (Dimeticone) is carried in Cyclomethicone (a silicone commonly used in hair conditioners) which evaporates, leaving the Dimeticone coating the louse. You put it on dry hair, from root to tip, and mechanically kills the lice as it dries. You just shampoo out 8hrs later, then repeat a week later. Brilliant! It feels quite like a silicone hair treatment!

[RitaCeleste]

Actually you can look at the active ingredients on the puppy and dog products and compare them to the ones on the box of stuff for people. Often its the exact same chemicals in the same concentration. There are a few dog dip chemicals you wouldn't want to use on small children though (my parents resorted to that with my younger sisters, the lice were immune to everything else.) and you have have know exactly how to mix it. My grandfather cured hisself of ulcers using medicine for pigs because it wasn't FDA for use on humans yet. If you feel safer using only product labeled for humans, do that. I can read the boxes and bottles and know when the active ingredients are the same and choose to buy a cheaper product with a picture of a dog on it. Some flea and tick products won't get the little buggers either. I felt like the metal combs were worth more than every chemical I tried.

[Alvrodul]

Being ashamed at getting lice would be like being ashamed at getting the flu - both can be incredibly contagious! I am lucky in that I have escaped it, but my nieces have had lice infestations several times - they have always used lot of conditioner and lice combs (metal, not plastic!) to get rid of the lice eggs. Since I have never had it myself, I'd better refer you to the ones who have successfully treated their infestations - but I understand that it is necessary to wash everything that might hide eggs and insects - bed linen, clothing and such - and to keep up with conditioning the hair and combing out the new-hatched lice until the "incubation period" is over!

[darkrose]

A few years ago I got lice. It was itchy so I searched my scalp and found them. I told my parents and they would not believe me!:( for 2 months I felt them and it was awful. The last straw came when they started crawling over my face , also I couldn't scratch my head because lice got stuck under my nails....so I went out myself and bought lice stuff. A week later they were gone, so much for resilient.:) anyway I always used condition after I used the lice stuff and loads of oil. I'm glad your hair feels better , and I hope the lice stay gone.:)

[MonaLisa]

Thank you guys so much for the support! :)
I feel less ashamed now! and a lot better!

I did get rid of clothes and bed sheets and cleaned everything, and also washed my brushes and combs and all i could think of in extremely hot water!
After i used the dimethicone/ oil spray, about 30 of them fell out dead when i washed it, and i used thick little lice metal comb and lots of nits stayed on it and some semi-dead lice..
I'm going to repeat on tuesday and then on sunday, hopefully that will do it!
Will change bed sheets then again!
meanwhile i might soak my hair in castor and olive oil and comb it out once more :)

so far still haven't found any on DBF but next time i do treatment, i'll do on him as well :) can't hurt!

I only hope i won't lose much hair from products/combing...and i might even make some pictures to show you the result...whatever it is in that shampoo/conditioner, or just so much cones...i don't know but my hair's never looked better o.O and from all the combing it's looks very styled :) at least something good came out of it :)

again, thank you so much!! I was feeling like **** :(
hugs!!!!

[prettykitty]

You poor thing! I got lice in primary school, when I had waist length, thick hair, and had to have horrid poison stuff on my head. My mum said the comb they sold her was useless and sat me out in the sun where she picked the lice and eggs out with her fingernails for hours. I was so embarrassed but my mum said that lice only like clean hair and that obviously the lice thought my beautiful hair would be a nice place to hide. She mixed up a special spray after that, I think it was distilled water, EVOO and tea tree oil, and used to spray my hair each day and tie it up so they couldn't get in.

[pinknika]

Well at least it sounds like your hair is doing better! I know that it was a stressful time for you, but lice is very temporary and it sounds like you are doing a good job getting rid of it. Hang in there!

[LoversLullaby]

I'm glad you don't feel ashamed anymore! :cheese: It happens to a lot of people, but I'm glad your hair is doing better!!! Nothing to be ashamed about sweetheart. :flowers:

[Mesmerise]

Oh well if it makes you feel better, yesterday I found a nit in my hair...and then another... and today I finally caught the little bugger that laid them! And yes, it told me that my DD must have caught lice AGAIN too. So yup, she's got an infestation. I guess I'm lucky that I fidget enough with my hair that I find them straight away in my own!

So, it turns out that my daughter found a louse in her friend's hair the other day, and that friend visited our house last Tuesday and Wednesday night (and they play together at school all the time) so I'm not surprised. She'd coming to our house this weekend and my daughter suggested I treat them both for lice then lol. I said I'd have to talk to her mum first :rolleyes:.

I am soooo sick of lice :(. The bizarre thing is I NEVER had them as a kid, but have probably caught lice 4 times in my 30s! I know childcare workers who slather their hair in hairspray daily because it stops lice infestation, but I'm not gonna do that...

[MonaLisa]

Ouch, hugs!!!
what are you gonna treat them with?
This mineral oil and dimethicone spray seems to really work.
I repeated treatment yesterday and 2 fell out dead after 15 minutes.
I'm not sure i got all the nits tho, so will repeat it again in a week..It's really hard with fine hair, and a lot of it...

Think my DBF has some nits after all, gonna treat him today...he's gonna enjoy it at least..

Good luck! tell me how it went!

[Redheadedweirdo]

I Found another thing that works, it has neem in it and it is called Thereneem Organix from organixsouth.com. I got a 12 oz (360ml) bottle from Wild Oats here in Salt Lake. I put it in my hair after only misting my hair and then put in in my daughter's real thick hair, mine is way thinner. I waited about 4 hours and took a shower. My head is still a bit irritated a day later. My daughter took her shower and she was grossed out by the bugs and stuff falling out of her hair in the shower. I checked her hair and the eggs i did see slid easily with my fingers. I didn't even need to use my nails. I have found what works with us. The bottle was about 12.99 usd, ugh. not working and a week before school too. but so far it works and my hair feels good. i am a CO so I was a but surprised my daughter found a bug and a few eggs.