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Fatemah
November 5th, 2011, 01:13 AM
I started itching like MAD a week after I came back from my trim... I think I might have caught lice at the salon.

I cant find any lice, but I did find some in my sister's hair. She has shoulder length hair, so I was able to remove most of hers, but my hair is over 48 inches long!!!

What should I do???

My hair type is 1a/b m iii

Amarante
November 5th, 2011, 01:28 AM
Don't panic!
You'll need to get the lice shampoo/treatment kit from a pharmacy, have someone to help you follow the directions for combing the knits out after you shampoo your hair (it might take a while to remove the knits since your hair is iii), and you'll need to clean all your clothes/bedding etc. You can bag everything up in trash bags and leave it for a few days (they suffocate after I believe 3 days), and then you can wash it all.


And that's my advice. I'm soo sorry you got them. :(

Fatemah
November 5th, 2011, 01:34 AM
Thanks for the advise Amarte :)

(very cute name by the way)

The problem is that I don't really have anyone to comb my hair for me... I can only do it myself. I washed my hair with a medicated lice-terminating shampoo and washed and dried all my bedding and clothing in very hot water.

The shampoo only kills the adults, so I suppose the best option for me would be to wait it out and keep killing all the adults before they lay any nits... Any ladies out there had to remove their own nits? How did you do it? How do you see up close to the back of your head?

Amarante
November 5th, 2011, 01:42 AM
If you can do it section by section it would.be possible to comb them out by yourself.

Pull all your hair up into a high ponytail, and take a small narrow section from the bottom of your head, a horizontal one, and comb them out, and then take down another tiny section of the same size above that one, and keep going up the back of your head until you get to the front hairline. It will take a while, but if you take small enough sections you can do it. :)

ETA: you will have to check each section looking in a mirror after combing it before you go to the next one to make sure you got all the knits, since you can't watch as you're combing.

Fatemah
November 5th, 2011, 01:43 AM
That's a pretty brilliant idea :)

Thanks :)

Amarante
November 5th, 2011, 01:47 AM
That's a pretty brilliant idea :)

Thanks :)

You're very welcome & good luck! Let us know how it goes. ;)

Amarante
November 5th, 2011, 01:50 AM
Oh, and a rattail comb would make sectioning it off easier if you have one.

Beautiful hair you have, BTW. Cheers to freeing it from the little creatures! :D

Chibbylick
November 5th, 2011, 01:58 AM
Or you could re-wash your hair in the nit-poison again in exactly 7 days, and then again in exactly another 7 days. This will kill any nits that hatch, before they have the chance to reproduce again.

My favorite nit treatment is not poison, but a mechanical method-http://www.hedrin.com.au/

Goodluck

Mírien
November 5th, 2011, 02:00 AM
Dear Fatemah! I agree with all what Amarante has suggested. One more thing: be patient. Very patient.

Last year I had lice. My hair was waist at the time, 2a/2b, and an ii but on the thicker side (9.5 cm circumference). I panicked and even cried. And it took time to wholly get rid of them (weeks) but I did manage without losing length.

Yeah, and lice shampoos (at least the one I used) can leave your hair quite dry. It might require a deep treatment to get back to soft and beautiful hair.

Good luck! ;)

infinity_girl
November 5th, 2011, 03:32 AM
You can buy the Nitty Gritty comb and use tea tree oil. That is what I plan to do when my kids (and I) inevitably get the dreaded nits.

CornishMaid
November 5th, 2011, 03:57 AM
I regularly use a nitty gritty nit free comb, together with coconut oil and a few drops of tea tree oil on my children. It works every time. I usually leave the oil and tea tree mix overnight on their hair, then carefully comb with the nitty gritty in the morning.

They come home occasionally from school with nit eggs in their hair, more recently I have been using tea tree oil spray as a deterrent. It seems to be working as they are still nit free.

Mesmerise
November 5th, 2011, 05:14 AM
Okay, this is my standard advice, but it works REALLY well :)

I make my own lice treatment. Basically I get cheap conditioner, 100% tea tree oil and 100% lavender oil. I use a generous helping of conditioner (really generous... which is why I buy cheap) and slosh in a good helping of both essential oils. Then I slather the mix all over the hair, put on a shower cap, and just leave it alone for four hours.

This will kill the lice and most of the nits. If you repeat it a week later, you should get all the lice.

The nice thing is, you don't need to try to comb all the lice/nits out. As they DIE! If you do have a lot of nits, you may find that you're left with empty eggs. If you really feel the need, use the lice comb while your hair is full of conditioner, as it's much easier. However, I still find that the comb pulls painfully.

I use this on my DD when she gets lice, and it works 100% of the time. She has very fine, but very thick hair and it's insane trying to comb it all with a lice comb and she screams blue bloody murder when I do! I do usually try to comb at least the roots though...the reason being that most of the eggs are stuck here, and this will dislodge the majority of them, which can later be washed out.

And if you have any doubts that this will work.... I had a friend visit from Germany. While here in Australia he caught lice from my kids (OOPS). He went home, discovered the lice, and tried EVERY commercial treatment he could. He even left one on for 48 hours, and the lice STILL did not die (I guess the Aussie lice were a bit resistant to the German treatment or something :D). I told him my lice recipe...he tried it...and his lice were no more!!

MasCat
November 5th, 2011, 06:12 AM
Well, those are all good avice.

I had lice, got rid of them, and don't miss them.

So heads up, I'm with you on this one :)

bunzfan
November 5th, 2011, 06:18 AM
I found that a mixture of conditioner and tea tree oil worked the best to as was as leaving olive oil on my hair overnight and washing it out in the morning. Another thing you have to check your hair everyday to kill the cycle. Good luck.

MonaLisa
November 5th, 2011, 06:31 AM
Paranit is my advice... spray and shampoo, it also made my hair look awesome actually..

Or natural way - any oil left on for few hours, wrapped in plastic bag....will suffocate the lice...and then ACV, a lot of it, will kill the eggs :)

Good luck! Just have patience and don't panic :)

Annibelle
November 5th, 2011, 07:49 AM
Paranit is my advice... spray and shampoo, it also made my hair look awesome actually..

Or natural way - any oil left on for few hours, wrapped in plastic bag....will suffocate the lice...and then ACV, a lot of it, will kill the eggs :)

Good luck! Just have patience and don't panic :)

I recommend trying this before poisons!!! I wish I had. I got lice as a teen and used the poison several times, and it induced a major shed. A lot of people don't have that problem, but some do. (Oh, and I had to use it several times because it didn't work well...) I've read great things about suffocating the suckers in olive oil, since it's sooo rich and heavy. Drench your head in olive oil and cover it and keep it on as long as you can stand... and then wash. Voila! No bugs and a deep-conditioning treatment. :cool: Good luck to you!

kaitmil
November 5th, 2011, 08:11 AM
If you use the poison please make sure you follow the directions carefully and don't over do it. I remember a horror story about the lice shampoo from 3rd grade. My teachers friend was so worried that her son would get lice and washed his hair with the treatment so often that it became toxic in his system, causing him to suffocate from his tongue swelling and him swallowing his tongue. Not trying to scare you, only to make you aware of the possible dangers of the lice shampoo if not used properly. I am glad to find out that there are natural ways to remove lice, should I ever need to. Best of luck to you.

CurlyMopTop
November 5th, 2011, 08:17 AM
I'd use Olive oil. Slather your hair before bedtime and put a cap on. Cover your pillow with a towel to keep from getting oil everywhere. Wash out in the morning and comb through. Repeat this process every 3 days for 3 or 4 treatments to make sure that they're all gone. Make sure to wash all bedding, coats, scarves, and hats, replace or bag pillows and bag stuffed animals for 10 days. Vacuum carpets and furniture thoroughly and don't forget your vehicle. Olive oil suffocates the lice and kills them. It doesn't work on the eggs though so that's why you repeat to make sure that you catch them when they hatch if you didn't get them all combed out! I hope this helps. :D

QueenOfTheSkye
November 5th, 2011, 09:17 AM
Get the lice kits from the drugstore, yes, but if the problem persists, there's a drug you can take that kills them. You need a prescription, though, so I don't know how helpful this will be to you.

MonaLisa
November 5th, 2011, 09:42 AM
I recommend trying this before poisons!!! I wish I had. I got lice as a teen and used the poison several times, and it induced a major shed. A lot of people don't have that problem, but some do. (Oh, and I had to use it several times because it didn't work well...) I've read great things about suffocating the suckers in olive oil, since it's sooo rich and heavy. Drench your head in olive oil and cover it and keep it on as long as you can stand... and then wash. Voila! No bugs and a deep-conditioning treatment. :cool: Good luck to you!


Don't use poison!!!
My mother used it, and she lost a looot of thickness
+ they have resistance to it...and it's not healthy...

Also paranit i mentioned is based on this tree oil everyone is talking about, has some strong, but not unpleasent smell and mineral oil, no poisons..

Olive oil worked for me tho :)

CurlyZ
November 5th, 2011, 09:47 AM
When I was a kid and got lice my grandma used apple cider vinegar.
You soak your hair in it (undiluted), then massage it in the hair and scalp, let soak for 15-20 minutes and wash it out.
Vinegar kills the lice and the eggs.
Afterwords you just have to comb them out.

Shelly
November 5th, 2011, 09:59 AM
There is a much safer way than lice shampoos to get rid of the little suckers. I know from experience. The lice shampoos are very damaging to the hair. I've always used mayonnaise. Coat your whole head in mayonnaise for about 4 hours one day weekly. Wash the mayo out and follow with a good vinegar rinse. The mayo smothers the living lice bugs and the vinegar loosens the nit glue. When my DD 18 was about 12 she went to Virginia for about 8 weeks. When she got back her hair was swarming with lice. I did the above treatments for about 4 weeks and she was totally lice free. It's good for getting rid of them and its good for the hair too. All I did was put mayo I'm her hair for 4 hours every Saturday, shampooed it out making sure to get all the mayo out, poured vinegar over her head and shampooed and conditioned as normal. Once the vinegar has loosened the nit glue, shampoo will take them out of the hair with a good scrubbing. Hope this helps.

jojo
November 5th, 2011, 11:12 AM
Ive had these in the past too, remember head lice only go for nice hair! what got rid of them for me was tea tree oil mixed in lots of conditioner. soak your hair in this for a good hour and then with a fine comb, go through the hair. Lice hate the smell apparently (though how this is known I don't know :D) repeat if needed, this got rid of them for me without any chemicals plus you get a nice deep conditioner too!

misspurdy06
November 5th, 2011, 12:12 PM
mayo your hair for an hour then use a lice comb to remove the eggs. You can get a lice com independent of a kit.

ktani
November 5th, 2011, 12:56 PM
Just for reference, here are the Paranit details, http://www.lifepluspharmacy.com/productinfo/Paranit_Natural_Head_Lice_Treatment_60ml
"Ingredients
Paranit is an insecticide free head lice treatment that contains: Coconut Oil, Anise Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil"

QueenAnne'sLace
November 5th, 2011, 12:57 PM
:draw:I have just gotten over them. I work in a crisis nursery so we see our share of critters that hitch a ride on kids.
Basically, I thought I had really bad dandruff. Then one day in the shower, I found one. Then another. I googled it and sure enough. The little vampires were living on my head.

ACV rinses helped. But my scalp burned because of the irritated skin from the itching.

I couldn't find a lice comb without also having to buy poison so I got a cat flea comb. Works the same. I combed for an hour twice a day every day for almost two weeks. I started out finding six or eight at a time, then two, then one. They went from adults to only finding the littlest ones that were not mature enough to mate. That's what you want. Disrupt the cycle.

Also (and for virgin hair-ers out there I understand if you don't find this savory) but I dyed my hair. That really did an number on them. I was going to dye it anyway, so it performed two functions.

But I think for me it was the relentless combing. Sometimes I'd chop their heads off with my fingernail, just for a little revenge.:redgrin: Mostly, you can flush them down the drain.

And vacuum your bedding every day.

Unlike fleas, they can't jump and they don't live on pets. They need human blood to survive.

Be persistant! You will beat them!

Fatemah
November 5th, 2011, 12:59 PM
Thank you all so so very much for your advice!!!

So far I've used the chemical treatment and I woke up this morning and my hair was quite dry. I rubbed in a couple drops of coconut oil to help my hair get its shine back (this is my second time washing it in 2 days, and I normally was every 1.5 weeks)

My hair has gotten rather hard to untangle, when before the comb used to slip through it like nothing... but my sister is not scratching her head as hard, so I know that it did something for her. I didn't see any creepy crawlies in my hair, but my hair is hard to look at with my own eyeballs... makes me wish i was Ragetti from Pirates, so that I could detach my eyeball with a fork to have a good look.

Or not.

In any case, tomorrow night I shall use the olive oil method. I don't think I have any tree oil lying around at home, but I'm going to try and get my hands on some manana. My poor hair has never known such abuse... it's gotten slightly poofy and thick from dryness.

I remember when I was in the second grade and I got lice. I had the FOB bowl cut and it was so easy to comb it out...

Slinks
November 5th, 2011, 05:53 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onjYmkEnUzY&feature=pyv

lydiajo
November 6th, 2011, 05:28 AM
I started itching like MAD a week after I came back from my trim... I think I might have caught lice at the salon.

I cant find any lice, but I did find some in my sister's hair. She has shoulder length hair, so I was able to remove most of hers, but my hair is over 48 inches long!!!

What should I do???

My hair type is 1a/b m iii

OMG, My dd and I are dealing with the same issue. This is one thread I am going to read carefully.

lydiajo
November 6th, 2011, 05:41 AM
[QUOTE=

But I think for me it was the relentless combing. Sometimes I'd chop their heads off with my fingernail, just for a little revenge.:redgrin: Mostly, you can flush them down the drain.

Be persistant! You will beat them![/QUOTE]

I love the revenge thing. I did it too.

RoseOfClare
November 8th, 2011, 02:38 AM
Tea tree oil. Natural repellent! To keep them gone for good

wandlimb
November 8th, 2011, 04:02 AM
You can also use neem oil - you can get treatment packs for when you get nits and you can get neem shampoo or the oil to put in your normal shampoo. You can use the shampoo or oil all the time to prevent lice and my mum says it's helping her scalp too.

lydiajo
November 13th, 2011, 10:55 AM
I think (crossing fingers) they're gone now. Mayo, comb, vinegar for the eggs and more combing. I'm so tired of doing laundry and hair combing.

Lydia