Hair lice

[Rodz]

Man o man. The prices we have to pay for this utopia!! My kids hair is covered in hair lice. For all their years of schooling in RSA , not one single parasite. And they were schooling with the entire rainbow nation. We took it up with their teachers but looks like its falling on deaf ears. We are using everything we an possibly get our hands onto. My wife sits for hrs cleaning their hair.By the weekend they are clean....come Monday afternoon and the culprits are back. Its my wifes weekly routine now. Its very frustrating. My daughter is constantly scratching her head.

I would really appreciate some advice please!!

Thanx

[sonnetjie]

Have a look at the following link http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/173/main.html

[Rodz]

Thanx fo that. Had a glance at it and read thru the remedies. Its all good if all family members are clean but it probably doesnt help much if her classmates parents are no interested in sorting out their kids. It then becomes a losing battle.

[didl]

Hello Rodz,

we are still lin SA and battling now for 2 months. It is only my daughter who is really having a problem. What we found to work: petrolium based shampoo with 30 minutes towel and plastic bag over the had. It suffocates them. All other chemicals and shampoos don't even kill lice for some or another reason.

Now she is finaly free from lice for 2 weeks but still has few eggs. Got an advice to use mayo. From what I gather, once they are on, you are stuck for a very-very long time.

We fear how we will cross into Australia, and I already see my daughter scratching her head at the boarder post.

Other options, if your child is "older" to spray every day for school some hiarspray or gel. Lice wants nice, clean hair and this will "dirty the hair" Otherwise stick with usual lice spray things every morning.

good luck

didl

[MMF]

My Mother in-law looks after 4 children since her daughter passed 9 years ago. She mixes lice shampoo in their normal shampoo no matter if they have or havent got lice. So as a precaution they wash their hair 3 time a week with the shampoo and they just never get it again. I don't knoe what the exact name of the shampoo is though.

[Rodz]

Hello Rodz,

we are still lin SA and battling now for 2 months. It is only my daughter who is really having a problem. What we found to work: petrolium based shampoo with 30 minutes towel and plastic bag over the had. It suffocates them. All other chemicals and shampoos don't even kill lice for some or another reason.

Now she is finaly free from lice for 2 weeks but still has few eggs. Got an advice to use mayo. From what I gather, once they are on, you are stuck for a very-very long time.

We fear how we will cross into Australia, and I already see my daughter scratching her head at the boarder post.

Other options, if your child is "older" to spray every day for school some hiarspray or gel. Lice wants nice, clean hair and this will "dirty the hair" Otherwise stick with usual lice spray things every morning.

good luck

didl

Hi

Thanx for the tips, will try them out. No wonder these kids here always look so untidy.......esp the hair !!! That surely explains alot!!!

Best of luck to you too!!!

Thanx again

[Enrica]

Hi

Lice is a major problem here in QZ. What I have found that works and is chemical free is :-

1) Get a Nit Comb ( those with the extremly fine teeth.

2) Put conditioner in the hair and leave it in for about 15 mins( lots of conditioner)

3) Comb the hair thru with the Nit Comb and you will remove the nits and most of the eggs , you need to break the cycle. You can actually see the lice and the eggs if you keep wiping the comb on tissues.

4) Wash the hair out with a tea tree shampoo

5) repeat the conditioner treatment every 3 days for 2 weeks, that way you break the cycle.

Just keep washing the hair with tea tree shampoo. Make sure the kids dont swap hats at school and wash their hats regularly.

Regards

Enrica

[LOUIS2]

There is stuff called "PARRASPRAY" I know it sounds weird but it works 100% you will get it at a chemist.

[Rodz]

Hi

Lice is a major problem here in QZ. What I have found that works and is chemical free is :-

1) Get a Nit Comb ( those with the extremly fine teeth.

2) Put conditioner in the hair and leave it in for about 15 mins( lots of conditioner)

3) Comb the hair thru with the Nit Comb and you will remove the nits and most of the eggs , you need to break the cycle. You can actually see the lice and the eggs if you keep wiping the comb on tissues.

4) Wash the hair out with a tea tree shampoo

5) repeat the conditioner treatment every 3 days for 2 weeks, that way you break the cycle.

Just keep washing the hair with tea tree shampoo. Make sure the kids dont swap hats at school and wash their hats regularly.

Regards

Enrica

Thanx Enrica. Will definitely be trying that.

There is stuff called "PARRASPRAY" I know it sounds weird but it works 100% you will get it at a chemist.

does sound funny......... Will look out for it. Thanx

[Nilo]

I second Parraspray!! Excellent stuff!!

Edited to add: Rinse their hair with normal vinnigar and the nits will come loose. (remember to rinse off again, anders ruik hulle soos fish en chips!!)

Also wash their bedding with water over 60 deg, just in case.

You can spray their hair with the parra spray after washing, the lice don't like that!! Nasty little buggers!! Ugly too!!

Edited May 13, 2008 by Nilo

[Rodz]

I second Parraspray!! Excellent stuff!!

Thanx Nilo

[Jeanne]

Another NB tip. Keep on with the treatment for a while so that if there are any new hatchlings from the eggs, they are killed before they reproduce. I don't bother with the comb anymore, it causes lots of tears, and hours and hours of combing!! The nits get dislodged eventually.

[Lindie]

Treet-It Anti Lice Gel, Treet-It Therapeutic shampoo and then the Treet-It maintenance spray to keep them away. It's natural with tea tree oil and it's Australian .

[Narms]

Treet-It Anti Lice Gel, Treet-It Therapeutic shampoo and then the Treet-It maintenance spray to keep them away. It's natural with tea tree oil and it's Australian .

I second Lindie's recommendation - worked for my 2 boys - the maintenance spray is a bit oily but really worth using.When it dries you dont see it.

If im not mistaken on the bottle it says its an Australian product.

Available at Sparkport pharmacy

Good luck.

Cheers

Narms

[Rodz]

Another NB tip. Keep on with the treatment for a while so that if there are any new hatchlings from the eggs, they are killed before they reproduce. I don't bother with the comb anymore, it causes lots of tears, and hours and hours of combing!! The nits get dislodged eventually.

Thanx Jeanne

Treet-It Anti Lice Gel, Treet-It Therapeutic shampoo and then the Treet-It maintenance spray to keep them away. It's natural with tea tree oil and it's Australian .

Thanx Lindie!!!

[Blossom]

With my boys it was easy, used the shaver and shaved it all off. Started all over again with 'new' hair.

Must be so difficult with girls, what about dying the hair, surely the ammoniac will help?

[Kerry-Lea]

My advice is a holistic attitude. You have to wash and spray everything. every towel, bedding (inners included) couches, car seats clothing EVERYTHING. as was said before - BREAK THE CYCLE. try make sure long hair is tied back / plaited as they latch onto long hair.

[BasinOzson]

Parraspray helps. But it burns the skin and then you are stuck with dandriff.Rather that than lice!!!!

[Rodz]

With my boys it was easy, used the shaver and shaved it all off. Started all over again with 'new' hair.

Must be so difficult with girls, what about dying the hair, surely the ammoniac will help?

Thanx

My advice is a holistic attitude. You have to wash and spray everything. every towel, bedding (inners included) couches, car seats clothing EVERYTHING. as was said before - BREAK THE CYCLE. try make sure long hair is tied back / plaited as they latch onto long hair.

Yes that we doing as my wife scared they start breeding!!!

Thanx

Parraspray helps. But it burns the skin and then you are stuck with dandriff.Rather that than lice!!!!

Thanx gonna try it

[milo]

This is what I found in my aromatherapy medicinal book. A few excerpts.

- Lice are brownish-grey and lay their cream-coloured eggs close to the skin. When the baby lice are hatched they leave behind the emplty shells which are white and minuscule; they look like dandruff and are found further away from the scalp than the lice. Empty shells are called nits.

Lice obtain their food by biting and sucking out the blood. They may bite as often as a thousand times a day and in their saliva is a type of antiseptic which can, over a very long period of time, cause dullness in the host. This is possibly the origin of the term 'nitwit'. A lice-infected head doesn't start itching until the little creatures have been present in some numbers for a couple of months.

The dandruff-like nits provide the easiest method of detecing the presence of lice, because the lice themselves are light-sensitive and scuttle away very quickly if you part the hair looking for them. The nits however, attach themselves firmly to the hair or clothing and will not brush out like dandruff. Look for signs of this little monster under a fringe, by the nape of the neck and above the ears.

To keep your family free of lice. Teach your children to brush their hair thoroughly every morning and evening. Lice are not so strong that they can survice a vigorous brushing.-

I have found that because the scalp is already sensitive and the skin is broken from al the biting, some of the shampoos burn terribly. That's why I resorted to a more natural solution.

Blend equal parts of rosemary, lavender and lemon. Add 2 drops to the final rinse after shampooing.

Or mix the oils in the following proportions - 30 drops of essential oil blend with 30ml of vegetable oil (avo, grapeseed etc). Rub into the scalp and hair and leave overnight. Wash hair in the morning and brush thoroughly. This treatment might need to be repeated for a few nights in a row. These oils are antiseptic and has a cooling and calming efffect on the skin, especially the lavender. When I rub their heads with the oil I put a small towel over the pillow.

Tee trea oil is also a great treatment as it is one of the best antiseptics, especially if the scalp is sore.

Let us know about your war with the buggers!

[Allie en Urs]

Hi Rodz i am a hairdresser for more then 15years and the only thing i believe in is GUMBEZ SJAMPOO and it work's like a bom!

That is what i used for my clieent's kiddies hair.

I yeh need more advise how to do it i will help with plzr.

Urs

Edited May 13, 2008 by URS.LITTLE SHE BEAR

[Blossom]

Hi,

I've just read an article on these little super lice. An effective, natural and quick product on the market here in OZ is

Moov Head Lice Solution. Go to www.moov.com.au.

I always thought they can jump from head to head.....not true, because they don't have knees! And they can't fly, they don't have wings. They aren't fussy, so clean or dirty hair, they will cling.

Good luck.

Edited May 14, 2008 by Kannidood

[polly]

Also only found Gambex to work on my kids' hair. Washing all those towels and linen gets SO tiring after a while...

[steynrr]

Has had my bouts with lice constantly and tried everything on the market but as soon as they went back to school it starts again as some parents dont care. I have 3 girls with long hair. After another 6 months of washing, combing etc. I asked my doctor and she actually recommended using "frontline". Yes the spray for dogs. It is safe as you can use it on puppies and baby cats under 6 weeks. I dont spray it on directly but spray it into my hands and rub it through their hair. I put a towel over and leave it for 15 minutes. That night I let them sleep on a towel and by morning I couldn't believe how many there were. I kept spraying with maintenance spray - tea tree oil. And they have not had it again. I repeat it every 3 months just in case.

Good Luck.

My head is itching just thinking about this.

steynrr

[Alida-ali]

Hi Rodz i am a hairdresser for more then 15years and the only thing i believe in is GUMBEZ SJAMPOO and it work's like a bom!

That is what i used for my clieent's kiddies hair.

I yeh need more advise how to do it i will help with plzr.

Urs

Hi

I am also a Hairdresser and what urs is saying works. That worked for me aswell..

2 months ago i had 10 children home kids in my house for 3 months and ..wow did i have a problem with lise..

So i just used GUMBEZ SJAMPOO, cut the boys hair very short and the curls aswell. Washed the bedding in boiling water...

But if a can make a suggestion. If the Kids hair is long it always helps to cut it shorter...

Thanks

ALIDA