When my kids were young, head lice plagued the school system and my long haired children. My kids are Hispanic and Native American so cutting the hair was out of the question. I do not use chemicals and stories about them not working, costing a fortune, and causing damage just reinforced my choice not to go that route.
Tea tree oil is a popular homeopathic deterrent, and coconut shampoo and conditioner is also recommended. Always treat bedding, mattress, stuffed animals and winter coats and hats/scarves. Things that can go into the dryer -DO IT. Bag stuffed animals, because the dryer can ruin beautiful materials the toys are made of.
I am not fond of tea tree oil's smell especially when you send your child to school smelling like a medicine chest. I used cinnamon oil to improve the smell. Always mix only 2 drops into a quart of water. Never make it stronger or cinnamon oil will irritate skin. But I found that a light mist on the hair and spritzing the coats and hats eliminated the head lice plague!
Of course, use caution! I think food grade cinnamon powder would also work. Dust items in a garbage bag, sparingly and mix some in hot water for the spray bottle.
Compared to expensive and caustic chemicals, it works fantastically. Very inexpensive, very effective, and very Natural. The bottle of cinnamon oil did my kids for years and I shared it with others plagued by the insects. No one ever complained about the smell.
Between occurrences use coconut shampoo and conditioner and continue to maintain the bedding, pillows, and stuffed animals. You may never hear the words "head lice" again.
By Linda from Flint, MI
I need help and advice. I discovered my 9yr old had nits/lice not sure what the difference is to be honest. I read the conditioner method so tried it this morning. I brushed the dry hair caked it in conditioner then used the wee plastic comb but genuinely don't think I found anything.
But now round the front and sides of her hair are wee black things, that I'm having to drag out with my fingers. What are they? Did the conditioner thing not work? Did I do it wrong? What do I do now? Help! It's freaking me out. Should I just get like Hedrin or something?I have had head lice for months now. I've done all the treatments out there and home remedies too. I don't know what else to do.
Please help.
Earlier this afternoon before I knew that I have lice I had applied olive oil to my entire head. Then I discovered lice. Now online I see that if I want to use the CVS compared product to get rid of them, I was not to wash and condition my hair in order to get the olive oil out of my hair so that it would be manageable in order to apply this medication.
I'm very concerned.Lice seem to hang on forever and re-treatment usually has to be done.
What we use in Tahiti for Head Lice:
Here in Tahiti it is a tropical island and head lice are most common here. The shampoo they sell to kill the lice is hard on people's hair, especially the younger children.
Here are some great tips and tricks that we use here for head lice that seem to work fantastic and keep them off the children's hair.
I brought up 5 children and when one got lice, they all got lice. The medication is not really great so I used hair dye on them.
My granddaughter has head lice. She goes to school after using different medications, prescribed and over the counter. She appears to be free of lice, but come home again with lice. What is the best treatment and why is she not getting rid of the lice?
By JM from WVA
Well for starters everything she has touched, slept with, basically everything needs to be bagged up and sealed for at least 2 weeks. Clean all furniture also. Put plastic pillow covers on her bed, plus spray her bed and all furniture that cant be cleaned. And comb through her hair very carefully. I've also heard that washing your hair with lye soap strips everything clean but make sure you shampoo with regular shampoo several times after using lye soap.
My granddaughter keeps coming home from daycare with head lice. I have done the spray and wash everything in hot water. Any other solutions? This doesn't seem to work.
By Jan
Keep doing what you're doing but also contact the daycare provider. If you are following the directions on the lice killing chemicals and nit ridding on your granddaughter, the only thing that makes sense is that the daycare provider is not getting rid of the lice there. Either the group area is not being deloused properly or one of the other children is living in a home that isn't being deloused properly.
Ask me how I know. My daughter (now 34 and would be mortified to know I'm sharing this story) caught head lice three times during kindergarten. The third time she begged me to shave her head the way one of her classmate's mother did. I was at the school in a flash insisting my child would not return until that whole school was cleaned, and someone went out the classmate's home to help that mother eliminate the lice her son kept bringing to school.
A group of mothers contributed to a fund to buy that family enough supplies to properly delouse. It can be very expensive if the infestation is well entrenched. We knew the child's family didn't have the money to do the job properly.
It worked, my daughter never had head lice again. The little boy's family got some help, and the school was cleaned up. The young man was able to grow his hair to a normal length, poor kid.
The daycare provider needs to prove to you they have properly addressed the problem. Insist on seeing receipts from a pest control firm, and that they've identified the child who is bringing lice back because his/her home is not being deloused properly. And hopefully, if the family is on a very tight budget, you and the other families will be able to help them get the supplies they need to take care of the problem.
How do you remove the nits from a child's hair? Please let me know.
By Drakesmom
My daughter got them in kindergarten years ago, and it is a tedious task.
I sat her in a wooden chair, with an old sheet up under it all. I had to divide the hair into thin sections, with help of hair clips and combs.
Then I had to go through, and pulled off each one with my nails. This was after applying the shampoo to kill the lice. It helps to soften the 'glue' that attaches the nits. It can be painful if your child is tender-headed. I had to grasp each one, and slowly pull down the hair shaft.
I tried the removal combs, but they didn't get them all. Then I threw away the sheet, combs, clips, etc. You don't want to keep anything that you used for nit removal. God bless you, and just use more patience than anything.
The first time I heard of a 'lice removal service', I wondered why I never thought of it! It sounds like a waste of money, but if you have ever dealt with it even once, you would be glad to let someone else take care of it!
Best of luck to you, and take care. My daughter got head lice twice in the same year. We found out later that the children all piled their coats on top of each other inside the classroom door, as there were no hangers or any other way to keep them apart.
I tried everything on the market and ran up expenses I could not afford. The best thing I found was hair dye. I chose the dye the color of their hair and dyed their and we had no problems from then on. Good luck as this is such a delicate subject and such a costly thing to control.
Be sure you wash and dry all your pillows, bedding, sofa covers and everything the child's hair has come in contact with. Even vacuum the car you drive.
Whatever you do please do not use the pesticides on the market such as Kwell and Rid. These can be harmful to children as they are absorbed through the skin. There is a product called "Lice MD" which is supposed to work very well. It is harmless but is thick and smothers the lice. Then you have to comb with a nit comb but since this product is like hair conditioner it is fairly easy to comb through. If you find it difficult add hair conditioner. The bottle says leave on ten minutes but I am told 20 munites is best. It is non toxic so the extra time is not harmful. These little critters are rampent I hear.
As a preschool teacher, I have heard (and tried!) many tips for getting rid of lice, the back-to-school bane of every school. The best and cheapest one is to use mayonnaise.