[hol332]

I've read a lot of the old threads on lice and they've been very helpful through a time which is turning out to be somewhat nightmarish for me.

I have lice!!!! Thank goodness, my beautiful Guat daughter does not show any signs of them yet.

I've known they've been up there for over a week. Here's what I've tried:
RID - did it on Saturday, found live adult lice afterwards.
Ovide - this is a Malathion prescription that my doctor gave me. Used it Monday night. Experienced live baby lice afterward.
Combing - every day! I don't have anybody to do it for me so I am doing it myself in the shower.
Hair Cut - i got my hair cut short yesterday so that I can comb it more easily.
Mayonnaise and Tea Tree Oil - I did this last night. It did seem to give me relief for a few hours. But, I still have live baby lice this AM.

How many lice can actually be on ones head that live thorugh all of this?? I seem to get about 10-15 lice out everytime I comb.

If I keep using the Mayo & Tea Tree oil and daily combing, will I eventually get them all through attrition?

Yes, I have washed and rewashed everything a million times in hot water. No, I do not know the source of my initial lice group.

Help me!!!!!!!

[julie23]

one time, i plastered my kids heads in mayonaise..... really thick..... stuck shower caps on them.... and made them wear it pretty much the whole day... it worked for us! good luck....

[planemomtosix]

Not sure if this will help. Do you dry your hair with a blow dryer or let it air dry? My Daughter in Law teaches in a very poor school district and has many students with lice. The school nurse told her lice can't survive in temps above a certain level. She said if she washes her hair every day and uses a blow dryer on high, more than likely, if she did get lice on her from one of her students, the heat from the dryer would kill them. Don't know if that's true, but maybe in conjunction with the treatments you're using, it could help.

[SaraAvaandLileesMama]

My sister in law said she used shaving cream for her daughter and left it on with a shower cap for a while before washing out.

[momof8]

Get a Robi comb from walmart. I had it bad when some of my kids got them. It zaps the critters, and the comb part removes the eggs. No chemical treatments and its good for many uses. Best tip I ever got! Oh, yeah, it doesn't hurt at all!

[praying4rlittl1]

Since you've already treated yourself, comb it with vinegar each day until they are gone. Just comb and dip, comb and dip. The public health nurse had me do this when all three of my girls got lice when they were little. It took a couple of days, but the vinegar killed the live ones, and combing took away the nits. And on the plus side, vinegar makes your hair super soft!

[chester5]

UGH I feel for you. For us, wash away but make sure to get every single nit out, then shampoo/treat again. We found that the comb did not get the nits out, so I had to manually go through and remove every single nit. That is the only way they finally went away.

Good luck. I'm so sorry you have to deal with such an annoying problem!

[stephjoel99]

Oh. My. That sucks. I'm so sorry!

Our daughter had lice when she came home. We used tea tree oil and put a shower cap on her for several hours. And then we combed out the nits. It took a couple of days but we finally got them. I think you might want to take your pillows and put them in big garbage bags and let them stay in the garage for a few weeks. Maybe you have some lice living in your pillow still?

You could buy a throwaway pillow that you could change the pillow cases every morning until you are done with this. Then after a week or so your "regular" pillows should be okay since there would be no host and whatever was living in them would be dead.

I feel for you. That is the PITS!

[dance_muffin]

My older son (who is now in college) got it at daycare when he was around 3 yrs. old. I have to say it was a severe case. Over the counter RID didn't work for us; Quell Shampoo (prescription) does work! You might have to do a second application within 3-5 days after the first.

You need to have someone help you comb out your hair with the flea comb. Because you need to get to the hair shaft (root) where the eggs are laid it is very hard for you to do it to yourself. Perhaps, you can pay a hairdresser to come to your house to do it for you. Make sure you section your hair in small groups (use hair clippies) and use good lighting.

ALso, bomb your house. I got one from the vet; I found over the counter stuff didn't work either.

Clean all bedding in hot water and then put in dryer on high heat. Also; IRON your mattress. If you have carpeting; vaccum and empty OUTSIDE of your home. Also pillows; throw out!!!!!

Get rid of stuffed animals; I even found a nit on a cabage patch doll's hair.

Also, your hamper; if it's lined throw out.

Don't skip any steps....I know how exhausting it is to get rid of them. It just takes one of those little buggers to start the whole infestation process again.

Good luck, let us know how you are doing.

[angelkisses0102]

1.) Robi Comb and nit comb entire head...can take hours.
2.) Mayo under shower cap for 3 to 4 hours
3.) Follow mayo with wrapping head in towel soaked in vinegar and water (1/2 and 1/2) for about 10 to 15 minutes.
4.) Wash hair
5.) Wash and treat everything in house and car...toys, stuffed animals, furniture, car seat, bedding, hair combs/accessories. (Bag in airtight bags anything that can't be treated like stuffed animals for at least two weeks.)
6.) Robi comb, Robi comb, Robi comb.

Good luck...we have resistant lice down here...year round.

[sal1]

Last year my son, daughter, and I all got the dreaded lice. My son was under 1 at the time so the Dr. recommended the Nuvo method. You take Cetaphil cleanser and saturate the head section by section. Then you take a blow dryer and dry the head and sleep like that. We did it for several days in a row and washed the sheets after every sleep and it did the trick.
Sarah

[Pipercub]

I don't have any solutions for you, but just wanted to pass on this info.

My mom is a nurse. She had a patient (a child) that died when her mom treated head lice with one of those chemical boxed lice killers. The mom thought if 30 minutes was good to leave on the lice treatment, leaving it on overnight under a shower cap would be even better. The chemicals are toxic. It soaked into her daughter's scalp skin...she had nervous system massive failure and she died. I know not one person has or would ever suggest leaving it on longer or using it more frequently than the box suggests. And I'm sure you would never ever do that. But hearing my mom share that story made a lasting impression on me and I just have to pass that warning on when I hear about someone battling lice. I might consult a doctor about the situation if the problem persisted. I hope you can get rid of those little boogers soon! <3

[jia6567]

I am a hairstylist and the main thing is you have to get every single nit out of your hair. If there is one left, it will come right back. The best advice I can give you is have someone comb through your hair outside. You can see the eggs outside in the sunlight so much better. Just make sure the person combing your hair knows exactly what the nits look like. I have seen nurses not know. The eggs are attached to your hair shaft and have to be pulled off, every single one.

Be careful with the chemicals. Use them as directed and do not overuse them. You also need to have someone check your hair really good every couple of days after you think you have got it all out, because usually there was a few eggs left. Make sure you boil your combs, brushes, clips and anything you use in your hair. To be honest, I would just through them away to be on the safe side. And I agree with another poster, through your pillow away. Wash all bedding in hot water and vacuum your whole house very well. Lice can not live on hard surfaces, so you dont have to focus on that.
Also, like another poster said, put all stuffed animals, dolls, etc. in garbage bags for two weeks.

One thing alot of people do not know is lice attaches to clean hair, not dirty. I have been told by other hairstylists to use hair spray on your hair if your going to be in a place or around someone you suspect might have it. It kinda puts a barrier on your hair. Not sure if it works, but its worth doing. Also, vacuum your couch, loveseat, etc. Hope this helps and good luck. Lice is a very frustrating thing to deal with and takes a lot of work to get rid of. Just make sure every single nit is out of your hair!

[jia6567]

One more thing I forgot.....check your daughter's hair every day for several weeks. It can take a while sometimes for it to show up. It is easier to see in dark hair so you will be able to spot it quick in her hair. It is the hardest to see in blonde hair because the eggs are a off-white clear color. Good luck!!

[hol332]

Thanks so much for the advice, all of you. I will continue to work on these critters. The only thing I haven't tried yet is the Robi-comb and the vinegar. I'll keep working at it and I'll report back when the problem is actually over with.