Does anyone have a sure fire remedy for getting rid of head lice

This helps and I wouldn't have been without mine, a Robi comb. Got mine at a chemist for $80 also used Parasidose shampoo but it took ages and I'm talking like a year to get rid of them completely.

Me and mine have never had them *touches wood* but I have heard the robi comb is the way to go. They are on trademe too, so you might get one at a bargain.

I have also heard a few drops of tea-tree oil in conditioner is a good repellant

Hi Viv,
Horrible little blighters aren't they!!! I think most of the more natural ones work fine but the big thing is to make sure that after the initial shampoo and combing you then need to do it again in about 4 days. The chemist suggests 7 but that is too long.
I try and use the natural one, but if they get them back again don't use the same one. the aerosol spray works really well. Then hairbrush in the freezer over nite and the nit comb. And all the bedding has to be washed.

Good luck, unfortunately it only takes one family at creche or school not to treat their kids and the other kids can get them back. But I find putting a wee bit of teatree oil in there hair every morning stops them coming back too.
Kind Regards
Lisa

Robi comb here too. Its great for getting rid of the lice, but you still need to manually pull out the eggs (nits).

Also tea tree oil is a great repellent and I always add some into the kids bottle of shampoo. Our daughter only had nits once in the past year or so, and that was after she had used a sample of shampoo, which didn't have the tea tree oil in it it. Coicindence or what, after we'd been battling them for literally months and months before I started using tea tree oil.

Oh its making my head feel ithcy, just thinking about them.

Good luck and remember to persuavere until you get every single one, otherwise they'll keep breeding.



Linda.

About 20 drops of tea tree oil into 1 litre of shampoo will be a good move for all the family to use.
The creatures do not survive off the hair, so get'm out, and the tea tree oil in the shampoo, keeps them away.
It took 40 years before the blighters got me, and my goodness I felt like the dirtiest thing alive. Thankfully I have only had them once!!!! But they only go to clean hair apparently.
At least today we can talk about it.............:-o
Kind Regards,
Raewyn G

I was told that cinnamon oil is the best and then of course neem oil.
I use conditioner on dry hair and leave it for approx 20 mins then use a flea comb to rid the little blighters. I have had them once (36) and once I had them I wasn't disgusted anymore, my daughter gets them now and then and she just uses the flea comb.

The best way i have found is nit shampoo and the combing make sure you remove eggs (takes ages) (kids whinging stressed mother)

Then I use cheap conditioner and comb through every couple of days with nit comb until all living creatures are gone.
You must get rid of the eggs

The tea tree oil is wonderful (except for the smell)

Over the years I have used nearly all the products on the market and I have finally found the ONLY way to control head lice.
Every night dampen childs hair then use a cheap conditioner spread evenly through hair and use a nit comb. You comb out the live lice and a fair amount of eggs the first time. do this every night for at least a week then every second day for another week untill you definitely cant see any more eggs in the hair.
It sounds time consuming but I have found that this treatment and the old fashioned idea of brushing your hair 100 times at bedtime really works. My daughter got so sensitive to nit shampoos that her scalp was flakey and sore. My Grandmother said that her mother had always told her that brushing your hair 100 times every night before bed would make her hair shine but when she was older learned it was to brush out or "break the legs" of any lice she had picked up through the day.
I couldnt use the robi comb as my daughters hair was too thick.
Make sure you use the nit comb on a regular basis. In peak season I run the comb through the kids hair a couple of times a week just to be on the safe side. Lice are a nightmare. Good Luck
Alaine

Alaine I agree with you - although I do think that tea tree oil is good as well. It is very potent and too strong for childrens scalps so I dilute it first.
We tried the robi comb and every other product on the market but in the end it was just perserverance with a nit comb, brushing her hair very regularly, keeping pillowslips washed reguarly and ironed and also the tea tree oil.
It took a year before I could say for sure that she was nit free.

MMnnn, sadly we've had our fair share of infestations over the years.... and I found that the effectiveness of the nit shampoos etc seemed to decline over the years that we used them... ie from daughter #1, to our son 7½ yrs younger. But the conclusion I came to was.... use whatever nit shampoo you like, and also wash all linen and clothes, hair brushes, teatree shampoo may help discourage them, but won't get rid of them, etc etc... but most important... remove any eggs and lice that you can find... keep checking, checking and checking again. Sit out in the sun, or under a really good light and work your way through the hair slowly... a pain yes, but look at it another way, it is time spent with your child...( yeah right!!) our daughter had lovely long hair and got them when working in daycare centre in her varsity holidays, she and I spent many hours trying to get rid of the little #&%^@## but it had it's positive aspects....lots of uninterrupted time to talk to each other... funny how no one else wants to come near you... we reckoned we must look like the monkeys, checking each other out and preening etc. But boy don't you all get itchy and paranoid when someone else has them??
Hope you get rid of them
Kaye

My boys have had them and I brought Paradose. It worked wonders. That was a couple of years ago now, and I each so often give them a shampoo with it....even tho they have not got nits.......they have been nit free (touch wood) for well over a year....so I think dosing before there is a problem is the trick.

I have also read that the bedding needs to be washed regularly etc, just chuck it in the drier...the heat kills them.

Kim

I remember Mum putting a rinse through our hair of lemon juice. Its sometimes stung cuts and that, but you knew what it was an why it stung, and I never had Lice!!
Gotta be worth a try, natural and cheap if you've got a lemon tree!!!
It just went throught to keep them away because apparently they don't like the acid of lemon juice!!??
Emma

Any updates on this topic?
I have just discovered them in Jemima's hair - she is 2 1/2 and has very thick hair and a really sensitive scalp - I just know this is going to be awful.
I have promised a large lollipop to lick while I get to with the nit comb.
I am thinking of conditioner and a nit comb each day and cutting out hair strands with eggs attached. Will obviously wash all bedding etc...

Do I need to use treatment shampoo?

Helen,
Yes use a treatment shampoo. I have just used Derbac-M Liquid. Its safe for asthma sufferers and smaller children. You put it in and wash it out a minimum of 12 hours later. It doesn't smell too ghastly and definately works.
Do all of the kids though as you would be surprised at how well they can hide and you will need to nit comb their hair and then in 6 to 9 days you will have to re-treat the hair. I dye the better halfs hair if I ever have to treat the kids hair. he would not be happy with having treatment in his hair and the dye kills everything!!! And I either dye or treat my hair. I generally can't find any in mine but as soon as the word is used you tend to start scratching.
Also If the school or creche has someone who is not getting treated they will re-infest your children and its quite important to change brands of nit treatment if they get infected in a few months time. Unfortunately a treatment that works a couple of times may not work next time. Also I find with Keesarla having hair past her bum, that I keep it plaited all the time. it stops it from getting paint etc and lessens her hairs contact to the other kids.

But Helen don't cut the hair.

You will get them out with a good nit comb with out it hurting her as long as you get a treatment from the chemist. their are oils like Mr nits which oil the strands so the eggs come off without tugging.

Good luck and hopefully the people who she got them off are also being treated.

Warm fuzzies
Lisa

Oops why shouldn't I cut them out?
I have just finished - her hair is so thick that I did cut out eggs that were holding on tight close to the scalp.
The pharmacist advised not to use treatment shampoo (?) so I just smothered her hair in conditioner and got to work with the nit comb.
I didn't find any adults just eggs.
I then rinsed out the conditioner and sprayed her hair with "strawberry no more tangles" spray to which I had added some drops of tea tree oil.
I plan to do this daily.

Does this sound a sensible strategy?

Daisy and Freddie have such fine wispy hair that I feel positive there is nothing lurking with them. They have hardly any hair to search through whereas Jemima has the same hair as me - poor child - which is so incredibly thick.

Hi Helen
I sympathise as my daughter too has a very sensitive scalp and a very thick head of hair. I was never too keen to use the chemical treatment remedies so always used natural where I could. These included making my own treatments using a vegetable oil and a concoction of essential oils which worked effectively but this is really labour-intensive as it was always a mission to shampoo the oil out. I have also used a full bottle of conditioner which basically smothers the little critters. But what finally worked for me and she has never had them back was colouring her hair. I would use the colour treatment that had the pink heart on the box (sorry the brand name escapes me) and is considered to be as mild as shampoo.

I think the key is vigilance and if you can encourage her to brush her hair as often as possible this really helps too. For if you break even one leg off the lice from brushing they cannot hang on. Good luck and don't despair ... for as yucky as nits are I think these days it is a natural part of childhood.

Regards
Linda N

I went into the chemist today because I have them. I had my niece down from Akld and her hair is so thick they hide themselves very well.
I have long thick hair and have wondered where all these bites on my neck and upper back were from and I found out last night where I used the nit comb, I had to bend over though and start from my neck and I found young ones.
Anyway the chemist said to use a natural brush opposed to a nylon one and brush brush brush, something to do with they can cling to it.
Tonight I am going to mix up a mixture of cinnamon leaf oil and warm water and brush it through my hair as I will not use chemicals and baulk at the price of paying for something that I would only use once or twice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/2006 06:18AM by Kathryn.

A friend who works in a nursing home in the UK mentioned that they often take a hot iron and iron the sheets already on the bed. Easy to take the pillowslips off and wash, but I used to almost cry when my three would could home with new infestations just after all the washing had been done. Annoying thing is that some people don't treat their children, and unless there is a school nurse around, the teacher cannot examine the child's head. Very difficult when the child's hair is superfine to rid the hair of these dreadful parasites.
Lorraine.

I have just spent my evening nit combing my son and daughter's hair. It's not my most enjoyable way of spending an evening.

I have also heard that using a boar bristle brush is better as it breaks the legs of the adult nits.

I send the kids to school with conditioner in their hair as it is supposed to deter nits - however I had stopped doing it for a while last year (got a bit complacent) as they had been nit free for ages. I have been fighting this current battle since before Christmas. It only takes one little egg to remain and it all starts over again.

Both our kids (8 and 10) had them at the end of last year. As soon as school finished, I applied the nit shampoos as I was sick of treating our kids, and them getting re-infected again within days. There were a couple of kids in my daughters class who constantly have them, and notes get send home to their parents, but they don't do anything. GRRR.

Anyway, our kids both had nits again over the holidays. I couldn't understand why, so went back to the chemist. She asked if they had been in public swimming pools. Yes, several times. Well apparently the lice can swim, and chlorine doesn't kill them.

I wasn't aware of this, but now have learnt something new. I mentioned to the hairdresser when I got my hair cut, and she said another client told her those flea treatments designed for cats and dogs, that you put a drop on their neck, works wonders in a kids head full of lice and nits. Haven't tried it myself, and the hairdresser did say its probably pretty harsh chemicals, but when you're desperate, I guess it may be worth a try.

I mentioned it to our Dr too, and the nurse gave us a prescription for nit shampoo for each of the kids. Much cheaper than buying it from the chemist, and she says its stronger than what you can buy across the counter too. Have only used it once, so far, and it killed heaps. You still need to comb out the dead things, which is quite time consuming, but better dead than alive. Also I got a metal nit comb, and its far superior to the black plastic one, which the chemist sold me. The chemist said black was good so you could see them easier, but I find the metal one, actually removes the eggs, rather than just gliding over the top of them, like the plastic one.

Good luck to all of those parents, who are actually tackling this problem. If everybody did it, then it wouldn't be such a rampent thing.


Linda.

Well i am pleased with the treatment (Derbac) I used, all of the eggs have also died which alot of treatments don't. It was for more sensitive people with asthma and allergies. I have used everything on the market from chemical to not chemical. I have tried natural stuff, homemade stuff. etc....... I think the biggest thing is to get a good nit comb and comb them out with a good conditioner or oil.

Why not cut, um well Helen you have seen our hair ;-) and from that you might see I have an aversion to cutting hair!!!! Keesarla's hair is past her bum now and the idea of cutting them out just makes me cringe.

Kindest regards
Lisa

Yep, us too. Since term 3 of last year I have spent well over $300 on chemical treatments (for 3 children, thank god not the baby). I am sure that the lice become resistant to the same one after a while.
Out of fustration I bought a Robi comb over the holidays, and personally wouldn't recommemd them.
I found it to be just a novelty thing, that goes 'beep' when it caught a live one.
My advice would be to stick to the lice comb, and tons of cheap conditioner. (And I really mean cheap, I pay $1.99 on special for 2 litres, and go through this in a couple of weeks, combing every day).
And the tea tree oil.
Good luck Mums and Dads!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2006 03:14AM by abbey.

We have had this problem on and off for 18 months. My daughter keeps bringing them back from school. If it is the first time your child has got nits then you are probably fine with a treatment whether "natural" or chemical. You have to treat the whole family and do it again at about 7 days, then keep checking by combing at least weekly during term time.

If however you find they keep being reinfected and get really bad, say for example, if your child had a bad head cold or something and you miss the 2nd treatment and the eggs hatch & you get mega lice in hair, then you're better off doing the daily combing thing with conditioner.

Studies show that repeated use of treatments, whether natural or chemical, start losing their effectiveness. Also, I found my scalp got quite itchy and inflamed from using the products and my daughters hair was starting to fall out - and this was using mostly the milder products. The Robi-comb only seemed to work on the big critters, not on the smaller ones or the eggs. Also as stated earlier, the robicomb is hard to pull through long/thick hair.

Keep your husbands and son's hair extra short if you can. If you have really thick or long hair it is easier to manage if you cut it, even just to shoulder length. However it is really embarassing taking your child or yourself to the hairdresser and finding you didn't quite get all the eggs out after all.

When we first discovered them my children were swarming with them. Because they had never been an issue before, I had never thought to check their hair.
So I kept them home from school/kindy the next day to treat them. We were probably out and about for 3 hours, going to the chemist and getting the treatment, and doing other errands.
When we got home, the middle 2 were hot, flushed and unwell, and as at that time I had a very young baby I took them straight to the Doctors incase it was anything sinister.
By the time we got there, the middle 2 were covered in spots - CHICKEN POX!!
By that evening they were covered in pox, even their scalps! So couldn't treat with chemicals, nor even use the nit comb on their poor little heads. Within 3 days the other 2 also had chicken pox, so it wasn't til around 4 weeks after finding the lice that we could actually treat them. We just sort of picked the big ones out by hand.
It was awful!!

I made a mixture up of cinnamon leaf oil and water and sprayed on my head and rubbed it in and all I have found were 3 dead nits so it is pretty effective.
I used 20 drops of cinnamon leaf oil and 40 mls warm water into a spray bottle. The essential oil cost me $11.70 and I find it has a pleasant smell although my kids hate the smell

I swear by the electric blue brand it is natural, and it smells lovely and leaves the hair in really good condition.

Is that the one that smells like bubble gum

We are still fighting these and have just been given a recipe that I wonder if any others have tried and whether it proved to be successful?

500 ml water
10 drops tea tree oil
4 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil

I sprayed it into the kids hair this morning, nit combed and then washed it out in the bath this evening. I then added a few drops of tea tree and a splash of vinegar into their final rinse.

Anyone know what vinegar would/could do for nits?

Mum suggested a while ago that I try vinegar.

The vinegar is used to stop the little critters sticking to the hair - as they can still stick when dead. They have a type of "glue" that holds them there and the vinegar breaks that down so they can be washed out. Thankfully I have not had a problem for ages but I also found Nitblaster - a natural non-chemical product - very successful.

OOPs - product is called LiceBlaster - not Nitblaster



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2007 04:29AM by Diana.