Help head lice!!!

[Big_White]

ok so this is the third time this year!!! My brother and his gf and her two sons moved in with my parents while i was still in school. And they do not work....at all , the house got so nasty i could not help mom keep up. well then we got head lice, all of us including my fiace, gf at the time. so we had to treat 8 heads of hair, and several repeat treatments because our hair so thick. We cleaned out the house and killed all the lil boogers. then after i graduated, the house got back to the nasty state and we all got it again! and got rid of them one more time. My brother finally moved into another rent home my dad owns, then had a son of his own. And we have been over there 24/7 and the house is a wreck i clean it up every time i go. And of course we have them again! So instead of us spending 200 to 300 dollars again can someone tell me a natural remedy? and a way to prevent them? I think they are coming from all the filthiness but i do not know. Any help would be appreciated, before i rip out all my hair and in case my nephew gets em, is there any treatment safe for a new born???

 

[Beekissed]

We've never had them but I've heard about the money that is spent trying to eradicate them from the house/bedding/furniture~ Someone the other day said they have used olive oil on the hair and found it effective. I'd say any thick oil would do the same as folks used to use mayonnaise, so olive oil being so expensive I don't know if I would use it as a first resort.

Anyone have any tried and true ways to cheaply and more naturally eradicate lice from things as well as people?

 

[moolie]

Head lice have nothing to do with cleanliness, other than ensuring that you've got all the lice and eggs out of bedding and furniture after an outbreak. They are spread by direct contact with someone who has them, or sharing recently worn clothing (hats, scarves, anything worn close to the head). They can't survive off of a warm human body for more than an hour (I think it is actually less but it's been a while).

My oldest daughter got infected at school when she was in grade 4. We kept her home from school till there was no sign of lice, and treated her with one application of store-brand lice shampoo and combed every egg and louse out of her hair (time-consuming process). We know other families who tried the vaseline and olive oil methods, and they just don't work--everyone eventually got the shampoo so their kids could go back to school.

But the kid who had infected everyone kept coming to school after "natural" treatment (which obviously didn't work on her either) and word got around, so my daughter (and lots of other 4th graders) got a short hair-cut just in case of re-infection. Other kids got infected/re-infected but not my kid, who simply followed our new rules about where to keep her coat and hat (in her backpack) and kept her head away from other kids (like when they all get down on the ground to play marbles etc.). Worked for us.

So. Keep other people's hats/coats away from yours/don't share, keep your head away from other people (personal space), and make sure all your linens and bedding have been washed in hot water and dried on an extra long drier cycle and you should be ok. The shampoo is totally worth it.

Oh, and they shouldn't be a problem for a newborn--not much hair--just comb out any lice/eggs if you see them.

 

[Beekissed]

Could be why my boys never got them when the school would have an outbreak...they always had buzz cut hair dos and I never let them wear hats unless it was winter, at which time the toboggan would stay in their coat pockets until coming home.

I agree with the lice not having to do with being dirty but those types of households are probably less committed to eradication of the problem than are those who keep a cleaner home and children.

 

[Denim Deb]

My daughter had them several years ago, and I had a terrible time getting rid of them. I finally got to the point where every night after she got her shower, we'd sit on my bed and watch TV while I combed her hair looking for nits. I don't recall how long it took to actually get rid of them.

I don't know if it really works or not, but someone told me coconut conditioner can be used to eradicate them.

 

[Wannabefree]

My girls have had them...they tend to LOVE CLEAN HEADS The home remedies are as follows: tea tree oil in your shampoo for preventing reinfestation after treatment, olive oil will kill them out, but it has to left on your hair overnight and washed out the next morning. Cover with a shower cap. I don't know of ANY way other than the store bought spray junk to treat furniture, but bedding, hot hot water, and hot drier is a must as someone else stated. Comb hair DAILY for at least two weeks with a nit comb to get rid of all the eggs. They are hard to get rid of, but we don't keep the stinking things as long as we do all those things. The combing is a must, even if you aren't finding any, itching, etc. just keep combing for a couple weeks and keep the tea tree oil in the shampoo! It is VERY difficult if you don't know from whom they are coming to begin with. kids at school etc. but since you know...it should be easier to prevent. I hate public school systems for that reason. DD kept getting them, and teachers kept doing head checks, EVEN the school nurse, and they told me over and over she didn't have them when she did, and they must have totally missed the cootie headed kid every single time too so we had recurring incidence. I treated her 5 times last year and we finally figured out where the cooties were coming from and I told her to stay AWAY from that kid, even with the tea tree oil in her shampoo!! I wouldn't be visiting anymore...I know that sounds mean, but sheesh..even if they pay for treatment of your bugs every time...is it really worth the trouble? I'd steer clear.

Dang now my head itches!!

 

[so lucky]

My grand daughters had a round or two in the fall. Since they stay out her with me so much, I was sure I would get them, but never saw any. Treated myself anyway. My son found that using the hairdryer is helpful. The girls have long fine hair--what a mess, but using the dryer burns the little bugs. He also used tea tree shampoo, alternating with the lice shampoo.
Also, vacuum all the upholstery in the house, and the carpeting, often. As Moolie said, the bugs can't live very long without a human head to get on, and the eggs won't crawl anywhere. It's not as bad as fleas, which I have had so bad I thought I was gonna have to move out and leave the house to them. The most difficult part of head lice is getting a 5 year old to sit still long enough to comb through her hair.
Oh, and you can put pillows, blankets, hats, etc in the clothes dryer for about 30 minutes. That will kill any eggs or lice on them.

 

[GhostRider65]

Well unfortunately I have become the queen of Head lice since my hubbies X sends the kids with them every friggen year for the last 7 years every summer..... natural treatments are Castile soap with 10 drops of lavender or eucalyptis sorry SP...., hold the conditioner for a couple days, you can also use straight coconut oil comb in and leave on overnight with a bag, swim cap, or shower cap. Then wash everything in hot water if possible, wash bed cloths everyday also pillows from couch, throw blankets, ect, and vacuum, vacuum, vacume everything!, then comb them eggs out till your fingers feel like they fell off 3 hours ago, repeat every 7 days till gone. Works every time and my step daughter has medium length hair and thick as the ponies mane, her mother can never get rid of them, but she doesn't listen either, plus she's too lazy to comb the eggs out or wash the bedding. so every year we have to deal with getting rid of them. I hate these little buggers............. Ghostrider65

 

[goatilocks]

Are you sure they are head lice and not bedbugs? Bedbugs are becoming a serious problem. And if the house is always filthy, they have tons of places to hide.

 

[rathbone]

I was the school Pediculosis Eradicator. That is a fancy name for the head lice lady with a degree.
I will agree with most of what was said. Lice do not prefer dirty heads. The house will need to be cleaned. Meaning vacuum daily, and all clothing and bedding needs to be put in the dryer on the hottest setting.
I do not believe any topical application can prevent you from getting lice. But avoiding contact is obviously necessary. My sons have long hair so they wear their hair up in braids.
Personally, I don't use any chemicals on my children's hair. I don't use any non chemical treatment either. I manually clean my children's hair. I section it off with rubber bands and using a pencil I part the hair over and over methodically examining the hairs for nits and/or lice. When I find a nit, I grasp it between my fingernails and pull it down the hair shaft until it comes off. I do this morning and night.
Usually by the third time I clean the hair it is done. I look at it as an opportunity to spend a lot of one on one time with my child.
My children have had head lice a few times each and I have been able to clear it up with NO chemicals. If I can do it, anyone can.
Those chemicals cause brain damage.