Help advice with persistant headlice

[Aura]

I don't know if this is the right forum, if not please feel free to move it to the right one thanks.

Last Saturday I ran a nitty Gritty comb throu my hair and pulled out an army of nits! On the Sunday I put Headrin onto my scalp with the help of my mum as I am disabled, then ran a nit comb through it to even it out through the hair. While the Headrin was on there I could feel my scalp itching from time to time, is this normal?

I followed the instructions the following Sunday (yesterday) and my mum saw a small nit on the tissue which was alive but not as big as the one's I had pulled out my hair last Saturday. I treated one day after the seven usually recommended, will that matter?

What I want to know is how to prevent them in future?

I have my hair tied up when I am out. I didn't change my bedsheets this time round after the 2nd dose, I just brushed them off with a gentlemans brush (one used to brush hair off suits) but will be changing the pillowcases. If I hoover my bedsheets and duvet cover, can that make a difference?

I am terrified that they will return and every time my head itches, I think they may be back. I also have colour in my hair so I hope the Headrin hasn't ruined that.

It's very hard to find help with them, especially of you are disabled and living on your own. I went to my nurse and a docter who couldn't see them, but I certainly found them!

Have been told by a hairdresser that nits can jump which is frightening, is this true?

[Betty Boop]

My scalp would itch if I put chemicals on it too, so yes, I think it is normal for a scalp being treated to itch. Just the mere thought of headlice and my scalp is itching now :wah:

There's not a lot you can do to prevent other than what you are doing now. By regularly nitcombing you can prevent the infestation becoming too large - Head-lice - Treatment. Using lotions too much is not recommended, the lice become resistant and the lotions are toxic to you.

No they can't jump - Head-lice - Causes wonder where your hairdresser got her info from! You would have had to have had close head to head contact with someone that had headlice, quite ofen a child.

My daughter regularly brings home these lovely beasts, we nit comb every other day for two weeks or so during an infestation and then we drop back to once a week to check she remains clear of them.

[Chezzie]

I think getting them in the bath, lashings of conditioner and a nit comb and comb comb comb, once you think you have them all, rinse and dry a little and then get the nit comb and thoroughly comb each and every strand over and over cos the buggers like to hide.

[Aura]

Thanks for your input. Do I have to change ther bedding again, or will brushing and hoovering the sheet and duvet do?

Am going to change the pillowcase. I spent Sunday night at my mums and left my house Saturday morning. I heard lice can't live more then 24hrs, so do you think the eggs etc might be dead by now? :-3

[mrsK]

I put a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in my conditioner.

I work at a school & there is usually one child with nits.

Now I am frantically scratching my head:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

[Aura]

Should I change my bedsheets agin before I go to bed, or should just brush and hoover them?

[mrsK]

Aura;1265235 wrote: Should I change my bedsheets agin before I go to bed, or should just brush and hoover them?




I would change them .:-6

[Skylark]

Chezzie;1265216 wrote: I think getting them in the bath, lashings of conditioner and a nit comb and comb comb comb, once you think you have them all, rinse and dry a little and then get the nit comb and thoroughly comb each and every strand over and over cos the buggers like to hide.


Chezzie I agree, that is what my mum did when I got nits. The nit comb breaks the back of the little blighters!

[Aura]

I ave a Henry hoover, will that will be enough just to hoover the sheet and pillow? ( after case removed)

[Patsy Warnick]

It's the Eggs that are difficult - Lice will usually nest in the back, the warmest spot of your scalp.

Yes, change your bedding.

There are many Lice solutions to purchase and good experienced advise given here.

I came in contact with Lice - by trying on Hats

horrible experience.

Good Luck

Patsy

[Oscar Namechange]

Aura;1265254 wrote: I ave a Henry hoover, will that will be enough just to hoover the sheet and pillow? ( after case removed)
When I was at school, we had a nit nurse.... we called her 'Nitty Nora, the Nut Explorer'.

The suggestion of lashings of hair conditioner is absolutely right. However, It is better If you slather your hair in conditioner, wrap your hair in a towel and go to bed with it on. The conditioner will suffocate the nits and the eggs. Just wash and comb through in the morning. As for your bed... strip the bedding and do a boil wash if you can and then hoover the mattress. If you go to a vet, buy a can of 'Nuvan Top' for animal flea's and ticks. Use this on your mattress and you'll never get them again. It's a bit pricey at around £8 a can but you won't have to buy another one. Also spray your pillows or get new one's. When you use the flea and tick spray, remove any animals especially small one's if you have them in your bedroom, open the windows and let the room air for at least 4 hours.... It's very powerful stuff. Hope this helps.

[qsducks]

Yes remove all bedding & wash in the hottest wash cycle even the pillow....have 4 kids & have played with this pain in the arse bugs twice...a total pain in the butt...:-5:-5

[mikeinie]

Nits are an issue with kids in primary school here in Ireland. Whenever our kids picked them up we would was their hair with some nit killing stuff, then spend hours combing through their hair to get the eggs out, and wash everything.

Then there iwas one kid in my daughters class a number of years ago who had them and was spreading them around who’s mother just refused to do anything about it because ‘she did not want to use chemicals on her daughter hair’. I think the kid should have been kicked out of school until she was sorted out.

I felt sorry for the kid, friends stopped playing her, I know she was no longer invited to birthday parties, and she was made fun of because she was the kid with the nits.

Hey, but her mother at least has principals right?

[Aura]

Ran Henry hoover over the sheets last night, and used nitcomb this evening and nothing in thre that I saw, would that mean I am clear, for now?

[mrsK]

Aura;1265573 wrote: Ran Henry hoover over the sheets last night, and used nitcomb this evening and nothing in thre that I saw, would that mean I am clear, for now?


You will soon know.

[Rapunzel]

I would strip the bed and bedding and wash everything on a hot wash, including duvet, then replace with fresh sheets on everything.

I've heard nits can live for about 4 days away from a human head, so I wouldn't reuse those covers within 4 days, just in case.

Once you've conditioned your hair and combed all the little blighters out, you still need to keep rechecking every couple of days because nits hatch from nit eggs and newly laid nit eggs are too small to be picked up by the teeth of a nit comb! They can fit between the teeth - they are that small! So even though you've cleaned them from your hair, you may still get new ones hatching in a few days!!! Ewww!

Nits prefer to live on the back of your head or around your ears as these are the warmest spots. Keep treating and checking continuously - and tie your hair up to prevent reinfestation! That's why you always see teachers, especially in primary schools, with either short hair or their hair tied up!

Mikeinie, when my daughter was in primary school she had long red hair that she could sit on. Every day I would plait it neatly and put in pretty combs and ribbons so she could keep her hair long but it was neatly out of the way. Then one day her teacher sat her next to an Indian boy. Apparently nits are a way of life for them so they never bother treating them. Also this little brat took a keen interest in my daughter and used to keep laying his head on her shoulder! She instantly became infected and I was constantly treating her hair! It got so bad that I asked the teacher if she could be moved but the teacher refused! She had such bad infestations that I had to chop out great chunks of hair that were riddled with nit eggs! Yuck! She even had a huge red sore spot on the top of her head where the nits fed on her blood! It was huge but she didn't feel anything because when they feed they spit into the wound and apparently their saliva contains a numbing agent so you don't feel them feeding on you and you don't scratch the area and disturb them!

She didn't get rid of the nits until she changed class and sat next to someone else. Then miraculousely, they disappeared...but the kid sitting next to the Indian boy got them! So much for the teacher telling me he didn't have them - you could see them on him! Yeuch!

As for the poll, yes they should reintroduce nit nurses! I have a child in my class who is the fifth of seven children. Her mother did a bunk after the 7th one was born and the father is disabled and in a wheel chair. The kids cook meals and look after themselves apart from the 2 littlest ones who cannot take care of themselves. Their clothes are disgustingly dirty and they stink of urine! They must wet their beds and then sleep in them. They are constantly grubby and last week, when the kids were sitting on the carpet in front of me, I saw 4 large lice walk across the top of Sherri's (fifth childs) head! ALL of those kids were infested with lice and a constant source of worry to all us teachers! We have a washing machine in school, a drier and a shower and we all said couldn't we take all the kids clothes and wash them and dry them and, at the same time, pop the kids in the shower and wash their hair? No, apparently that would be classed as abuse! The whole family were referred to social services many, many times but because the father was doing his best (even though he is in a wheel chair and couldn't do much) but he was trying and therefore social services couldn't interfere!

Personally I think their granny interfered! Today Sherri came in with a temperature and looking poorly. We phoned Dad to send her home but the new mobile number he'd given us didn't work. Poor Sherri had to spend another hour in class before granny was called to come and collect her. Granny came and thanked us kindly for looking after Sherri. I thanked her for coming but she said that Sherri's dad wouldn't be too pleased! So what, he'd rather his daughter stayed at school feeling ill, rather that be tucked up safe and warm with granny? How is that caring for his children? The poor little mites don't even have jumpers or PE kits for school! We've given them all unlabelled jumpers out of the lost property box and we've all brought in bits of PE kit our own kids have grown out of so they can all have some warm PE kits! Poor little Sherri! She gives me bunches of hugs every single day and so do her little sisters because they have no one at home to hug them! I always tell them what wonderful hugs they give and how much I love their hugs. We had a Child Protection meeting last week and we were warned off from touching the children. I said "What about the ones who hug you every day and who tell you that they never get hugs at home?" The reply "Shake them off as quickly as possible and only allow them to hug you in a public place where plenty of people can see you"! Well, my idea of shaking them off quickly is different to their idea of shaking off quickly, but I shall tell them I have arthritis and my reactions are slow, should they even bother to ask. It's because children don't receive enough love and affection these days that they become wild and belligerent and uncaring. Not your kids, not my kids, not all kids, but some kids. Sorry for the rant. There is so much I want to say and so many ways our hands are tied. Sherri (not her real name) is the sweetest, gentlest child but she gets no support at home. We were teaching the kids to write instructions recently using imperative verbs. They had to describe how to make a cup of tea. Some knew how to do it and made their mums cups of tea every day. Some didn't have a clue. Eight year old Sherri described the family dinner she had cooked the night before! That poor little mite has no real childhood! It breaks my heart! I asked her what she wanted for Christmas the other day and she said a PSP. I looked in the Argos catalogue and they were £160! If each child in her family had a PSP that would cost £1120 - without games! Poor little love will always be doomed to disappointment, each and every Christmas! My heart just breaks because these are the sort of kids who should be troublemakers and hooligans...and instead they are the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful kids you could ever hope to find!

I'm sorry I went off on a rant. It's been a long day. So to get back to the nits - the social services are nits for not being able to take any positive action to help these kids! :-5