Asking my budget family for help. My kid has LICE!!!

[SILLYANDI]

So I just happened to see a louse in my DD6's head today and after full on panic, treatment with LiceMD (recommended by school nurse) and 2 hrs worth of combing we came up with 18 lice total.

Please tell me this is a light case of lice and we are going to be ok after one more treatment?!
I have checked all of my other kids and given them a liceMD treatment to be on the safe side, sprayed the lice killer stuff on every square inch of furniture, etc that could not be washed in the washing machine, soaked every brush & comb I could find in hot bleach water for an hour, thrown away every ponytail holder, etc I can find and stuffed all the stuffed animals, non washable pillows, sofa cushions, etc in garbage bags to sit in the garage for 2 weeks as told.

Is there anything I am missing? Should I expect tp spend the rest of the year fighting this curse? Please tell me 18 means I caught it early?!

 

[delmar411]

flat iron her hair and it won't matter if you missed any eggs (and you likely missed some eggs, they are so small). The flat iron burns the eggs and they won't hatch. As long as you got the live lice out then you can just comb through her hair every day and nit pick when the light is good.

Unless your school has a no nit policy. Then flat iron first and then get to searching for any missed nits.

HTH!

Also her some hair product in your kids' hair. Some hairspray should do it. Lice don't like hair products.

 

[My3kiddos]

I was also told to use tea tree oil shampoo years ago because lice didn't like it. My daughter got it 2 or 3 times in 3rd grade because another child in class had it and her parents didn't treat it. We finally found out because the little girl told my daughter she had lice and her mom just put peanut butter on her hair I hate hate hate lice it creeps me out. Good luck and thanks pp for the flat iron idea! I finally got a perm put in my daughters hair (just put in and straightened) and she never got them again.

 

[uromac]

You've done all the right things -

Also anything you can't wash - e.g. pillows, etc.. - Use the dryer on high heat to get them !!! I know from personal experience this can be a nightmare!!

Good luck!!! Big !!

 

[cjnix29]

So sorry for you! We went through this about a year ago, but I have a son, so it wasn't as painful! Bag up all stuffed animals, and "quarantine" them for a couple of weeks. I used mouthwash to wash his hair. I sprayed his hair down really good, wrapped his head in a towel, put on a shower cap and had him sleep in it. Did this a couple of times during a week. Seemed to do the trick. He wasn't all that fond of smelling like mouthwash, but it worked! Got that tip here on the DIS. Good luck!!!

 

[Mrsdennison]

My kids had it when oldest was in daycare.

We tried the shampoo stuff. What finally worked for us was recommended by an friend that worked for child services.

Put dawn dish soap in hair. scran wrap their hair for two hours. Then wash out with shampoo. Then comb through for anything. We did this three days in a row, and then once a week for three weeks. I never saw anything after the second time but I was being cautious.

Mrsdennison

 

[RetroMom]

Don't forget to spray your car seats!

 

[Leajess99]

Also you need to vaccuum everything. The sprays don't always work but making sure to vaccuum will get them up.

 

[fakereadhed]

Be careful about treating everyone just in case. They can get resistant- trust me! Then you are stuck with olive oil and a shower cap as your only hope.

We battled it for two years straight and it ended when I refused to let the school office staff check my children. They were using gloves and not changing them between kids!

 

[v.t.]

I am so sorry, I know the feeling.

Don't forget to spray your car seats!

You will also want to vacuum out the car.
To prevent lice, I bought cheap, fragrance free shampoo and added tee tree oil. We shampoo with it once every two weeks. That seems to keep the little buggers away!

 

[bobbieh76]

after you vacuum if you have a bagless be sure to dump it in a bag and take it directly out to the trash.. if you have a vacuum with a bag same thing take the bag off wrap it in a trash bag and take it directly outside immediately!!!!

 

[mickeyplanner08]

Good luck! That is all I have to say. My DD had them in September. Caught them early, combed for 3 weeks-at a minimum every other day. Get the good metal comb. Pick as many nits as you can. Then repeat. DD got them from a friend who has had issues for a while, and I had lectured her about not sharing anything-we spent 20 minutes at this house, and she picked them up. She did not share with anyone else at school, however! Braids and hairspray!!!!

I am now the lice expert in residence at the kids school (what a lovely title....). Up til my DD's case they hadn't had lice in her school for 5 or 6 years. I got a call from another mom in a panic just this past Sunday...2 DD's-lice. I went over and helped her pick-it took over 2 hours to comb through her oldest DD's hair.

Lice can't lay eggs until they are 7 days old, so as long as you are combing diligently you shouldn't get beyond the current "generation." Stay strong-many moms give up after the first week. Keep at it, and hopefully this will be the one and only time you have to do this!

So far, only one family this time around at school-we'll see......

 

[Arkansan]

Try Fairytaleshaircare dot com. Thank God, we've never had lice, but I've used these products for years on my children. Coincidence? Maybe, but it is pretty cheap insurance! If nothing else, they are organic so they won't do any harm. And if they help, so much the better!

 

[kpadalik]

Try Fairytaleshaircare dot com. Thank God, we've never had lice, but I've used these products for years on my children. Coincidence? Maybe, but it is pretty cheap insurance! If nothing else, they are organic so they won't do any harm. And if they help, so much the better!

I agree! My DD missed a week of school last year due to lice and we now use tea tree oil in the shampoo (a very small amount in the shampoo bottle works..it's very strong smelling) and we buy the leave in spray from the above mentioned company. Haven't seen lice since.

To get rid of the lice, we of course used the stupid lice shampoo according to the directions, but after a few days, I tried the olive oil in the hair, covered with shower cap and DD slept overnight like that. It's supposed to "suffocate" the lice. It did leave her hair looking a little bit oily for the next couple of days (even after shampooing), but it seemed to work. It also softened the "glue" that those nits attach themselves to the hair shaft with, so it made it much easier to comb them out.

 

[dislal]

My kids had lice a few years ago yep all three I put cheap conditioner, used a few bottles (suave, Vo5) on their hair then I sat them in a chair in front of a window, with a floor lamp next to us and I used the cheap plastic blue lice comb that comes in one of the rid (I think) packs and I spent HOURS per girl and a very short time on my son a day. I also made the kids rinse their hair with vinegar everytime they washed it.

It took less than a week and there was no evidence of any lice. It was very time consuming but worth it. I even had the girls go through my hair a few times just to make sure there was nothing, but thankfully DH and I didn't have any, so make sure you check your own hair too.

 

[aprilgail2]

OK--this is sure not budget but I took my daughter to a nit picker and in an hour she was free and clear- one vacuum of the house, one change of sheets (pillows in bags in basement for 10 days) and it was all over. No picking for hours, washing bedsheets everyday etc.... I used www.licebustersnyc.com - you can check and see if there is a place like that near you. They don't use any type of pesticide in your kids hair they just use conditioner and comb and pick and comb and pick and they gaurentee they are gone! I would never do it any other way!

 

[disneychrista]

Olive oil! Saturate her hair with it every other day for 2 weeks. Leave on for at least 3 hours (over night is better) and then wash out with dawn dish soap.

 

[romeoc]

Be sure you use the metal nit free combs and not the plastic ones that come in the kits. We have found them more dependable.
It was done every morning in the shower and again at night.
Tea tree shampoo too.

 

[Stinkyboymom]

I spent the month of September doing this with my 3 boys...sending you hugs and patience. DS who was 18 mos at the time got it from daycare at the gym...google the NUVO METHOD, it provides information as well as pesticide free alternative, uses Cetaphil cleanser....many lice are now resistant to OTC products as we used this initially and were unsuccessful....this NUVO method also gives you confirmation if lice were present....it worked for us....we do use Tea Tree oil gel in boys hair...apparently lice "like" clean hair so the more gel the better...

 

[SoonerSarah]

I use Tea Tree Oil in my daughter's conditioner (don't shampoo their hair), just a couple of drops in a large bottle has worked well for us so far.