Help lice in our school

[maedelken]

Oh my goodness my daughter's school has been having lice issues for weeks now. I can't stand it. She is in Kindergarten. Has anybody else had to deal with this? It is so gross and I hope she doesn't catch them. Is there anything I can do to keep them away. Does anybody swear by something. Help!

 

[powellrj]

if you have kids in school, you pretty much always have to deal with this. Put her hair up and put a light spray of hairspray on it each day and you should be fine.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

what we do is, AND I CHECKED IT ON SNOPES IT IS TRUE, we use a spray bottle, 1/2 water 1/2 original brownish colored listerene, and spray our childrens hair every morning when the get up. So far it has worked and our dd sits next to a little girl on the bus who has had it 5x this yr. Well dd used to sit next to her , after the 3rd time I had her seat changed.

 

[eculmone]

I' a professional nit remover My dd got it 3x's last year and only in the end after using ineffective chemicals did I find the cure and they have been at bay ever since

If she gets them pm me I can explain how to get rid of them FOR GOOD

But prevention is fun and easy. Wash her hair as usual, use lots of cream rinse - even comb through her hair with a fine tooth comb while she sits in the tub. Then be sure to blow dry her hair always (they hate heat) straighten with a flat iron.

I also went the extra step and pulled it into a pony tail - lightly hair spray and comb it before putting in elastic. Then wet hair and braid it and do another elastic at the end. You can smooth any strays with hair spray and tie matching ribbon in the top and bottom to cover the elastic and VIOLA - Not only is she the cutest kindergarten cutey - she is protected from those nasty creatures.

7 sleeps till DISNEY

 

[beattyfamily]

As others have said, hair up in a pony tail and hairspray.

Tea Tree Oil supposidly keeps them away so I bought shampoos and conditioners with it in it and use that everyday if a note comes home that someone has lice. I even bought a bottle of Tea Tree Oil at Walmart and put it in other shampoos and conditioners that we like to use.

Supposidly, they do not like dirty (products in the hair) hair but prefer clean, long hair.

Good luck!

 

[Disneymaniacs]

Lice went around our neighborhood last summer. I tried every chemical and they still weren't gone. Our pediatrician said to cover their hair with mayonaise for 5 nights and pick nits in the a.m. and p.m. . The mayo dries pretty quickly or I would blow dry it to speed the process. All you have to do is cover the pillowcase with a towel so it doesn't stain it and of course you have to wash all of the sheets, towels, and clothes daily. I don't know if the mayo was the cure or if it just happened to be week 3 and I finally got them all but I like the mayo much better than putting harsh chemical directly on my children. Now my kids get a treatment once a week after church on Wednesday night. The get to choose mayonaise or conditioner and I just saturate and blow dry their hair and wash it out in the morning. I also have a small spray bottle of water with a few drops of tea tree oil in it that I keep in the bathroom to spray their hair in the morning. I also wash their hair every night with my husband's Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner. Lice do not like pyrithion zinc which is the main ingredient in Head and shoulders and Pert dandruff control products and they both smell good and they don't cost as much as the tea tree oil shampoo you buy at the salon (12oz. for $12). Also check their heads weekly. It is said that lice start above and behind the ears but one of my kids had it on the top of the head only. I hope you are lucky and don't get it.

 

[asafko]

Thanks for posting this, we are just ending (fingers crossed) a bout with it ourselves - they go to a private preschool/kindergarten). I do a head check every day, every part of their heads (I have 2 little girls). They don't like it but I promise a big surprise when we are definitely all done with it and they cooperated. We used ovide (prescription) to get rid of them to begin with, and then washed/vaccummed everything. They had one bout of it then it returned in my one daughter (she has longer fuller hair, while the other has finer hair). It was maddening. I will be buying hair spray today but have been doing pony tails ever since. We also talked with them about not sharing anything (coats, scarves, hair stuff) - we even started putting their coats in their backpacks so they won't touch the other children's in their cubbies. I even put their coats in the dryer immediately after they get home for 1/2 hour on high just as insurance.

Has anyone used "Fairy Tales" organic repellant? If you have, have you found it affective? We started using that. Thanks again for the suggestions and for posting this, I felt very embarassed at first but we laugh about it now.

Amy

 

[beattyfamily]

I bought all the "Fairy Tales" products and I really don't know if it worked or not but we didn't like how the hairspray and repellant flakeed on both my daughters' hair once it dried which made it look like they had more eggs!

So I gave up and stopped using those products but we still use their shampoo and conditioner.

 

[InstImpres]

We were told to shampoo with Neutragena TGel twice a week to keep it away

 

[MandM-Mom]

Thanks for posting this, we are just ending (fingers crossed) a bout with it ourselves - they go to a private preschool/kindergarten). I do a head check every day, every part of their heads (I have 2 little girls). They don't like it but I promise a big surprise when we are definitely all done with it and they cooperated. We used ovide (prescription) to get rid of them to begin with, and then washed/vaccummed everything. They had one bout of it then it returned in my one daughter (she has longer fuller hair, while the other has finer hair). It was maddening. I will be buying hair spray today but have been doing pony tails ever since. We also talked with them about not sharing anything (coats, scarves, hair stuff) - we even started putting their coats in their backpacks so they won't touch the other children's in their cubbies. I even put their coats in the dryer immediately after they get home for 1/2 hour on high just as insurance.

Has anyone used "Fairy Tales" organic repellant? If you have, have you found it affective? We started using that. Thanks again for the suggestions and for posting this, I felt very embarassed at first but we laugh about it now.

Amy

Love Fairytales!, we have had very good luck with it, maybe we have just been lucky so far!!

 

[LJRJR]

I use the Fairy Tales hair care products for my children as well. I bought the products on line and use them and have not had any headlice problems, even though children in her class have had head lice. Their poduct is an organic product so I like to use it for that reason alone. I like their detangling spray for my daughter, I spray her hair with it before she leaves the house. The web site is www.fairytaleshaircare.com and they have some useful info, even if you dont buy their product. The two times I have ordered from them, I got my order in a day or so. Good luck.

 

[Mkrop]

Dont wash their hair as often, definitely pull up in ponytail and spray with hairspray, use the tea tree oil either in your onw shamppo or Paul Mitchell has a brand. Dry her coat in the dryer each day after school. Wipe down her bookbag. Let your bus driver know, during a bad bout at our school and the only way the one child could have gotten lice was the bus, our bus driver started wiping down the seats btw runs. She even found a bug on the bus seat,

Good luck.

If you have boys , time for a buzz cut. Lice dont like short hair

 

[RMulieri]

This is happening in central Pa now too.All 3 of our grammar schools had an infestation.....One poor little girl has been re-infected 5 times.there really is no preventative..other then not sharing hats,and checking your childs hair daily., and if you have a girl get that hair up in a ponytail...

 

[tinkandpan]

we're in no nj right now and having the same major problems. We too have been using the fairytale line and knock wood have not had it but that could be luck. In any case, it makes me feel better and I like the smell so....

In addition- apparently coats are a huge issue. If they don't store their coats in individual cubbies but hang them- i suggest sticking them in their backpacks or buying one of those large ziploc bags to put it in there.

 

[colonialtinker]

When DD30 & 25 were in school they got sent home because the school nurse couldn't tell the difference between hair spray & nits .
I doubt if I will ever put hair spray on DD8 hair as I don't want to get in a disagreement with the nurse. I told the last one she needed to get glasses
Whenever the notice gets sent home, I just make sure I keep DD's hair pulled back.

 

[DizzyErin]

Keepin hair up is a great prevention ... My DD suffered so much with this 2 years ago that i cut her hair short .. however she wanted to grow it again so she has to wear it up at school every day now!! Also once a week smother with conditioner and comb through ... And best tip Tea Tree shampoo for sure!!! She hasn't had them for about a year now Good luck

 

[maedelken]

Do you guys think the fairytale line works better then using the tea tree oil. I have been using Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo on the girls. I haven't been using anything special on the little guy. He is just two and we would just buzz it off if he got it. I heard that tea tree oil is not good for boys. I think it ups their estrogen. We have been doing ponytails and then I braid them and spray with hairspray. I haven't been doing the coat thing but I will start. Her class has lockers so I don't feel as bad that I didn't think to do that. I also have her bring her rest time mat home everyday. It is so scary. I know they don't cause any harm but they really give me the creeps. ACK! I heard they are so hard to get rid of. I have given her all the lectures on hair safety she could recite it in her sleep. Thanks everyone keep the advice coming. I just didn't think I would be dealing with this yet. When I signed her up I asked about lice and they said they hadn't had a outbreak for a long time. So I guess I just felt too secure that it wouldn't happen.

 

[beattyfamily]

Do you guys think the fairytale line works better then using the tea tree oil. I have been using Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo on the girls. I haven't been using anything special on the little guy. He is just two and we would just buzz it off if he got it. I heard that tea tree oil is not good for boys. I think it ups their estrogen. We have been doing ponytails and then I braid them and spray with hairspray. I haven't been doing the coat thing but I will start. Her class has lockers so I don't feel as bad that I didn't think to do that. I also have her bring her rest time mat home everyday. It is so scary. I know they don't cause any harm but they really give me the creeps. ACK! I heard they are so hard to get rid of. I have given her all the lectures on hair safety she could recite it in her sleep. Thanks everyone keep the advice coming. I just didn't think I would be dealing with this yet. When I signed her up I asked about lice and they said they hadn't had a outbreak for a long time. So I guess I just felt too secure that it wouldn't happen.

Personally, I would just stick with what you are doing and add the putting the coats in the dryer but I wouldn't go out and buy the expensive Fairy Tale products since you have a shampoo with Tea Tree Oil already.

Sounds like ou are on the right track to keeping them away.

That's just my opinion.

 

[Mkrop]

Unfortuantely I think this is just life, if you ahve kdis in school it is gonna happen in the school eventually. When DS10 was in second grade, it was isolated to his classroom, except for the one girl on the bus who got it, but no one in her class got it, and none of the siblings. It was very strange.

 

[SueM in MN]

This website has good factual information and also very good pictures so you know what you are looking for.
www.headlice.org