Lice - major budget buster

[MomtoGKC]

Wow, what a start to our summer! School ended yesterday, we have had one of the busiest weeks ever, I lead a girl scout trip to Orlando this weekend (not Disney unfortunately) and this morning I find LICE! We've never had it but some friends have. I knew I couldn't deal with it on my own so I immediately got the number for the lady who comes to your house. I was trying so hard to stick to a good budget this month and now this!

$645 today, another $300 for re-checks next week. I know that is what my emergency fund is for, but I didn't want to use it. Oh well, all 5 of us had it and I needed it gone ASAP so it really was worth it, but what a way to start summer!

 

[mom2princesss]

Holy cow! I didn't even know such services existed. As a preventative and future treatment(if ever needed) I HIGHLY recommend Fairy Tales hair care. It was the only thing that actually got rid of my DDs lice and the rosemary shampoo is wonderful and we've never had them again.

http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/?gclid=CPno2-bPmqkCFcZe2godRVCRug

 

[Jodijo]

I would have sold you a box of Rid for $7.00! That is outrageous!

I hope that cost covered treating the house. Without treating all of the furniture, bedding, stuffed animals, and carpets, it is likely it will return. As a teacher I have 1st hand knowledge of this. Many parents treat the kids and not the house. Then they get mad when the little critters return.

 

[Poohforyou]

We've had lice twice here and they really aren't that hard to get rid of. The biggest pain is bagging up stuff that can't be washed like stuffed animals and also washing all the bedding.

One thing to remember is that they actually like clean hair so the more hair spray and gel you can use between the shampoo treatments and combing the better.

 

[mmmagique]

Cetapyl and Lysterine (the original orange stuff) can get rid of them in less than a week.

I responded to another thread here and explained how it worked for me. (my kids would not have been allowed back in school without it, and the nurse was amazed!) You also don't have to nit pick with my system!!

 

[SandrA9810]

I walked around with Vaseline on my head for 2-3 days in 7th grade. I was sooo mad at my aunt. She heard on the news that it worked great for getting them out, but then we couldn't find a degreaser to rinse it out of our hair. She also chopped off all my hair to shoulder length. I was traumatized for life as I refuse to cut my hair now (trims are ok), but I never had it again after that. BTW, simple green is what finally cut the grease out.

If you go to a beauty supply store, the stuff that blacks use in their hair to help keep it down, is also said to help repel lice from the head.

 

[chris31997]

If you add a "grease" to your hair, I would put on a shower cap to help smoother the lice and nits. My DD got it when we moved to HI. Washed her hair in RID, put Aquafur lotion in her hair to treat her scalp(the treatment irritates her scalp), and braided her hair. I would sit and pick her hair for hours. She has very fine and long hair.

Don't wash your hair everyday, and try to confine long hair. Don't share ponytail holders or anything that will touch your head

I hope you get rid of them quickly. Someone else posted on here and it took them a long time, I think over a month to get rid of them.

 

[maggieusa]

RID never worked when my kids were small so I used dog feal and tick shampoo and worked great used it a couple of times a week

 

[tmarquez]

I'm curious about what they provide for $645 and then another $300?

I know a lot of people are against using chemicals and medications on their kids, but if anyone has this problem and isn't...look into Stromectol (aka Ivermectin). It's a single dose pill...very tiny...and costs a few dollars.

We first used it when DD got some kind of resistent strain of lice that we couldn't get rid of with any home remedies or the satndard over the counter stuff. DD has long, wavy thick hair and I had back and neck pain for a week trying to pick the eggs out.

The pill worked like magic in a single day and she didn't get them again until the next school year. We used it again, same result.

She's 8 now and hasn't had them in a long time so hopefully she is at the age now where she won't get them anymore.

 

[goodeats]

There was a thread a few weeks or months back from someone from New Jersey who paid at least that amount or more. I would think it would be worth it just to get it out of your life. Ugh, bugs are the worst! Especially tiny ones!

 

[hopeandtink]

I walked around with Vaseline on my head for 2-3 days in 7th grade. I was sooo mad at my aunt. She heard on the news that it worked great for getting them out, but then we couldn't find a degreaser to rinse it out of our hair. She also chopped off all my hair to shoulder length. I was traumatized for life as I refuse to cut my hair now (trims are ok), but I never had it again after that. BTW, simple green is what finally cut the grease out.

If you go to a beauty supply store, the stuff that blacks use in their hair to help keep it down, is also said to help repel lice from the head.

Please don't refer to African Americans as "blacks"!! That is very disrespectful.

 

[punkin]

There was a thread a few weeks or months back from someone from New Jersey who paid at least that amount or more. I would think it would be worth it just to get it out of your life. Ugh, bugs are the worst! Especially tiny ones!

Definitely worth every penny. I went to a nit picker after I used Rid on my family. I then used Rid again 10 days later just like recommended. We did not have lice again. In addition to the nit picker, I picked my children's hair for 10 days also (just in case). Just the thought of lice makes my hair itch.

What I found interesting was that only one DD and I got the little buggers. DH (who sleeps with me) and older DD (who shared hairbrushes with her sister) did not get any. I doused them with Rid anyway just to be on the safe side.

 

[Ephany]

There's a HUGE thread from a few weeks ago that gives more information on lice than one should ever know. It was a great help when DD came home with the little buggers. It lead me to find a great place in the Atlanta area who'll do head checks for $15 (for me!) and treatment for around $135 per person (includes a free re-check in a week). Honestly after buying the treatments, the comb, the fairy tales (we actually like the smell of lice logic better), the hair clips, the Cetaphil etc.... next time I'm going there first thing. Good luck, we got rid of the buggers in about a week and a half, but it SUCKED. DD now understand WHY she needs to keep her hair in a ponytail or bun at school.

 

[university]

Please don't refer to African Americans as "blacks"!! That is very disrespectful.

It's also disrespectful to use the term African Americans when not everyone hails from Africa. You must not know any Jamaican people. They would set you straight.

OP, next time save your money and use the bug busting method. All you need is a metal nit comb, shampoo, conditioner, and paper towels. http://www.chc.org/ Watch the video on the main page to see how to do it.

 

[aprilgail2]

Please don't refer to African Americans as "blacks"!! That is very disrespectful.

I do not know ONE black person that likes to be called African American!!

 

[aprilgail2]

There's a HUGE thread from a few weeks ago that gives more information on lice than one should ever know. It was a great help when DD came home with the little buggers. It lead me to find a great place in the Atlanta area who'll do head checks for $15 (for me!) and treatment for around $135 per person (includes a free re-check in a week). Honestly after buying the treatments, the comb, the fairy tales (we actually like the smell of lice logic better), the hair clips, the Cetaphil etc.... next time I'm going there first thing. Good luck, we got rid of the buggers in about a week and a half, but it SUCKED. DD now understand WHY she needs to keep her hair in a ponytail or bun at school.

I would never bother with rid, Cetaphil or any of those lice sprays! We went to a place in Brooklyn-for 150.00 they picked my daughters head clean and checked me for 20.00. Came home, did the laundry of sheets etc- vacuumed the house once and it was all over. Went back for a recheck and was still clean and that was it. I can't imagine these people that are doing sheets every day, vacuuming every day and picking their kids hair for hours on end- my time is worth much more than the 150.00 I paid to have it done!

 

[Theosus]

It's also disrespectful to use the term African Americans when not everyone hails from Africa. You must not know any Jamaican people. They would set you straight.

OP, next time save your money and use the bug busting method. All you need is a metal nit comb, shampoo, conditioner, and paper towels. http://www.chc.org/ Watch the video on the main page to see how to do it.

I knew a white girl from south Africa. She moved to America. So she's a white African American. How confusing is that...

They also sell electric nit combs. They zap the bugs as you comb.

 

[MomtoGKC]

Me again. The reason I decided to go with the service instead of trying myself was the time crunch. We found out we had lice Friday, I had to lead a Girl Scout overnight trip Saturday. (we're here now). My friends who have tried at home methods have taken days to weeks to get rid of the lice. This lady does it in one day. It was worth it to me to save all of that time as well- my kids hate when I brush their hair, I can't imagine what a pain it would have been to do what she did for hours on end.

What was included in the $645. She comes to your house- no waiting in a clinic with 3 kids for hours, I could keep doing laundry while she was there. She puts an all natural solution on your head and takes about an hour per person combing through your hair. And she is trained to do it so she knows what to look for- I had no clue. The next $300 is for the follow up visit in 7-10 days where she does the whole process again.

It was $135 for girls, $125 for boys. All 5 of us had it so $135 for 3 girls, $125 for DS and she only charged $100 for DH. Then $15 for the comb and we were up to $645. The follow up is $60 per person.

 

[mikkishelles]

I knew a white girl from south Africa. She moved to America. So she's a white African American. How confusing is that...

They also sell electric nit combs. They zap the bugs as you comb.[/QUOTEM]

My husband is from Morocco. Doesn't that make my kids African-American, too?