Lice that will not leave!!!!

[MelindaKiah]

Okay, so this isn't the most pleasant subject, but here it is: youngest DD has lice. She's had it for a while now. We have done 3 treatments with the NIX shampoo...we have been meticulous about going through the hair, washing clothes, bedding, etc....it isn't working!!!! We have so far been very luck *knock wood* that nobody else in the family has gotten this. But it's getting very frustrating. We are doing what we're supposed to, but having no success.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this??

 

[experiment626mom]

You might need to see a doctor and get something stronger. Also, have you washed/thrown out any stuffed toys. Get her a brand new pillow. If it's really bad you might have to throw out a lot of stuff.

 

[hydster]

We've been that road once and it was horrid! The only thing that worked well for us with my dd was to coat her hair in mayo at night, put a shower cap on her head and a towel on her pillow. It suffocates the little buggers and works pretty well. The worst part was getting the oily mayo out of her hair but found using liquid detergent helped strip the oil out of her hair. We did it 2 nights just because we wanted to get rid of them for sure and we never got them back! I threw all of her bedding in the garbage and bought her new everything and so far we've been lucky with no recurrence!

Good luck..it is soooo frustrating!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Nix and Rid generally do not work. Our Pediatrician told us that lice have built up a resistance to the chemicals in these products. We had to get a prescription for some heavy duty stuff in order to finally beat them. Also be sure to throw out all pillows and bag all stuffed animals for 2 weeks. Vacuum the sofas and chairs really well and throw the vacuum bag out immediately.

Good luck!

 

[Towncrier]

Another vote for the strong, prescription only lice shampoos that you can only get from your doctor.

Regarding throwing away pillows and the like, lice and nits cannot survive for more than 2 weeks without blood. If you put everything in plastic bags for a couple of weeks, that should do the trick.

You might want to check out www.headlice.org for some more advice.

 

[Christine]

I gave my daughter about 6 NIX treatments. I also heard that the stuff doesn't work well. I started believing that but I think she just kept getting exposed at her daycare center. We finally bagged up everything in her room. Then I took her and got her a very "good" haircut (which she didn't like). That did the trick.

 

[momtotreasure]

I battled with head lice (on my DD) about 5 years ago. I used HairClean 123 (available at a local health food store & online) and the Licemeister comb (my SIL ordered online). It was only through absolute vigilance that I got rid of them.

The HairClean 123 worked probably like the mayonaise - it suffocates the live ones. It doesn't put any insecticides on the child. You have to repeat it to kill any eggs that hatched.

The "secret" is that you HAVE to get all of the eggs off. I finally realized that you have to spend hours painstakingly combing each section. You will get eggs you cannot see. The Licemeister comb doesn't tangle the hair, and it is effective.

You might get lucky and find these products (or similar ones) at your local grocery store. Good luck -- like I said above, I feel your pain!

 

[cyndibelle]

you need to try the melaleuca route...stop putting on those chemicals on your childs head..did you know that that the leading lice shampoo contains a potent pesticide called lindane??? it has been known to cause vomiting.diarrhea,,,convulsions...liver damage and many other issues in children...lindane has been banned in 18 countires and severely restricted in 10 others..if you want more info on melaleuca email me..i tell you about a way to treat lice and many other things with non toxic alternatives...cyndibelle@hotmail.com

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Mayo works well, it's inexpensive compared to all those chemical treatments. BAG everything, pillows, blankets, wash clothing in extremely HOT water and dry on hot setting, throw out old combs, etc. Anywhere they can go they will. There is a spray at Walgreens called Lice Away I think, it's a spray you put in your hair once lice free and it keeps them away.

 

[goofyforlife]

My daughter was exposed to resistant strrain when she was in Kindergarten...

lets just say OMG I hope I never live through that again...

We did OTC....doesn't work

We did the prescription stuff.....didn't work and just about made my hair fall out (they never saw nits in my hair but with the amount that my DD was getting, I was doing it more preventatively)

and i was stripping her at the door washing everything and vacuuming the whole house each night......

Her ped said that vacumms don't get them all so anytime anyone is on or near the floor they should have their hair up and protected.

What did work was a prescription creme that is used to treat scabies but has the permethrin chemical in it that kills lice. It did not ruin our hair like the other stuff and was safe enough that I could put it through her hair every night until we were not seeing any new nits...... I can get the name of it at home tonight.... (It's active ingredient is 5 times stronger than OTC lice treatments)

It was called Acticin and came in a tube.....

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

My friends daughter got that at the beginning of summer. She got it on her trip to Disneyworld. She just got rid of it. They actually went camping for a week and did the treatments there. She thinks it was leaving her home. I dont know, but she is happy because school starts in 3 weeks

 

[ChristmasElf]

Put your childs hair in a pony tail and use hairspray especially at the nape of the neck.
For boys, use mouse and hairspray. The little nits like dirty oily hair. They don't like the sprays and the mouse products. So let your child go wild with that hair spray!

 

[poohtown]

another vote for bagging things in your daughters room. Perfect time I think too. When my daughter got it in grade school, I literally bagged every doll, stuffed animal,pillow,blankets and clothing and put them out in the garage. I vacummed and threw out the bag. I went to the store and bought her some new school clothes (enough for a couple weeks), which I would have done anyways, a new blanket and an inexpensive pillow. What really worked out best was after a couple weeks, I took the clothes out and rewashed them. Then slowly I would take out a few toys. Her room was cleaner than it's every been and some toys never did get back in her room.

 

[N.Bailey]

I saw your thread here and had to read it!! My niece spent the night here about a week and a half ago and now my daughter has bite marks on the back of her neck and on her wrists. They slept on the sofa bed together. I thought maybe she laid on her arm and the lice bit there too? I certainly am no pro on the subject, but we did deal with it one other time. Unfortunately for us, it was years ago and was the last time my daughter spent the night at with my niece's house. The same niece in question here. It's the last time my niece will stay with us, or my children will stay at that house!!! I am pretty angry if you can't tell. Not so much at my niece, but at her family. They're probably not even aware. The poor girl! Okay, my rant is over!

The last time, we used rid kits that didn't work and I did some research on the subject. The lice build an immunity up to the insecticide and I'd also read where children have died after being exposed to these treatments. For this reason, I HIGHLY recommend against using them.

The bottom line is, you must get rid of the live lice as well as all nits in the hair/scalp. Get yourself a good lice comb and comb through the hair like crazy and look close for the nits. Also bag things up as others have suggested. They'll be dead in a week (probably a lot less time) because they won't be able to feed.

I also seen Mayo being suggested and I knew we used olive oil the last time effectively (hopefully will have the same success now). Here is a site I ran across.

Can you use mayonnaise, butter or vaseline to smother head lice?
Like olive oil, mayonnaise, butter and vaseline are smothering agents. However, unlike olive oil, these substances are difficult to get out of the hair, particularly in the case of vaseline. Children are often repelled by the smell of butter and mayonnaise and both these substances can turn rancid, and cause problems if children suck on their hair.

Mineral oil (including baby oil) is not recommended because it can be harmful to mucous membranes.

Olive Oil is the best smothering agent. It has been lab-tested and found to be effective in killing head lice. Olive oil has few, if any, allergic properties and is relatively inexpensive. The least expensive grade - pumace or restaurant grade - is best. And olive oil can be purchased with food stamps.

Smothering head lice is a safe and effective treatment option, but it can be somewhat complicated. To smother successfully, you have to be persistent and know when and how to apply the smothering agent.

http://www.headliceinfo.com/faqs.htm

Good luck to you and both of us I guess.

Edit: Oh and the good news is now I get to call one of my daughter's friends and inform them that they too may have been infected. It just burns me up!

 

[N.Bailey]

To add further, the last time, I treated the kids with the olive oil and used the combing etc... A week later, I treated everyone again...then a week later, I did it again just to be safe. It worked for us.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I had head lice when I was in the 2nd grade (thanks to my cousin who gave them to me) and I believe we used vinegar, cut my hair short and blow-dried it everytime we washed it!

 

[All Aboard]

MAYO, MAYO, MAYO!!!!!!


Our daughter has very long, very curly and very thick hair. When she got lice about a year ago we went through a month-long fiasco with Nix, the other overthecounter, a couple of prescriptions (one that really burned her) and hours and hours and hours of combing and tugging with that gawdawful stainless steel comb.

After the painful final medication, we gave up. We didn't know what to do. After a week of doing nothing, they in full force and bad as ever.

My wife called the doctor once more and the woman at the front desk suggested mayo.

On the first Friday night, we loaded her up with mayo - nearly an entire squeeze bottle - I was leaving nothing to chance. Put some old sheets and pillow cases on the bed, and her in a cheap shower cap (which fell off early in the night)

That Saturday morning, we washed out hundreds of dead lice.

The next Friday night, we did it again, killing all the newly hatched ones.

After the third Friday night, there were no dead ones to come out in the tub the next morning. They were gone.

Mayo works, you just have to be diligent, apply a ton of it and do it several times.