Does anyone know a good cure for Head Lice/Nits?

Question

I have tried everything, Full Marks, Hedrin, condition & Comb, and about a hundred other ltions & potions including aromatherapy and have spent £1000's and I cant get the little sods and their eggs out of my Daughters hair completely? Any suggestions no matter how wierd?

Answer 1

prioderm shampoo. that stuff will even get rid of crabs. Pity i didnt know about that before the razor came out! ah well....

Answer 2

Headlice are really difficult to eradicate but some tips can help. Firstly, try to work out where they are coming from:

1. Friends, head to head contact, sleepovers, sharing brushes, hat etc.

2. Is there a birds nest outside your child's window (unlikely source, I know, but it has been known).

3. The rest of the family, particlurly Granny - sometimes older people have them for years and don't realise. They become immune and don't itch. Tackle them tactfully.

4. Check your child's bedding, pillows, towels etc. Wash at high temperature to kill anything on them.

Lice on the hair can be suffocated using oils, baby oil, olive oil or similar. Comb them out with a fine tooth comb from the pharmacy.

Secondly, the egg cases or nits can be removed. If you look to see how near the scalp they are stuck on it gives you an idea of when they were layed. The mummy louse lays right next to the scalp so if they are a couple of centimetres away you know they are not recent. Some people suggest putting hair conditioner on the hair and combing them out with a fine tooth comb from the pharmacy.

Tea tree oil is also supposed to be effective.

All of these remedies should help to eradicate them.

My favourite however is to wash the hair once a week with an ordinary shampoo and use a vinegar rinse afterwards. It was always used supposedly to make the hair glossy, but I believe that the vinegar destroys the glue that sticks the egg cases to the hair, so they can be combed out or do not survive.

Constant checking and combing all the family until clear then go for the vinegar rinse (dilute vinegar in some warm water in a jug and pour over the hair with vigorous slooshing).

Hope this all helps and that you get rid of your friends!

Answer 3

You probably are getting rid of them, but she is catching them straight away from another infected child. Since the "nit nurse" is no longer allowed in school, it counts as assault now I believe, head lice are rife amongst school children. No matter how vigilant you are, there is always someone else who doesn't treat their child and re-infects everyone.

Have you tried the battery operated combs, that electrocute the lice. It's quite satisfying to hear them fry. Also I have heard that the nitty gritty comb is very good.

Apart from that all you can do is continue with the conditioning and combing, and accept that school children will probably always have a problem with headlice.

Answer 4

The over-the-counter products usually work, but at this point you may want a doctor to prescribe something else. The critical factor is the clean up. You need a very fine-toothed comb, and should comb carefully to ensure that all the nits (eggs) are removed. All clothing, towels, and bedding must be washed with the hottest water safe for the items. Use lice-killing sprays for furniture and non-washable items. Bag all stuffed animals/toys that can't be washed, wrapping closely, and leave for several days, to cut off the air supply to these items.

Answer 5

Take some custard apple seeds grind them n mix it wid oil(whichever oil u use or plain coconut oil) use that oil apply it n leave it for an hour thn wash with a good lice remover shampoo thn condition the hair thn use a very small toothed comb(specially for lice removal) try it for some time ...
all the best.

Answer 6

This is a common problem as lice are resiliant little swine.

Buy the book "Head Lice to Dead Lice " by Joan Sawyer and Roberta MacPhee. Follow the programme therein and your daughter will have a lice-free head. It will cost you little more than the price of the book (cheap) and does work.

Do not use any more toxic products on your daughter e.g. malathion (Derbac-M, Prioderm) which is a potent insecticide. She has already had her fill of these.

Answer 7

I find that adding a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil to basic shampoo and/or conditioner is great for killing them. Then its a case of using a nit comb to remove the little darlings! Hope this helps

Answer 8

You have to persevere with this. I had this trouble with my daughter when she was eleven. I tried Teatree which helped for a while and then had to go to the doctors for prescribed medicine. So try both. I used to sit patiently with a comb and pull out the eggs myself because they are a nuisance to be sure.

Go to a pharmacist they are pretty knowledgeable. Keep persevering.

Answer 9

Try a good old fashioned nit comb. apparently new research has shown, according to my doc, that if you damage them (by combing) they can't stay on the head. Shampoo, rinse, condition leave in and comb methodically. Good luck

Answer 10

There is a solution called Derbac M

It is used for the treatment of head lice, crab lice etc etc. Very recommended (not that I've had this stuff by the way but I know of it through relatives that have children).

Answer 11

You need to consult your physician first. It is important to repeat the treatment of the hair within the development period of the lice. It takes 3 weeks for the lice to develop from egg to adult. Also may need to treat all members in the family and clean all the bed linen, pillows, clothing and toys of the infected person.

For more info, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdped.shtml