My sister has lice....again?

Question

My sister has gotten lice again. I never got it and thank goodness I didn't get it again. What we did last time is we washed her sheets and pillows every day and we also tried Rid and lice shampoo but none of those worked. So then my dad put kerosene in her head (i know it sounds bad) but it worked. She didn't have lice for a whole month but when her class went to go get checked up on for it, she had it again. How could this have happened? I havent heard about any other person in her school that has it and surely if more than 2 people had it they would send out a letter. Any tips on headlice treatment and Preventions?

she couldnt have gotten it from still having an egg in her hair, lice hatch in a weeks time and she was lice-free for a month

Answer 1

Either she caught it from a classmate or there were still eggs remaining in her hair or in her bedding. You'll have to go through the disinfection process again, and I suggest your sister have her hair cut short if she hasn't already.

Answer 2

This is not a fun thing to deal with. My daughter had lice 3 times in her earlier school career, once a year, 3 yrs in a row. If only one single egg is left to hatch it will restart the cycle. The eggs are the key, you have to make sure you get them all. This is what is the most time consuming. I sat with the lice comb for almost 2 hrs on my daughter's head because she has thick hair. Use clips and section it off so you know what parts are done. It is also important to redo the RID in 10 days to kill any eggs you may have missed that have hatched. Put ALL stuffed animals in the dryer on high heat and wash all bedding. Spray the sofa's, and car seats. To help prevent lice use either a tea tree oil in your shampoo or get Suave coconut shampoo (99c in most places) for some reason lice supposedly dislike coconut. They also have a neon foam that you can comb through and it 'glows' on any eggs left on the hair.

Answer 3

The shampoo doesn't always kill all the eggs as head lice are becoming resistant to pesticides. The best, but most time consuming way is with a good head lice comb. Sit by the window in the sun and comb through every strand of hair. If you can get a black light use that to check her head. Wash every thing you can wash in very hot water and use the lice spray on the car, sofa, or anything else you can't wash. Tell your sis not to share hats or combs with anyone. The combs aren't expensive, about $6 but make sure you get one with really closely spaced teeth. There is also something called a Robi Comb that works really well but it about $30. Good luck, head lice can be very hard to get rid of.

Answer 4

A common misconception is that lice go after people with dirty hair, this is wrong-I just wanted to clear that up. I do know that you have to wash everything that she has came in contact with,pillows,blankets,clothes,coats and even stuffed animals, and you have to thoroughly vacuum the carpet. Before every start of the new school year I go and buy my daughters Tea Tree Oil Shampoo from Sally Beauty Supply, I know other places carry it too, my children have never had head lice, and their friends seem to always have it, so I swear it works. Also, when my children go to school, I always put their hair in a pony tail,it is harder for lice to get on their head. I hope these work.

Answer 5

Best thing to use in her hair is an oil based product to suffercate the lice. Comb daily untill you are sure eggs are dead.
Bag stuffed animals for 2 weeks (if you live in the south a day in a hot car will work to. Spray beds, couchs, anywhere there is fabric and also vacuum.
You do not actually have to wash bedding but a good hour in the hot dryer should work.
If she hangs her coat on a hook at school near other jackets this is a common way for kids to spread the common lice.
Check out that website they have so much information available. WASH HER NASTY ENDED HEAD

Answer 6

Please stop your Dad from doing the kerosene thing again! Every year kids get hurt from parent doing this, some even die from severe burns when it goes badly wrong.

A gap of 2-3 weeks is a sure sign that head lice were only reduced to a few juveniles or eggs and that population has risen again from there.

One week to hatch from the egg

One week to grow to adult and start to lay more eggs

At the end of the second week the numbers start to rise and by the end of the third week three generations are on the go!

All that cleaning is not doing any good. Head lice do not live on houshold furniture and bedding. They live all their life cycle on us where the food and warmth is.

I have added to links below to explain these things fully.

Answer 7

Lice can be a HUGE problem in schools. One place people forget to clean is their car. DO NOT forget the car. She may be reinfecting herself. Make sure that all stuffed animals and sheets are done. I wouldnt do the Kerosene.. that is dangerous. When you do lice treatments remember that they are pesticides and should be treated as such. You can only do them once a month i believe. Make sure you are using the special comb. The LOVE clean hair because they can attach easier, dirty hair is slick and cant attach. Make sure that the carpets, pillows and EVERY surface is sterile. BLEACH everything! Good Luck

Answer 8

You can go to Headlice.org

Best thing to use in her hair is an oil based product to suffercate the lice. Comb daily untill you are sure eggs are dead.
Bag stuffed animals for 2 weeks (if you live in the south a day in a hot car will work to. Spray beds, couchs, anywhere there is fabric and also vacuum.
You do not actually have to wash bedding but a good hour in the hot dryer should work.
If she hangs her coat on a hook at school near other jackets this is a common way for kids to spread the common lice.
Check out that website they have so much information available.

Answer 9

Lice LOVE clean hair. She should not wash it daily and should use mousse or a gel after she does wash it. My kids have never had lice even during the worst breakouts.

If she has stuffed animals in the bed, they need to washed too. Stuffed them in a pillow case and wash along with the sheets.

Wearing her hair in a ponytail helps too!

Answer 10

yeah, i had the same problem my sister had lice 2 and spreaded it to me but we got rid of it. go to a pharmacy and get some lice treatment, lice shampoo, lice comb, then rub the lice shampoo on your sisters hair then put a put a bag around her hairline let it sink in i say and hour. then wash the shampoo out with warm water. ask your local pharmacist.

Answer 11

You can try either coating her hair with vaseline for a couple hrs or mix shampoo with venegar... that kills lice and makees it easier to get the eggs off the hair strands. Also, if she has long enough hair, try pulling it up or braiding it, makes it harder for them to get back in her hair. I had it when I was little and still to this day wear my hair up alot to prevent it when around alot of kids.