how often can you treat a child for head lice?

Question

My 6yr old and 4yr old have been treated with the shampoo twice now and i am still finding eggs, can i treat again for a third week? I have manually spent 12 hrs on my 6yr olds hair picking out eggs and 10 hrs on my 4yr old hair, i am exhausted help me please!!!!!

I have cleaned the house car and all our clothes, either by washing in hot water, spraying with lice spray, or sealing everything else. I comb their hair daily with the metal lice combs and have gone through their hair literally 6 strands at a time removing eggs. I have only found one live lice on both my girls which prompted the lice shampooing and just last week reapplied the lice shampoo but yesterday i found more eggs no live lice. i don't want to harm my girls by doing the lice shampoo for a third straight week. Will it harm them or what should i do now?

Answer 1

Okay, relax and stop washing everything. Their pillowcases YES but not the rest, they cannot survive off the body too long and you are making more work for yourself ( they survive only a few hours all studies show. Look at the link for proof. Towards the end shows a study of children and their classrooms , 1000's on the kids heads, none at all in the carpets etc. in the classroom. That you have to wash everything is just a myth). You must be missing some of the eggs if their are more eggs. Treat every 7 days and go through single strand at a time if you have to. My daughter and son have had it once. My son it was two treatments (normal) and done. My daughter has blonde curly hair, it was a nightmare I did 4-5 treatments because I would miss one egg. After you do it put the comb and brushes in water for at least 1 hr to drown any in the brush. I like you spent hours doing it. It is believed they possibly bury just below the hair line so the treatments don't get them and then as the hair grows out there they are again. Try using a natural product rather than a chemical. I changed brands for the 3rd and 4th (maybe 5th if I did it, it was a year ago) and the new brand worked. Somebrands the lice have built up a tolerance to. (I am scratching my head while I type, always happens when someone says headlice lol) If you are in Australia then look for Fried Lice. It worked brilliantly. Go through with the fine metal comb then go through picking out the eggs. Repeat every 7 days till it's gone. Put on a dvd while you do it, they sit still a lot better (kids not lice lol)

here is a great site to look out. It explains all.

Answer 2

Are you sure that they are eggs and not psuedonits? psuedonits are the residue left by the nits once the hair has been treated. These will never hatch.

If they have been treated and still have lice I would take them to the pediatrician. I read that some lice are now becoming so "powerful" that they are not being killed by OTC products. You can get a prescription that is stronger. If you have insurance, it probably is cheaper too.

Make sure that you are washing all the clothing and putting everything in sealed plastic bags that cannot be cleaned. Your carseats too.

Without human contact the lice should all be dead by a week though...

Good luck! SD

Answer 3

If you do it right the first time you can rid it. Buy "Rid" at Walmart and use that comb and get all the eggs out. This takes patience and time.

You also need to wash the clothes pillows sheets...ect

You get an outbreak of those babies in your home your in trouble.

Answer 4

My understanding was that you could only use that shampoo once a month.

However there are OTHER treatments. Buy some essential oil, either cedar or lavender and use that every day. Use it in the laundry, etc.

Get some Diatomaceous earth and use it to treat couches, carpets etc.

Answer 5

Treat them again and don't forget to treat the house as well, the bedding the toys even the car seats and rest of the car. Don't forget to treat your own head as well. Now when picking out nits put viniger on thier head, they will smell like and easter egg but it loosens up the nits so they are easier to remove

Answer 6

i get my check for 1once a week your 6 and 4 year old should wash there hair everyday starting now

Answer 7

Definately treat them again. If you leave it you will have a harder time killing them all next time.