Headlice treatment?

Question

My 3yr old son has gotten headlice from his 3 older brother and sisters who come and visit every other weekend. When I try and pick through his head, he just cries and asks why am I hurting him. I've tried to explain to him why it has to happen, but he doesn't understand and still thinks I'm just trying to hurt him.

How can I treat his headlice without him thinking I'm intentionally trying to hurt him?

Answer 1

The best treatment I found was all natural, but time-consuming. First, I washed my kids hair really well and blow-dried it. The lice can't survive the heat! Then I drizzled olive oil on my children's hair until it was literally pouring off their heads.

I had them sit in the bathtub (with dad's supervision) for about 30 minutes while I cleaned out their bedrooms. Everything that could be washed like sheets and blankets were removed to be washed. Everything that couldn't be washed like stuffed animals were sprayed with RID (tm) spray and put into black plastic trash bags. We stored the trash bags in the garage for over a month to kill any bugs that hatched from eggs. Their pillows, bedding and carpeting were all sprayed with RID (tm) spray.

When I got back the bathroom, I used a lice comb to comb out all of the bugs and nits (eggs). I had 3 kids with the problem at the same time, so this was a BIG project. I made it more fun for my children, by giving them some plastic toys that could be washed in the dishwasher after they got out of the bathtub. I also put a television where they could see it from the bathtub and allowed them to watch one Disney video of their choice while I was combing their hair.

The olive oil helps the lice comb slide through the hair easier, so it won't pull and hurt so much. The olive oil also smothers the bugs that survived the blow dryer treatment. The draw-back to the olive oil is that you will have to wash your child's hair about 3 or 4 times after finishing the combing to get all of the oil out of their hair.

I don't know if I was lucky or if this was "the cure", but I didn't have to repeat the process until a couple years later when a friend's child came home with lice and we re-treated to be safe because this child was in our home often.

Answer 2

rather than using pesticides I suggest trying to smother them with either maynaise or olive oil. Youll have to leave it on for atleast an hour and it will take several washes to get it out but his hair will be gorgeous. You will have to repeat it to make sure youve gotten rid of all the nits. Hair dye is also a good alternative. Choose a shade near his own and follow the directions accordingly. The ammonia in it should kill them. Make sure you bag up all bedding and spray the mattresses with nit spray then let air out otherwise youll end up with the issue all over again. The oil should make it easier to comb through his hair just like a detaingler. I hope this helps!

Answer 3

The only reason you would be picking through his scalp would be to pick off the dead lice once you used a head lice shampoo. I'd just wait until his hair grows out a bit and have them cut out. The nits are attached to the hair shaft and will stay attached as the hair grows. Make sure you have thrown our all head playing gear such as a fireman hat or wigs. Make sure you laundry all bedding and outside hats.

Answer 4

Your child's doctor can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream, or lotion to kill the lice. These may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. It isn't uncommon for treatments to be unsuccessful because of incorrect use or because the lice may be resistant to the chemical in the shampoo.

It's important to follow the directions exactly because these products are insecticides. Applying these medications too much or too frequently can increase the risk of causing harm. Following the directions on the product label is also important to ensure that the treatment works properly. Your child's doctor may also suggest a special rinse to use on your child's hair that makes it easier to comb out the nits using a fine-tooth comb.

Medicated lice treatments can usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop. Your child's doctor may recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to make sure all the nits have been killed, to avoid any risk of reinfestation.

If your child is 2 years old or under, you should not use medicated lice treatments. You'll need to remove the nits and lice by hand.

It's also a good idea to use a fine-tooth comb on your child's hair after regular shampooing every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks. Wetting the hair beforehand is recommended because it temporarily immobilizes the lice and they become easier to comb out.

Keep in mind that head lice don't survive long once they fall off a person. So it's unnecessary to spend a great deal of time and money trying to rid the house of lice. here are some simple steps you can take to help get rid of the lice and their eggs, and help prevent a lice reinfestation:

Wash all bed linens and clothing that's been recently worn by anyone in your home who's infested in very hot water (130 degrees Fahrenheit, or 54.4 degrees Celsius) then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.
Dry clean any clothing that isn't machine washable.
Have bed linens, clothing, and stuffed animals and plush toys that can't be washed dry-cleaned. Or, put them in airtight bags for 2 weeks.
Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car).
Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away.
Because lice are easily passed from person to person in the same house, other infested family members will also need treatment to prevent the lice from coming back.

In your efforts to get rid of the bugs, there are some things you shouldn't do. Some don'ts of head lice treatment include:

Don't use a hair dryer on your child's hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments, because some contain flammable ingredients.
Don't use a cream rinse or shampoo/conditioner combination before applying lice medication.
Don't wash your child's hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment.
Don't use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as they can be harmful.
Don't use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it doesn't seem to be working, your child's doctor may recommend another medication.
Don't use more than one head lice medication at a time.

Answer 5

Use nix. It is safe and does not hurt your child. You do it with a bath. So, put him in the tub and just shampoo his head with it and then keep in on for a couple minutes and rinse. Let me tell you though, bathtime should be fun or he will hate it. Give him crayola crayons that he can write on the walls with while shampooing or give him some of that foam soap and have him write on the bathtub walls, it washes right off by the way. You are going to scare him if you keep doing things the way you are. You need to make it fun. Then after bath time, they will give u a fined tooth comb that you need to comb his haor with. And Tell him that you are going to comb his hair and then after you will let him comb and style yours. He will love this and might actually look forward to spening this time with you and it will be less stressful on both your parts. Good luck

Answer 6

Use a good headlice shampoo. Just tell him you're going to give him a special treat.....a hairwash just like he might have at a hair dresser (throw in the scalp massage too so it's more enjoyable).

Answer 7

Sit him down and put mayo on his head and then after 30 min. Get him in the tub and wash his hair good. Wash it with shampoo more than 3 times. ok then on the 4 time rinse and with a comb look at his hair.

Answer 8

My boss swears by this Hertz dog shampoo. She said it kills the lice and doesn't mess with the kids brains. I haven't had the bad bug for my kids this year so i haven't tried it. Oh and oiling up the hair can help smuther them and its easier to pull them out... Keep treats on hand......... Nobody likes to have their picked at even my oldest ones have a problem sitting still.

Answer 9

get some lice treatment shampoo and spray my daughter got them from a sleepover at a friends house and we had to treat her and the stuff says you have to spray everything cloth to get rid of them and treat the whole household or they will just keep coming back but for her we made up silly songs about bugs while we did it so she would have some fun and not throw a tantrum about what i was doing to her stuff like them bugs them bugs them head bugs them bugs them bugs them bed bugs and every time i had her put in another place bugs could be it wasnt great but it could have been a lot worse otherwise


tea tree oil is also supposed to kill lice and their eggs

Answer 10

First of all, trim all your hair off, to expose the nits of the lice or the eggs. Constantly wash your head everyday, and get a prescription, a topical application from your doctor. If the lice goes to your pubic areas and underarm shave clean as well, then treat. You can consult your pharmacy, there are many over-the-counter ointments that are excellent.