View Full Version : Head Lice!!!!! eeewwww!!!!
Please i really need some help!!!
my 16 month daughter has once again got head lice!!:angry: they are horrid and won't go away!!!
i did not have this problem with my son as i just shaved his head!!!! but i can't do that to my little girl!!
if anyone has got any tips on how to get rid of them i will be eternally grateful!!!!:cheer:
A battle cry is being sounded in primary schools nationwide and parents are being encouraged to fight a war against an enemy that’s the size of a sesame seed, but remains, despite all our efforts, a huge great nuisance: lice, otherwise known as nits.
This is a heroic attempt to rid our young children of this itchy parasite. The problem is widespread – ask any primary school teacher –because reservoirs of infestations go undetected. Lice have also developed immunity to many conventional pesticide treatments.
It’s hard to quantify the scale of the epidemic – sales of pesticide treatments are our best indication. They leapt from a market worth £14million in 1995 to £29 million in 1998. There’s a lot of scratching going on out there, particularly amongst children between the ages of four and eleven.
What are lice?
The head louse or, to give it its grand name, Pediculus capitis, is a parasite that lives on human blood and is found in scalp hair. They are caught by close head-to-head contact with an affected person and, contrary to popular belief, they do not leap from person to person. Nor do they prefer dirty hair. In fact, clean locks are more to their taste.
Here’s the nitty-gritty: they have six legs and hold onto hair with their claws. Their eggs, which are known as nits, are firmly glued to the hair shaft, often several along one hair, which is why in the past they were known as ‘pearls of poverty’. Today, however, the social stigma attached to nits is fast disappearing. Anyone can get them, no matter what their background.
Fully grown, a louse is about the size of a matchstick head and is visible to the naked eye. They can cause itching and are unpleasant, but are not generally harmful.
How do you know if your child has them?
The nits, or eggs, are often the most visible sign of infestation. You can find them on the hair close to the scalp, especially around the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Your child may start itching, but not always. Usually, there are only ten lice or less on the head in the initial stages, so the onset of itching is delayed. Parting dry hair to look for lice is not reliable because they often scamper away. So always wet comb if you want to find out whether or not a scalp has been invaded.
Bug busting
Bug busting, an ancient technique updated, involves the regular wet combing of hair with a special fine toothcomb and regular hair conditioner. Promoted by the Department of Health, it has become the accepted way to tackle this itchy menace.
Make sure you use the comb specially created for the Bug Busting campaign, because it’s believed to have the most effective design. Twice weekly combing sessions are needed for a total of four sessions. The first combing session should remove all the adult lice. Thereafter, you should only snare baby lice. However, if during later sessions you find big ones reappearing, your child has been re-infested and you will need to keep on combing for a few more sessions. Success demands time and commitment. Keep at it.
Recently, bug busting has come in for criticism, following new doubts about its effectiveness. A study among 4,000 schoolchildren in North Wales, published in the Lancet , summer 2000, found that wet combing cured only 38% of louse cases, compared with 78% for insecticide lotions which are washed into the hair.
Bug busting can work but it simply takes too long, says Ian Burgess of the Medical Entomology Centre, Cambridge. In his research he has found children crawling with as many as 250 lice and estimates that to remove that number in a large family of six would take six hours a week. However, Joanna Ibarra, the Programme Co-ordinator from Community Hygiene Concern, the charity which organises Bug Busting Day, is critical of the report in the Lancet, claiming that participants weren’t using the latest state-of-the-art comb (which has a special slant making it easier to lift out lice from near the scalp), and that a longer term view is needed. She sees the Bug Busting success rate of 38% as a positive result, especially given that the participants weren’t offered any particular encouragement.
Insecticide medication
This is available over the counter or from your GP. Active ingredients contain malathion, permethrin, phenothrin or carbaryl. Occasional use is not a problem but be cautious about using these products repeatedly. Studies have shown that the active ingredients in high concentrations are human nerve poisons and can affect the immune and hormonal systems. However, Ian Burgess of the Medical Entomology Centre, Cambridge, believes that insecticide lotions are safe and points out that no serious side effects have been reported in 70 trials worldwide.
However, lice resistance to insecticides is building and CHC dispute the manufacturer’s claims that the products kill all lice and eggs in one application. To make sure the treatment has been effective The Department of Health advises you should check hair using the bug busting method for baby lice hatching 3–5 days after application.
Natural medication
Hair products containing aromatherapy oils or herbal extracts are becoming very popular for use in the wet combing technique. Community Hygiene Concern believes that most are unlikely to kill eggs, and it is the wet combing technique which is really doing the work. The lice may look dead when you drag them out of the hair, but this is merely because they become immobilised when wet. Leave them to dry out on tissue paper and within 24 hours they will be scuttling around, full of beans again. The products are also very expensive. Ian Burgess, however, believes there is strong evidence that tea tree oil may be beneficial.
Electronic combs
These are battery-powered fine toothcombs which promise to electrocute the blighters with a minute electric current. CHC reckons they are difficult to use on anything other than short, straight hair and they are hard to keep clean. They are also pricey at around £20. The combs still need to be used regularly, with recent tests recommending daily combing for one week, followed by combing every three to four days.
CHC runs a bug-busting helpline on 020 8341 7167 and a website at www.nits.net You can purchase a Bug Buster kit, which includes a comb, cape, reward stickers and full instructions from the helpline number, and they are also often available from primary schools. Price: £4.95. Send cheques or postal orders to Community Hygiene Concern, 160 Inderwick Rd, London N8 9JT.
.:SpIcYsPy:.
26-07-2005, 10:59
Nt combs? Shall try and get more help later on!!
try the shampoos i found the best one was called lyclear. then every day after condition hair with tea tree conditioner and while conditionwer is still on the hair comb a few times with nit comb. also i know they say that they die once off the head but that is so not true!! i found a few still alive on my little boys pillow that night, so wash sheets on a 60 degree wash!!
i also found a spary that i bought in asda! its tea tree and lavender and you spray on hair in morning before school comb through and just leave it on. i do it on connors hair evry morning before pre school and he not had it back since!! pre school is full of nits at the mo all the parents are moaning.
i hate the little critters!!
try the shampoos i found the best one was called lyclear. then every day after condition hair with tea tree conditioner and while conditionwer is still on the hair comb a few times with nit comb. also i know they say that they die once off the head but that is so not true!! i found a few still alive on my little boys pillow that night, so wash sheets on a 60 degree wash!!
i also found a spary that i bought in asda! its tea tree and lavender and you spray on hair in morning before school comb through and just leave it on. i do it on connors hair evry morning before pre school and he not had it back since!! pre school is full of nits at the mo all the parents are moaning.
i hate the little critters!!I agree with you 100% there Debs - I use the spray on the boys and they haven't had them for ages.
Lyclear I have used on my boys too, and its the best one I have found so far - I had to use it on Ci when he was 18-20months old and it didn't react with his skin at all. Its a good one!!
yeah i used the ones that you leaveovernight when i got them!! ( i used to work with kids!!) and it didnt work so i tried lyclear and they al died it was fab stuff!
I also found that these 1/2 hour - 1hour jobbies don't work either - they aren't strong enough to get rid of the little blighters!!! Only the overnights ones seemed to do it, but make sure you wash the pillow case etc in the morning!! I'm starting to itch now!! lol
sorry guys!!! i am having a nightmare with the flipping things!!!
i was combing niamh's hair this morning and this huge great big thing was just looking at me!!! i am sure it waved!!!lol!!!
lol - no worries Willow, we've all had to deal with them!!
.:Kitz:.
26-07-2005, 16:33
i was combing niamh's hair this morning and this huge great big thing was just looking at me!!! i am sure it waved!!!lol!!!
LOL! :rotfl:
sorry guys!!! i am having a nightmare with the flipping things!!!
i was combing niamh's hair this morning and this huge great big thing was just looking at me!!! i am sure it waved!!!lol!!!
:lol:
my hair feels like i have hundreds of things marching over it :eek:
I remember once when Stephen was about 7 he came home and said, mum my heads a bit itchy so I checked him again (I had checked him about 3 days before cause I check them all twice a week) and it looked like he had loads of wingless flies crawling everywhere - it was gross :sick: :sick: You could almost hear the screams of the blighters when I put the lotion on him!!!!
I'm itching again now!! :lol:
i have been itching for a while now!!
i went swimming earlier with some of my friends kids and i was making sure they all dunked thier heads so the chloorine would kill them!!
i have got some stuuf being bought round later from my friend she works in the local health shop and rekons this stuff is great!! fingers crossed!!
:rotfl:
when connor had them i rushed him back home and had him, dave, my mum and dad lined up each with a nit comb in their hands to see if he had passed them on to them! my dad had one in his hair from where he had tried on connors hat about a hour before. they sure move fast! and of course i had them!
i am itching all over!!
I would definitely recommend the Tea Tree and Lavender spray from Asda though, like Debs said, it brilliant and a preventer once you've got rid of them.. its about 2.99 I think.
i will try and find an asda or something similar to try!!
I would definitely recommend the Tea Tree and Lavender spray from Asda though, like Debs said, it brilliant and a preventer once you've got rid of them.. its about 2.99 I think.
yeah it was about that! its a tiny bottle but really worth it. im sure thats why he not had them since
i will try and find an asda or something similar to try!!
you might find that a health shop or tyhe body shop might have something similiar
Apparently most hair products with tea tree in it is good because of the antibacterial properties - just don't get it in your eyes, cause it really stings - my hubby told me that, poor thing :rotfl: !
guess it was an accident!! he didnt just think oooh i wondor if it stings when i pour tea tree in my eyes!! did he??? LOL
guess it was an accident!! he didnt just think oooh i wondor if it stings when i pour tea tree in my eyes!! did he??? LOLI'm saying nothing - he is Welsh, so who knows but I don't want to upset any other welsh people on the boards !!! lol
It was found out accidentally, but his eyes did have go red etc. I felt quite sorry for him!
oo god guys ive got itchy back itchy neck,everywhere has a itch! weird how that happens when you are talking bout stuff like this
i have had a itchy head al night!! all i keep thinking of is nits!!
sorry to make you all itch!!!
my wonerful freind who works in the health shop said she will make me a spray to put on her hair with tea tree and lavender in as she has the oils at home!!
Thats a lot easier than trapsing (sp?) round Asda trying to find some!!
considering the nearest asda is about 35 miles away!!!
Crikey, mind you saying that, my "local" asda is 15 miles away - that could explain why I only go there every 4-6 weeks!
they are building one in bletchley that is about 15 miles away
Its worth it, like I said, I go every 4-6 weeks and spend £150 (£200 if I buy clothes for the kids) and it lasts that long. Much cheaper than weekly shopping!
that what i am hoping to do when the finish building this one!!! just fill the freezer and cupboards and just top up with fresh stuff
Its the best way - I'm a bit sad though and have 3 freezers to fill!!!
i just have one chest freezer. 3 freezers???? flipping heck!!
2 uprights and 1 chest - terrible isn't it - thats what happens when you have 3 men in the house who all eat the same amount, no matter their ages!!!
good point!!
you have done your 1000 post!!!! well done!!!
I've got nits off Peggy Mitchell my dog. He keeps licking his erm privates all night as well. At home I don't associate up close with my dogs as much but there's just no room here, there's me and 4 dogs on a Z-bed oh and Mandy my sister's rat in her cage.
Is that nits or fleas then WQ?
I don't know, what do you get from dogs? Peggy suffers terribly. He's been having them treated, now I'm rife with these lice as well. I'm going to have to go to the chemist and see what they can give me. I've just got my hair done so I'm not shaving it all off.
You'll have to make sure you do your carpets etc aswell though, cause otherwise they'll survive in there and then go back onto him...
Yes. And he might give them to Kat Slater or Lou Beale my other dogs. Steve Owen my great Dane stays well away from the others, she's a very large and proud dog, she's my baby and I love her to bits, she can't be on with any nonsense she's getting old now. She protects me. If I had to say what is the closest thing in my life when hubby isn't here it would be my Steve. Wonderful dog with amazing loyalty.
I hate these blooming fleas though. I'm ridden with them. Definately need to go to the chemists tomorrow.
Cool your dogs are named after EE characters!!
Yeah! I had to do it jude. Everyone thinks I'm weird though because Kat, Peggy and Lou are all boys and Steve is a bitch!!!
Thats really cool!! Steve is a girl :rotfl:
Yep Mr Owen, and on her collar tag I've got Address: E20 Nightclub, Walford E20.
Pretty much boiling everything should get the ones on your clothes, or at least a 90c wash!
I love their names though!!
my cats had a habit of infesting my house with fleas, i found the bug bomb style flea killers were good, and i now use frontline on both cats
Cats are just minging. I may have to sell all mine, my daughter loves them but I hate them bringing birds and mice into the house...
i love my cats, but i did get a bird on the doorstep yesterday!!!
I'm no good with stuff like that willow. I hate it...
i don't mind really, i am used to dead animals my dad was a slaughterman and i used to work in an abbitoir
Eurgh, that's why I could never do anything like that - too frightened. An undertaker would be worse though!
i could not do people, especially kids!!
but i am used to it as i have been bought up with it, it is different with my own pets though that is really hard
I would definitely recommend the Tea Tree and Lavender spray from Asda though, like Debs said, it brilliant and a preventer once you've got rid of them.. its about 2.99 I think.
is it actually for nits or what?
I've got nits off Peggy Mitchell my dog. He keeps licking his erm privates all night as well. At home I don't associate up close with my dogs as much but there's just no room here, there's me and 4 dogs on a Z-bed oh and Mandy my sister's rat in her cage.
i didnt think you could catch fleas/nits off your dog? i thought they just bite you etc but cant live on human hair?
i de-flead all my dogs today but apparently if they are in your carpets they can go back on to the dog eventually but not until there flea treatment actually runs out cus f they do jump on em they will die,the only problem is if you dont treat your carpets they will carry on biting you,luckily i dont have carpets and de flea them regularly
Yes. And he might give them to Kat Slater or Lou Beale my other dogs. Steve Owen my great Dane stays well away from the others, she's a very large and proud dog, she's my baby and I love her to bits, she can't be on with any nonsense she's getting old now. She protects me. If I had to say what is the closest thing in my life when hubby isn't here it would be my Steve. Wonderful dog with amazing loyalty.
I hate these blooming fleas though. I'm ridden with them. Definately need to go to the chemists tomorrow.
think all of her dogs were made up too...bit of a coincidence they all have ee names...
is it actually for nits or what?It acts as a preventer - the nits don't like the tea tree and with its natural antiseptic qualities it prevents them from coming back, you do need to clear them first though....
I thought I had head lice for about a week after watching corrie, I couldnt stop itching!!!! (started again now), but I couldnt find anything it seams to have gone though now.....
Reading all these posts I think looking back I was very lucky not to ever get nites, I had long hair as a child and nitty nora (nurse to check for nites) came round every so often and checked our hair.My son never got them either so have we where either lucky or they have increased over the years. As for dog fleas they can only live on dogs and do die when they drop onto the floor, but cat fleas live within the carpets at the edges and carpets should be sprayed to prevent them.
RealityGap
16-09-2005, 14:07
tea tree shampoos are a good way to prevent them the souce do one as do the body shop - prison nurses often use them to ward the nits away
I use that spray from asda on connor and so far he has not had them since his last infestation!! and i do use a tea tree conditioner on his hair once a week. i also comb his hair through every shampoo with a nit comb so if one has gone in his hair at preschool il catch it before it infests his head and mine.
i have thick har so does his dad so i DO NOT want to have to go through what i did last time. connors went and mine and daves needed 2 seperate treatmentsand days of combing
i am using the spray from asda too and fingers crossed we are still ok!!!! i comb her hair with a nit comb every day as it is usually the only comb i can find!!!!
We've just had a warning from Ci's pre-school that there has been a case notified, but so far he is ok, so got to give awards to the spray! It certainly seems to have kept the little blighters at bay so far!!
at least they warn you!!! and i give the spray top marks too!!!
i don't understand why they got rid of the nit nurse?????
That is one good thing about our schools/pre schools etc, they do warn us when a case has been reported.
They should definitely have kept the nit nurse - i remember being in total fear of hair checking day, and it always made sure the parents kept an eye on things to ensure their kids weren't embarrassed in front of all of their mates....
i think they should bring the nit nurse back!! as you say it made sure the parents kept an eye on the kids, nialls school is good too they let you know when they are found
there is just the unfortunate few who can't be bothered to check their childs hair which makes me really angry!!
We've just had a warning from Ci's pre-school that there has been a case notified, but so far he is ok, so got to give awards to the spray! It certainly seems to have kept the little blighters at bay so far!!
Was looking for a shampoo today and foud ths range in our GOOD Deal shop which i may get for connors hair, its called Head something?? and trhey do a conmditioner, shampoo and hair oil. it a natural range espeically for preventing nits, might be worth a try!
there is just the unfortunate few who can't be bothered to check their childs hair which makes me really angry!!
Amd it dosent evemn take that long that what i find annoying, i do connors when shampooing his hair every other night, if i find anything ( which having tha miracle ASDA spray i havent!!) id deal with it staright away!
Amd it dosent evemn take that long that what i find annoying, i do connors when shampooing his hair every other night, if i find anything ( which having tha miracle ASDA spray i havent!!) id deal with it staright away!
are you getting royalties from asda???:)
only kidding!!!
are you getting royalties from asda???:)
only kidding!!!
What a brilliant idea! i could take over from sharon and be their face of asda :rotfl:
could just imagine me tapping my big fat butt on TV :rotfl:
Put tea tree oil on her head, this is soo strong and it kills the eggs. Or get the mousse it think it is quite expensive but it works:D it suffocates them so they should all die!:)
crazygirl
02-10-2005, 18:46
my daughter comes hpme with headlice all the time i was using that mousse but now i just keep combing through with a nit come every couple of days, its the only way really
The problem is that eventually they build a resistance to the mousses etc, so you spend loads of money on them and they don't kill them. I use a comb and the asda spray mostly, but the if the boys do get infested, I use the overnight treatment -I find its the only one that works for them....
crazygirl
03-10-2005, 10:29
The problem is that eventually they build a resistance to the mousses etc, so you spend loads of money on them and they don't kill them. I use a comb and the asda spray mostly, but the if the boys do get infested, I use the overnight treatment -I find its the only one that works for them....the over night treatment is that the shampoo that you leave on over night?
Its the sort of lotion one, that I remember my mum used to use on me years ago - you'd wake up in the morning and there'd be all of these lovely dead creatures on your pillow, but it would ensure that you washed the bedding etc, ensuring no further infestation, not from your pillow (or should I say any hair on your pillow) etc
crazygirl
03-10-2005, 10:43
yea i know what you mean
Combing is what my mum used to do to me when i was little, its a slow process, but does eventually work
crazygirl
03-10-2005, 11:32
Combing is what my mum used to do to me when i was little, its a slow process, but does eventually workit is slow but it works
also putting loads of conditioner on the hair leave for 45 minutes and the eggs and lice just slide out
Yeah thats true, use loads of conditioner and it helps get them all out easily!
crazygirl
03-10-2005, 12:56
they make me scringe!!
:sick: Yeah i know, if i spot one in my little sisters hair i have to sit and get them ALL out!!
crazygirl
03-10-2005, 19:35
:sick: Yeah i know, if i spot one in my little sisters hair i have to sit and get them ALL out!!yea when my daughter scrats her head i take a look and when i see one i cant stop with that nit comb!!
i have to let you all know about the fab thing i have just got, the nitty gritty nit comb is totally fantastic!!! my daughter has got really fine hair and it still gets everything out!!! this is the first comb that has!!! i never thought i would find one fine enough!!!
sorry i was very excited!!! i am sick of buggies!!!
Thanks for letting us know Willow - my boys have really fine hair (especially my youngest) so it'll be excellent as I am sure he is going to start coming home with the little blighters soon now he is at pre-school more - where can I get them? How much? Thanks :D
there is a nitty gritty website www.nittygritty.co.uk
the comb was £10:99 postage included
it is expensive but it works!!!
Excellent - thanks Willow :D
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