Getting Rid of Head Lice

Getting Rid of Head Lice

How can I get rid of head lice?

Tana

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RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

You can purchase meds over the counter at a local drug store. But I don't like to use that method more than once. This is what we did; take a plastic bag, cooking oil of any kind, place oil on hair and rub into scalp, put plastic bag around hair and use a clip to hold the bag on. Let sit on hair for an hour. Wash oil out of hair with Dawn dish detergent, might have to repeat 2 times. Hope this helps! Good luck! (11/14/2006)

By Michele

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

We had a terrible problem with lice until a teacher at the school recommended Zero Lice. We found it online at a health store and it was slightly pricey, but worth every penny. One treatment killed and removed the lice and nits (with comb) and the second treatment a week later made sure they didn't come back. I would recommend this over any other treatment from someone who suffered for years. (11/14/2006)

By Diana

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

I have used mayonnaise in the same manner too. Apply to hair, wrap with plastic and let sit. Wash through. The lice can't stick to the hair if it's oily. Don't forget to keep combing! (11/14/2006)

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Use a lice shampoo when lice are detected, then again 7 days later. Get a high wattage light (I have an automotive light), stick the infested person under the light (w/ a fan on if it's too hot), put in a movie & inspect and lice comb their hair every night. If you do this, it will be gone in a week. If you don't, the problem could recur over and over if you miss a few of them.

I have 3 daughters, the oldest has thick hair almost to her waist. I section the hair into about 6-9 sections and work on a small bit at a time, inspecting and removing nits. Use conditioner before nit combing to make the combing easier. Also, the combing really doesn't do much. It actually works better to strip off the nit with your fingernails. Wash bedding (to include stuffed animals) and do regular laundry to coincide w/ the lice shampooing and vacuum the areas. Also, wash car seat covers or spray with lice spray. You don't have to go crazy w/ cleaning, the lice won't live long if they're not on a head. The majority of your work time should be spent checking for and removing nits. And pets don't carry lice so you don't have to worry about them. (11/14/2006)

By nancyec

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

I have used every product on the market for lice. The only thing that has worked for me is a special nit comb, that I use on the children every night. It takes out the lice and the eggs. (11/15/2006)

By Jenny

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

I would recommend the Licemeister Comb. It's sold at most drug stores and online. It cost about $14. It is the old fashioned metal comb that will get every nit and lice. It also is not disposable so well worth the investment. Before I got this comb I was at wits end. I tried the Nix and the first time it killed the live lice. I rechecked like you were supposed to and lo and behold more lice. I applied again and it didn't even phase them. My daughter also has the baby fine dishwater blond hair that lice love. I researched on the internet and found the comb. It worked wonderful. I went through her hair every night for a week, by this time I was paranoid and it took care of it.

There is also a product called neon nits that you can spray on their hair and it makes the nits easier to see. Don't forget to treat your house and cars. Wash any and everything you can. Put everything else in thick garbage bags and leave them there for two weeks to kill anything. Also don't forget your car. Vacuum really well. The school nurse recommended that we get rid of the coat she wore that had the fuzzy fur around it. The lice can travel that way. Good luck. (02/05/2007)

By roni

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

One thing that has worked well for me, when my little girl had so many nits I didn't know what to do, is blow drying the hair after you go through it. It will help loosen any nits you may have missed. And bugs don't like extreme heat, so it will help loosen them from the scalp if you missed any. (11/03/2007)

By adrinne

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Getting Rid of Head Lice

I heard that shampoo for cats gets rid of head lice, is this true?

By mhatfield from Chillicothe, MO

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RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Not sure if true or not, but I do know that Wal-Mart and any pharmacy carries RID or NIX shampoo, which is what the Doc tells ya to buy. Probably the same cost as cat shampoo, and I know it will not harm your hair the way a cat shampoo might. (05/08/2009)

By Dedeswrkshop

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Mayonnaise works wonders, and leaves your hair shiny. Try it before you buy anything harmful, stinky, and expensive. (05/11/2009)

By Poor But Proud

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

The best product that I have found is prescription Ovid. But if you can't get that (price I was quoted $180.00) kids were on medicare so it could be gotten.

The school nurse said to use conditioner on dry hair and leave it for an hour. This works if there is not a bad problem. I did the kids hair every day for a month with conditioner. I got the conditioner from the dollar store so it did not break me. Make sure that the hair down to the roots is covered with conditioner. Glitz (05/12/2009)

By Glitz

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Why would you want to use something for cats on humans when you can buy Rid or Nix at Wal-Mart probably cheaper. Use the comb and you will get rid of the problem. (05/12/2009)

By Noella

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

We tried everything, literally, when my kids gt a bad case. We learned through hard experience, eliminating every egg is the only way. I got so tired of treating and re-treating, as soon as school let out, all my kids, even both my gals, looked like Sigourney Weaver in "Aliens 2". Got rid of the lice and it was cooler for them that summer. (05/12/2009)

By JustPlainJo

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Here's a cheap, non-toxic and easy solution involving vinegar, mineral oil and plastic wrap.

This March we had a bout of head lice in our household. I tried the expensive over-the-counter chemical laden stuff for $20 bucks a bottle (and we needed four, one for each person in the household). After two applications and days on end of scalding sheets, sweeping furniture and floors, putting stuffed animals into bags, and obsessively combing for nits. It didn't work. I could have screamed.

But, wouldn't you know it, after all of that what worked was a simple and dirt cheap remedy I found on a website run by a pediatrician. He said it's 100% effective. I was skeptical, but I'm not anymore.

Here's what you do:

1. In an empty bottle, mix equal parts of vinegar (I used white, but any will do) with equal parts of mineral oil.
2. Lightly wet hair then work the solution through the hair and scalp until saturated. Do not rinse yet.
3. Wrap entire scalp, including all hair, in plastic wrap (I used Press N Seal, which held great). Cover the whole shabang with a shower cap.
4. Wait one hour.
5. Rinse and wash out with regular shampoo.
6. Comb for nits with a nit comb (but don't be surprised if you can't find any).

Note: I had to shampoo several times to get out all the oil, but it worked like a charm. The instructions I read said after the final shampoo comb out any remaining nits. I'm happy to report that even though I did a thorough inspection, I couldn't find a single nit after just a single dose of this homemade remedy. I kept checking for several weeks, but the nasty vermin never returned. I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Good luck. (05/18/2009)

By Mrs. V

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Just cut hair very short (08/13/2009)

By Frank J.

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Getting Rid of Head Lice

Does anyone know of successful treatment for head lice? Any information at all would be appreciated. ASAP

By Ruth

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RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

When I was little the people in my town used diluted kerosene to rinse the hair. Obviously you have to be very careful.

No matter what you use on the hair, you have to get rid of the lice eggs. They do not die with the shampoos and treatment, only the live bugs die this way. This can only be done by taking the time to pick them out of the hair of the infested person. Take the day off of work, it is a laborious process, but if you don't do that you will never get rid of them. The eggs look like tiny little translucent teardrops and are at the hair root, mostly near the neck and ears. You need a special comb, because they are very sticky. (08/13/2009)

By Elysia_J

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

The only thing that worked for me (when I got them from trying on a hat at a second-hand store) was NIX, the cream rinse that kills the lice and also kills the nits (eggs). It's sold in all the drug stores. Just ask the pharmacist. Don't use any other over-the-counter products, but "NIX". Others don't kill the lice eggs. (08/13/2009)

By Cyinda

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Nix is the only one that works. I asked my pharmacist and he said doctors will write prescriptions for Nix, never Rid or the other ones.

Also buy several lice combs, not flea combs, and every time you feel an itch, comb it out. There is a lice zapper comb, but I am not sure how good it works. The eggs are the hardest to get out of the hair.

Put pillows in plastic bag for two weeks. Or spray them with furniture lice spray. Comb and then comb again.

The metal brushes work well. I like doing a Dawn dish washing treatment to kill lice. First I spray on detangler or conditioner mixed with water, or just comb conditioner through hair. Rinse, partially dry, then comb lice eggs and lice out of hair. Rinse and wash with Dawn and leave it on without rinsing for about 5-7 minutes, then rinse out and pour apple cider vinegar over hair. Then go ahead and shampoo hair as usual and condition it.

You have to keep doing this. If the Nix doesn't work then go to the doctor to get a stronger prescription. Lice are getting immune to some of the treatments, Nix is the only one that works. I do this all the time, even when they don't have any, I still comb their hair with a lice comb. I like the way the lice comb makes my hair have more body.

You have to keep combing every day and make sure you don't forget to do it after or before you wash your hair every time. Don't keep using the store brand over and over. Go to the doctor and get a prescription if the lice are not responding to any home remedies.

Don't do Nix and Dawn at the same time. That might be too much for your hair. Also, see earthclinic.com

Robyn (08/14/2009)

By Robyn Fed

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Use Nix from the drug store and buy lice combs. Wash all bedding and clothing in the hottest water possible. For items not washable, place in a garbage bag and freeze for a few days. To avoid lice again add tea tree oil to your shampoo and conditioner, just a few drops. (08/14/2009)

By tilly899

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Absolutely douse the hair with mayonnaise and cover for several hours with a shower cap or such. This is what you will find on google. It's an old tried and true method. Once the lice are gone, do this once a month for grown up hair and it's amazing. (08/18/2009)

By Poor But Proud

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

The "zapper" comb alluded to in an another post is called a Robi Comb and it works. It cost me about $20.00 at a Walgreen drug store. It can also be found online. It was a life saver when my daughter was in grade school. A one time investment, no chemicals, less crying, get one of these, you will never regret it. (08/18/2009)

By Lazateda

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

When I was a kid there was an out break in my elementary school. The only thing that worked is a prescription shampoo, a special comb, and hours of work for my mom for a week. Wash all bedding, toys, disinfect mattresses, and couches. When you comb through sit a chair on a white sheet and get to work. It's really hard work, and you need to recheck for at least a week to make sure you got all the eggs. Contrary to popular belief lice like clean hair better than dirty hair and getting lice is not due to bad hygiene. (08/20/2009)

By babygaige

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Getting Rid of Head Lice

I have had them before and now I do again. It is so frustrating. My scalp really hurts when I scratch it. It bleeds and I am concerned I will get an infection. I tried the treatment, but it did not work. Please help.

Alisa

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RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Headlice are a pain, but go to the doc and get a prescription for the stronger NIX they will write for you, also make sure it is not something else like an allergy or a dermatitis problem.

Other than that, here is a way I got rid of lice from my girls who got it from an extracurricular activity: It is very simple. For the next 3 weeks, every time you shampoo you hair in the tub or shower, use Dawn first and let it sit about 3 minutes and rinse it out.

The most important thing is to have a metal lice comb. Flea combs are too large and the plastic ones they give you in the products you buy are not good or effective. I would buy about 4 lice combs and put them in each room with a roll of toilet paper and a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. Then when you comb out your hair, and you don't really have to comb all the way down since they will be within two inches of the scalp, I do because it makes my hair look prettier. This way anytime you want and about three times a day anyway, comb through your hair with it and get those little suckers.

For the treatment time, I used the lice comb everyday about 4 times and then an extra 6 times. I bought one that had a magnifying glass on it. Every time you go into the bathroom, comb through your hair with a lice comb. You can have a little bowl of soapy water, and you will be able to see the lice and nits come out. Each time you think of your hair or each time you have an itch. Lice comb your hair. I actually like these combs, they are great.

With repeated shampoos with Dawn, letting it sit for 2 minutes or so, shampooing with regular shampoo and lice combing 6 or 7 times a day for three weeks or so should do it.

I would wash all my clothes and bedsheets and whatever with Dawn, and spray with rubbing alcohol everything else you are near.

The main thing in treating lice is not the stuff you put on the hair to kill lice, it is combing them out, both the lice and the nits. Hope this helps. (12/15/2009)

By Robyn Fed

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Prescriptions can be dangerous to use over and over. When our grandchildren had lice, we covered hair in mayonnaise, then covered with shower cap for 4 hours or overnight. Then we washed and rinsed in vinegar. Then use the nit comb to comb out dead lice. Keep doing this until the lice are completely gone. After lice are gone wash hair every day or every 2 days and use blow dryer to keep lice free. It's a bit of work, but there is no easy way to get rid of lice. (12/16/2009)

By healthiest

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

Well, when I was a kid my mom put tea tree oil on it. It really works. They hate the smell and will leave within days. (12/16/2009)

By jamal78

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

The best and healthiest thing to do is smother your head in conditioner and then comb your hair out with a thin-toothed comb. (12/18/2009)

By thriftergirl

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

First of all, not only do you have head lice, so does your: hairbrush, pillow, winter coat collar, couch cushions, carpet, snuggie blanket, bedding, mattress, bed blankets, bath towels, hat, toboggan, scrunchies, and possibly your cell phone cover, get the picture?

Secondly, do not wait the ten days the package says before re-treating your hair. They will already be on round #2 by then. Retreat your hair at seven days, for about three weeks. While the solution is in your hair, brush through with your hairbrush or comb, and let the solution sit in the brush while you treat your hair.

Also, steady comb through with the nit comb while the solution is in. Not like normal combing, but pull the section straight out from your head, lay the nit comb flat against your scalp, and push it up against the hair as you go straight out from your head.

Now, the lawn and garden center has a concentrate by Ortho and other manufacturers for aphids on roses, this stuff is exactly the same stuff that is in your lice shampoo. Wash everything that has come into contact with your head. Take the couch cushion covers off and wash them with detergent and the aphid solution, seal the foam rubber cushions in large lawn and leaf bags, and then put the clean covers back on over the cushions. Same with throw pillows, bed pillows, coats, scarves, etc. Put the aphid solution in your carpet shampooer and have at it.

Don't forget your car interior, if it is cloth, put plastic bags over the seats and head rests for at least two weeks. Lice can't live long unless they can feed. Then check the kids, their friend's heads, and anyone else who may be re-introducing the lice back into the house.

I know all of this may seem extreme, but when our six children were little and lice shampoo had to be bought out of pocket, they all decided to play lice merry-go-round, and this is how I stopped it, once and for all. Anything less, and your are wasting your time and money-they will come back. Good luck (12/20/2009)

By dollyslaffn

RE: Getting Rid of Head Lice

I am using baby oil right now. it makes the nits suffocate and they can't hold on to your hair and the bugs can't either. (03/25/2010)

By DarionChannell