Head lice!!

[gaja]

The 8 year old came home with her head full of crawling beasts for the second time this year. And for the second time it turns out she had infected me (luckily only found one), while thorough searches in her sister's and father's hair turned out empty. We all of course took the cures, and will take them again in a week. But those chemicals are pricey! I know people get good results from olive oil and stuff, but I want something from the farmacy, to feel safe. So is there somewhere I can buy this stuff in bulk, in case it comes back in a few months? Or should we simply go for the classic skinhead style? She agreed to do it, if I buy her some nice wigs.

(Yes, we have warned the school that there is an outbreak, but I can't force other parents to function.)

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Frugal Girl did a great series on it:

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2015/07/how-to-get-rid-of-lice-with-tea-tree-oil-not-insecticide/

She had tried a couple of different OTC meds but apparently it really comes down to nit picking. YMMV. Good luck!

[luminajd]

We have done this program each time my daughters got lice from school and if you follow it, it works. Free and chemical free.
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/theliceprogram/theprogram.html
I also heard this week mayo works, seems cheaper and safer than chemicals.
But it for sure comes down to the lice picking, like pp already said.
Prevention for next time: no sharing anything with anyone, hair is never down during school, a few drops of tea tree oil in shampoo, and weekly checks.

[happy]

Thankfully we are past the nit stage but we had this issue all through primary school. My experience was that the chemicals didn't work...our lice seemed to be resistant to them. Also they are expensive and I didn't like putting pesticides on my kids heads. Unfortunately there were some in our school who were not diligent about the whole thing, so it was an ongoing issue.

The cheapest and most effective way I found was to buy a huge bottle of the cheapest no name brand of hair conditioner. Slather your kids hair with it - the more the better and comb through with a nit comb. you'll need a box of tissues to wipe out the comb as you go. We used to sit watching kids TV whilst I did this. Then wash out. Do it daily until there are no more lice, then drop back to twice weekly - if all clear after a couple of weeks then stop.  Once the hair is clear, there may be a further batch hatch out - if you get more lice then go back to daily until clear.  I used to check weekly/fortnightly once clear...its quicker to deal with just a few straightaway. Also watch for the telltale scratch.

I used to spray their school hats with a tea tree /herbal based spray to discourage transference - I think it helped but hard to be sure.

Edit to correct error now bolded

[crispy]

Olive oil! It really does work better than the lice shampoo. Lice are becoming resistant to the chemicals, but olive oil smothers them if left on long enough. Leave it on overnight and it will kill all the live bugs. Buy a metal lice comb (not plastic) and use it to pull out the nits. Comb thoroughly after washing for the next 5 days and then do another overnight treatment of olive oil. This is key to getting rid of them. Any missed nits will hatch after a few days so you have to kill tbem before they can lay eggs again.

Put all pillows, bedding, and soft toys in the dryer and then put them in bags for a week.

My girls' school had a lice epidemic two years ago and my youngest had a bad case (seriously, I spent hours combing the first night because her hair is loing, super thick and wavy). This method worked like a charm. It was miserable for the first few days, but it does get better. Killing and combing are the keys.

[woodnut]

Thankfully we are past the nit stage but we had this issue all through primary school. My experience was that the chemicals didn't work...our lice seemed to be resistant to them. Also they are expensive and I didn't like putting pesticides on my kids heads. Unfortunately there were some in our school who were not diligent about the whole thing, so it was an ongoing issue.

The cheapest and most effective way I found was to buy a huge bottle of the cheapest no name brand of hair conditioner. Slather your kids hair with it - the more the better and comb through with a nit comb. you'll need a box of tissues to wipe out the comb as you go. We used to sit watching kids TV whilst I did this. Then wash out. Do it daily until there are no more lice, then drop back to second weekly - if all clear after a couple of weeks then stop.  Once the hair is clear, there may be a further batch hatch out - if you get more lice then go back to daily until clear.  I used to check weekly/fortnightly once clear...its quicker to deal with just a few straightaway. Also watch for the telltale scratch.

I used to spray their school hats with a tea tree /herbal based spray to discourage transference - I think it helped but hard to be sure.

+1 on this approach.  Just comb them out.  The chemicals didn't work for my girls when they had them a couple years ago.  I learned about this approach from Consumer Reports.  Just Google Consumer Reports head lice.  I was skeptical but it really does work.  Relatively inexpensive, simple, and no pesticides on your kids head.

I said the #1 Wahl clipper would be the fastest approach, but neither my wife nor my daughters were amused.

[NV Teacher]

I got them twice one year when I was teaching kindergarten.  After the second time the school nurse gave me some good advice that has worked for me for 25 years.  Everyday when I come home from school I consider myself infected.  I don't lay on the bed or put any clothes back in the closet.  I take a shower and after shampoo and conditioner I rinse my hair with some vinegar diluted with water.  Then I blow my hair dry.  She said that between the acid in the vinegar and the heat from the dryer I would not get them again.  And she was right.

[MsPeacock]

Thankfully we are past the nit stage but we had this issue all through primary school. My experience was that the chemicals didn't work...our lice seemed to be resistant to them. Also they are expensive and I didn't like putting pesticides on my kids heads. Unfortunately there were some in our school who were not diligent about the whole thing, so it was an ongoing issue.

The cheapest and most effective way I found was to buy a huge bottle of the cheapest no name brand of hair conditioner. Slather your kids hair with it - the more the better and comb through with a nit comb. you'll need a box of tissues to wipe out the comb as you go. We used to sit watching kids TV whilst I did this. Then wash out. Do it daily until there are no more lice, then drop back to twice weekly - if all clear after a couple of weeks then stop.  Once the hair is clear, there may be a further batch hatch out - if you get more lice then go back to daily until clear.  I used to check weekly/fortnightly once clear...its quicker to deal with just a few straightaway. Also watch for the telltale scratch.

I used to spray their school hats with a tea tree /herbal based spray to discourage transference - I think it helped but hard to be sure.

Edit to correct error now bolded

+1. This absolutely works and is the easiest method, IMO. Use a ziplock Baggie to collect the tissues. Get a good life comb, not the one that comes with the chemicals. Amazon sells the good combs with super tight teeth.

No need to bag bedding. Lice can't survive off people. Just nit comb and leave the conditioner in over night for a week and keep periodically combing. If you are super thorough with the first combing you'll pretty much be done at that point.

[Jtrey17]

Been there and have tried every lice treatment available. None of them worked for my daughter. What did work was to cover (I mean cover) head and scalp with coconut oil and put it in a shower cap for 8 hours. Rinse and rinse again!

[MayDay]

Ditto conditioning and combing. You don't even have to do it daily - do a good job the first time, and you can do it about twice a week.

[JLR]

I went to a school where head lice were rampant. It seems that some parents didn't treat their children for them. My mother went through every treatment at the pharmacy, trying to find something effective. Even one of those electronic, zapping lice combs. She ended up approaching our doctor for advice. He recommended rinsing my hair with kerosene, then washing the kerosene out with dishwashing liquid. It was cheap, and it worked. We would try to avoid reinfestation by spraying my hair with a tea tree oil and water mix every morning before school. Oh, and I got a 'boy' haircut (when I was younger my hair was so long I could sit on it). I kept getting head lice over and over until I changed schools, then never again.

Out of our three children only one has come home with any sign of an infestation. I got a bottle of cheap hair conditioner and my husband and I took turns combing out her waist-length hair with the conditioner and a lice comb. It did the trick and we haven't had a problem since that day in preschool (she is now a teenager and her hair is longer than ever!) For a while we did spray her hair with tea tree oil and water, but after a year or two were lulled into complacency. Luckily, no problems! :)

[MsPeacock]

Returning to add that I was convinced that my kids got lice from their coats being all mixed up w/ other kids coats and hats and stuff. I told them to start putting their coats in their backpacks at school - no more lice.

[MrsPete]

Oh, the joys of elementary school.  Been there, done that.

You've already received good advice, and I only have one thing to add:  If these things are running rampant through the school, have your daughters wear bandanas on their heads until the epidemic is over.  My daughter liked wearing them, and they really did prevent her from reinfection.  If I had a boy, I would've shaved his head.

[MayDay]

Yes - super short buzz or shave for boys (or girls, but mine declined!).

Keeping hair in ponytails and dirty hair helps too.

There is a certain family in my kids' school that has them constantly. The nurse checks the kids every morning and combs out any she sees. It's so sad for the kids, especially because Everyone knows who is reinfesting!

[southern granny]

check out the robi comb.  battery powered comb that zaps the little critters.  It worked great for us with the grandchildren.  I  could search and search and be sure there weren't anymore and then run the robicomb through and it would zap a few more.  I read a review on the robicomb that said they run it through their children's hair every day after school and had avoided a reinfection that way.