Hello everyone,

I normally post on the pre-schoolers board but this relates to my DD who is 6.  We went to stay with relatives two weeks ago and I noticed that one of their little girls had head lice and now lo and behold my poor little girl is infested with horrid little grey eggs.  I am desperate to know what will actually get rid of this because there is so much conflicting advice on the internet.  Can I go to the Dr with this?  I'm a little worried about using strong shampoos because my DD has eczema.  HELP PLEASE!

Thanks

Hi Emma,

They're a ngihtmare, and they're a part of life once your kids hit school age, unfortunately. Here's how we deal with it:

1) soak your DD's hair in vinegar - leave for about 10 minutes, then wash out. This dissolves the glue that binds the eggs to the hair and lets you wash them out, which will stop the breeding cycle.

2) Use stuff called Hedrin, on dry hair. It's not a pesticide, it's a silicone coating for the hair that the lice breathe in and then choke on. You spray it on a strand at a time, comb it through - you'll start seeing dead ones in the comb almost at once. Leav on overnight, then wash out. It's non-chemical so kind on sensitive skin, and the lice can't become immune to it - you can't develop resistance to suffocation, which is what this does. (It also leaves hair beautifully shiny and manageable too!) Use a really good nit comb - I recommend the Nitty Gritty - it's about £9-10 but it's the best on the market and it has a lifetime warranty so if it breaks, they send you a new one. It catches even the tiniest baby lice.

3) Repeat the Hedrin treatment 7 days later to catch any newly-hatched lice. After this, wet-comb weekly using conditioner and the Nitty Gritty - it will prevent any new infestations from becoming serious.

4) Tie hair back at school and spray with hairspray every morning (brush out at night, obviously) - you'll need to find one that's suitable for sensitive skin, but it really does help prevent reinfection.

Unfortunately you're dependent on other parents being just as strict in their precautions, and not everyone is - someone in my younger DD's class doesn't seem to give a damn so she keeps getting reinfected, grrr!

Jos

Hello

My favourite remedy is loads of conditioner and a nit comb and comb it through in the bath.  Vosene is also meant to help deter the little blighters!

There are lots of skin friendly remedies out there too - ask at your Chemist.

HTH

We use olive oil.  It suffocates the lice and makes the eggs easier to comb out.  I would do that every day for 3 days and then every third day for 2 weeks and check again at the 3 week mark as eggs can take that long to hatch.

If the school send the letter home saying there are lice in class I put 2 drops of tea tree oil in their shampoo.  Since I've been doing that they haven't picked any up (about 3 years), but that may just be luck!

Sara.

If you do use olive oil put the shampoo on before the water when you wash it out otherwise the oil seems to breed!