Lice - please talk me down

[Anonymous]

We went through this and I thought combing the hair out with olive oil really helped those first 2 days. I combed every day the first week or so, and then less frequent checks/combing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't panic. It's actually not that hard to get rid of lice if you are diligent. I freaked out the first time my kid got it - like, really really freaked out. But by the 4th time, it was really no big deal. Especially not after bed bugs.

Just follow this routine for two weeks:

1. Treat the hair of EVERYONE in the house. If you can't use chemicals (like if you're pregnant, for example), then you can use detangler and do your own combout every night with a lice comb. Do one major close combout a week, and then for the next couple of days just do it in the shower. Do a combout every night, at least briefly, even if you do use chemicals.

2. Take all the bedding, blankets, anything fabric that people sit or lie on or play with, and wash it. If you can't wash it, just put it in a plastic bag and seal it up tight and put it in an unused corner somewhere for a couple of weeks. Be sure to dry everything thoroughly on high. DRYERS KILL LICE.

3. After the big wash, take all the bedding each night and run it in the dryer for 20 minutes every day. That will kill any lice that got onto it. Do the same with coats, hats, etc.

4. Contain laundry in plastic bags while waiting to wash or dry it. Vacuum regularly.

Keep this up for 2 weeks and the lice will be gone. Keep the brief combouts (like in the shower) going for a bit longer. You can even do them preventatively once a week once the lice are gone.

I caught it from my then 2nd grader... We did all of the above. And, I immediately scheduled an appointment with the Potomac Lice Lady. Lauren is amazing and 2x now has gotten rid of our lice. https://www.potomaclicelady.com. We also had our kids use the rosemary shampoo for about 6 months until lice was no longer a concern at their school. https://www.target.com/p/fairy-tales-rosemary-repel-daily-shampoo-12-fl-oz/-/A-14349928?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012510706&CPNG=PLA_Beauty%2BPersonal+Care%2BShopping%7CBeauty_Ecomm_Beauty&adgroup=SC_Health%2BBeauty&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9007537&targetid=aud-1739091817641:pla-894573305499&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=CjwKCAiAjs2bBhACEiwALTBWZV_X1qrSuqU2XvPDKbfNNWQl4kt_tINf1yVlqUKu8gMvjozNZmb7vBoCAKwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

PP here - we did something similar the first time it happened. It was useful because we knew we got a really good combout, but also because everyone in our house did it and a couple of people who were sure they didn't have lice, actually had lice. Until that point, we'd had a tough time getting rid of them because some household members were convinced they didn't have it and kept giving it back to others. Having someone actually show them the bug they found in their hair convinced them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went through this and I thought combing the hair out with olive oil really helped those first 2 days. I combed every day the first week or so, and then less frequent checks/combing.

Good lord please do not do this. Just use detangler/conditioner. Oil is incredibly messy, stains clothing and furniture, and does nothing to get rid of lice. I know because someone gave us this awful advice the first time we had to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/401192.page

licemeister and conditioner is all you need. Insecticide will never kill the eggs.

I had a bad allergic reaction to the insecticide. After that, I never used it again on anyone in the house. We got rid of them just by combing (and washing/drying).

[Anonymous]

The heat treatment works. You can relax and maybe even claim it on your health insurance.


God bless the inventor of this procedure:

https://www.liceclinicsofamerica.com/landing/herndon/

[Anonymous]

https://www.reddit.com/r/TIHI/comments/wrinl2/thanks_i_hate_lice/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went through this and I thought combing the hair out with olive oil really helped those first 2 days. I combed every day the first week or so, and then less frequent checks/combing.

Good lord please do not do this. Just use detangler/conditioner. Oil is incredibly messy, stains clothing and furniture, and does nothing to get rid of lice. I know because someone gave us this awful advice the first time we had to deal with it.

You do you, but it helped me comb out the nits! I also used the lice shampoo, but I thought the olive oil was more effective with the combing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The heat treatment works. You can relax and maybe even claim it on your health insurance.


God bless the inventor of this procedure:

https://www.liceclinicsofamerica.com/landing/herndon/

It worked for us, too. Just one treatment instead of days on land days of combing. Very much worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/401192.page

licemeister and conditioner is all you need. Insecticide will never kill the eggs.

I was just about to go search for this post. This one needs to be a sticky. I'm eternally grateful for the lice lady, this has always done the trick for us.

[Anonymous]

It’s super easy once your realize that the insecticide is utterly worthless.
Get the good comb on Amazon and comb out thoroughly two nights in a row, then every other night for 8-10 days. Done. It takes a couple days for eggs to hatch and then another day for life to become fertile.

I was hoping covid broke the lice but apparently some homes were incubating them all during the lockdown. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Don’t use any treatment- this is totally unnecessary.

Just buy a live comb and use spray conditioner and comb it out every night for a week, then weekly after that just to make sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s super easy once your realize that the insecticide is utterly worthless.
Get the good comb on Amazon and comb out thoroughly two nights in a row, then every other night for 8-10 days. Done. It takes a couple days for eggs to hatch and then another day for life to become fertile.

I was hoping covid broke the lice but apparently some homes were incubating them all during the lockdown. Oh well.

Apparently pubic lice (crabs) declined drastically due to all the waxing. So we just have to all go bald, and then the head lice will go extinct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t use any treatment- this is totally unnecessary.

Just buy a live comb and use spray conditioner and comb it out every night for a week, then weekly after that just to make sure.

Totally this. You need a good comb from Amazon and conditioning spray. Then just comb comb comb. You will get live ones and debris for a few days. Then nothing. After that give it a day or two then comb again. Usually it will be clear. If not just start combing again.

[Anonymous]

Go to your local drug store and get a bottle of Rid. Shampoo everyone in the family. Shampoo again in 8-10 days.
I went the extra step of getting a steel lice comb and coming out my children's hair with the comb dipped in vinegar with each pass. Did this every morning between shampoos and for the week after the last shampoo.

We've encountered lice twice in 15 years. It's not a big deal. Just be diligent. I don't understand the need to hire a professional.

[Anonymous]

We did Rid, Sklice prescription, then the lice clinic. It was 100% over. If you're worried, do Sklice but it's not cheap.