Lice: quick question
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Anonymous
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Lice has arrived at my dd's middle school, especially among the girls. If my dd hugs a girl that has lice in her hair, does lice spread like that (by jumping) from hair to hair in close contact? We've never had it fortunately. But some moms were discussing it over the weekend and said the girls at the school are really touchy feely and huggy and I wondered if it can spread that way. I know not to share hats and combs/brushes.
Thanks. |
Anonymous
| My understanding is that close contact is the most likely way for it to spread. If your daughter has long hair, I would recommend braiding it to minimize the chances of her hair coming into contact with someone else's. There are products (Fairy Tales) that are supposed to repel lice. I've also heard of people using tea tree oil shampoo or hairspray to repel them. I don't know how reliable any of these are. If you can get your daughter to be more distant, that would probably be the most effective step. |
Anonymous
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PP is right; if your DD's hair is long enough, have her wear it braided or up in a bun as much as possible and tell her outright that hugginess will indeed possibly spread lice.
Middle school and high school lice. What fun. My HS daughter got head lice at a sleepover with her very huggy friends. It's not the end of the world but it's a pain if they have long or thick (or long AND thick) hair. My hairdresser said that the lice "prevention" products like special shampoos etc. that supposedly repel lice don't really work. Prevention through keeping hair away from other kids' hair is the best route, according to the hairdresser. But I'd be interested to hear if parents have had good expereinces with the repelling shampoos etc. |
Anonymous
| Keep it in a pony tail or braid and use hair spray. I've heard its harder for lice to attach to dirtier hair than clean hair. I don't think lice jump, so their heads would have to be touching. |
Anonymous
| Lice among teens and tweens is on the rise in part because of selfies. Lice spreads from head to head contact, they do not jump. I concur that repellants don't work, and that getting out the nits is a nightmare if your daughter has long thick hair! |
Anonymous
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It's not just selfies -- the kids put their heads together to watch videos on their phones. THat's like a nice little bridge for the lice to walk acorss. The other way I've heard it spreads in teen girls is because they brush their hair in the bathroom. The static electricity can propel the lice a couple feet -- that's just one I heard online but it made sense to me. I told my daughter not to stand next to people brushing their hair in the bathroom.
One warning about the prevention shampoos. A lot of them use tea tree oil, which is drying. I was using it on my daughter for lice prevention and she kept itching and I was scared she had it. Turns out that the tea tree oil shampoo was just really drying out her scalp. I've also heard that the silicone products they sell to protect hair from hair dryers works, as the lice can't attach to the silicone layer, but that's stuff's expensive and you'd have to put it all through the hair. |
Anonymous
| We used the rosemary lice spray for years and my daughter never had lice (and she is very huggy with her friends). The flip side is my friend tried everything and her daughter got it multiple times so it does seem some people are more prone to it. The spray is cheap thought and not a big deal so why not try it. |
Anonymous
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If they've already contracted lice, here's a tip...
THE absolute best product I've found to use if your kid has gotten lice is the ORIGINAL Listerine (that repulsive yellow one that smells like a doctors office). The yellow Listerine is MUCH more effective than Rid or ANY of the others (btw, all of the other brands like Rid, CVS, etc, say on the box that you should leave on for no more than 10 minutes, but our school nurse told us to leave it on for 40 minutes). You soak your entire kids head in the Listerine, if she's a girl put it up in a scrunchie or hair tie & then put it in a shower cap or a hair wrap (so nothing can escape) we use the & then they can sleep with that in all night & that will kill energy nit they have (you still have to comb those little eggs out it doesn't kill what's inside the eggs, although you have to do the same with Rid too ). The Listerine works EVERY time, where I've had to use the Rid 2 sometimes 3 times. Here's the link for the twisty turban we used, that and the Listerine were a GODSEND! https://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&ei=QTm_WPrXM4jUmAG_yKXYCA&q=twisty+turban+microfiber+hair+towels&oq=twisty+turban&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.1.2.0l3j0i22i30k1.2948.8880.0.11400.7.5.2.1.1.0.267.755.0j3j1.4.0....0...1c.1j4.64.mobile-gws-hp..1.5.356.3..35i39k1j0i131k1.zXSXUbBQd7s |
Anonymous
Meant to write every NOT energy, lol. Also meant to write soak the hair in Listerine, put it up in a scrunchie THEN use a twisty turban, shower cap or hair wrap top sleep in. |
Anonymous
Original Listerine is THE BOMB! : 
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Anonymous
| Original Listerine is something like 25% alcohol; I don't think it is advisable to soak your hair (and scalp) in it over night!! Not to mention it is a fire hazard. |
Anonymous
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I think lice are transmitted when kids lay on the floor or furniture together, putting their head where somebody with lice has put theirs. The lice transfer from hair to rug or upholstery, then from there to another head.
I would tell my kids not to do this. In other words, both at school and at home, sit up and don't put your head where other heads have been, if possible. |
Anonymous
| From someone who had to deal with it for 6 weeks last year with both DDs - please don't use Rid or anything else sold in stores full of chemicals. Both my girls had a horrible reaction that led us to urgent care (they have no known allergies). The best thing to use is olive oil which will suffocate the lice. Bonus is that hair is gorgeous and shiny. Yes to keeping long hair braided. I also put tea tree oil in the shampoo and the cleaner hair will definitely attract lice so if you want to use a product that stays in (like mousse) go ahead! |
Anonymous
| Generally kids get lice from head to head contact. Lice do not jump-- they crawl very quickly. Lice need a human host to survive and don't survive long off of a host. I would be a lot more concerned with head to head contact than lying on a rug. Kids' heads touch all the time-- more than you might think. |
Anonymous
I swear by tea tree oil (after my dd got lice three times in a row... fun times -- her hair is long AND thick). I add it to her regular conditioner. Of course there is no way of telling that this is why she has not had lice in a couple of years but I think it works (if I were a louse i certainly wold not want to be anywhere near that smell )
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