Jeanne in MN Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I treated dd's hair 4 days ago after hearing a friend of hers had lice. I've combed through her hair daily and have seen nothing until I think I found three nits last night. Maybe I missed them before? One of them was towards the end of her 12" long hair-no where near her scalp. The other two were about 2" from the scalp. No signs of any lice. How do I proceed? From what I've read on-line if there are no lice don't bother treating. Do we just keep combing through daily until there's no signs of anything? Or do we do the mayo/olive oil type treatment? We were supposed to be on the road for Christmas, but I'm thinking that's out now. Any help would be appreciated. Jeanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I would do the Cetaphil treatment (presume that's similar to the mayo one). It's a bit of a nuisance but non-toxic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I would do the mayo treatment and then go on with my traveling. 3 nits is not many but there could be a few stragglers. My guess is that the one on the end is dead anyway. Have you treated her bedroom and clothing to prevent an infestation? If you have not treated her bed/comb/hats and so on, nothing will keep them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 http://www.safesolutionsinc.com/Lice_R_Gone.htm Camy (I think) recommended this peppermint shampoo on the board way back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Are you 100% sure they were nits? When I was 12, I got lice from a friend and after awhile, I was so OCD and paranoid about it, I thought everything was a nit! If you are 100% sure it was a nit, was it white/opaque and flat or clear and bubble-like? If it was white, it was dead and it is okay to just pick it out. If it was clear/bubble like, then it is live. It can still be picked out, but the chance of there being more in there is much higher. If you used something like NIX, it should actually still be killing the nits for up to 12 days after application, so you don't really want to do anything else until that 12 days is up (other than pick out the nits and wash bedding, hats, etc. and vacuum carpets, couches, etc.). If you are still finding the live (clear/bubble like) nits, then I would call your dr and get an Rx for head lice treatment. Sometimes you need something stronger than what stores sell OTC. Good Luck! Something else to do is, after you wash her hair, use the hairdryer to dry it on a hot heat setting. Lice can't tolerate heat and there have been studies done that suggest using a hot dryer is very effective in both killing and preventing lice. It is worth a try, anyway! When I worked in the public school, I dried my hair this way daily and never got lice (even though a LOT of the kids in the school had them and I was in contact with the kids everyday). It could be a coincidence, but like I said...worth a try and not harmful in any way. Edited December 21, 2009 by Tree House Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I've never found any of the chemical treatments to be particularly effective. I recommend combing through her hair twice a day with this: http://milo.com/liceguard-robi-comb-electronic-lice-comb When she's clear for several days in a row, you can stop combing. You can comb with a standard lice comb as well to get nits out. The electronic lice comb just kills and removes live lice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Use a flat iron on her hair. Do small sections at a time. The nits will fry to death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Use a flat iron on her hair. Do small sections at a time. The nits will fry to death. Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I think you can get it under control for Christmas. It's a big bother but doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
min Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 My understanding is that if they're more than a centimetre or so away from the scalp, they're (a) not nits, or (b) dead and finished nits. Either way, I'd ignore them! The poisons don't work on the eggs, only after they're hatched. If it were me, I'd maybe wait a few more days and do a conditioner comb-through with a metal nit-comb. This information looked useful: http://www.chc.org/homedir/parent_info.cfm http://www.chc.org/homedir/faq.cfm Best of luck Min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairie rose Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 My dd got lice after a major road trip from a cousin who had it. :glare: None of the chemical shampoo treatments worked. The pediatrician's office told me to slather her hair with mayo, put a shower cap on her and let it set over night then rinse it out with vinegar in the morning. Then spray her hair twice a day with plain, undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle and use a nit comb. We could stop doing the daily vinegar spray after she had been completely nit free for 5 days. She smelled like a pickle for about a week but it was the only thing that finally got rid of all the nits. :lol: We also washed every blanket and pillow in the house in hot water and dried it on high in the dryer. All stuffed animals went in black trash bags and set out in the sunshine for a week. I wouldn't necessarily cancel your travel plans, just be cautious and watchful. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
min Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) Jeanne, I've just re-read your post here and notice you're thinking of canceling a trip at Christmas? Is it because of the lice exposure? prairie rose I've also read that vinegar unglues the nits, but haven't tried it yet. Thanks for the reminder. We were told not to bother washing linen etc, that the lice really can't live very long off the head and that if they do manage to survive all day until the kid climbs back into bed, then they're not going to be very healthy lice! I can only speak of my own experience, but I don't bother to do extra washing etc, and we've never had trouble getting rid of them. What have others been told recently? (We did have a long-lasting regular re-exposure, but that's a whole 'nuther story!!! And, thankfully, seems to be over now.) Min Edited December 22, 2009 by min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Jeanne, I've just re-read your post here and notice you're thinking of canceling a trip at Christmas? Is it because of the lice exposure? Yes, we were planning on traveling for a few days over Christmas and I don't want to leave any "friends" behind or infect anyone. I've checked dd twice today and have seen nothing. Did a vinegar wash today too. Hoping I continue to find nothing more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 My understanding is that if they're more than a centimetre or so away from the scalp, they're (a) not nits, or (b) dead and finished nits. Either way, I'd ignore them! If this is the case, we are doing better than I thought. All I have ever seen/found are 2, possibly 3 eggs, one of them was way down on the end of off her 12" long hair and the other two were a good couple inches or more from the scalp. But if I remember right nits would be further down the hair shaft because the hair grew out, however, she was just exposed 4 days ago, so it can't be from that exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I don't think you should cancel your plans. Just keep combing daily - you'll be fine. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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