if YOU have had lice, not your kids.......

[Denisemomof4]

did you feel them crawling on your head?

 

I feel like I'm going crazy. My hairdresser saw nothing three weeks ago but I did a Cetaphil treatment just in case. Because I was itching.

 

Now, I'm CERTAIN the itching is NOT inside my head, it is ON my head, and I swear I'm feeling them crawl!

 

I just did another Cetaphil treatment, gobbed it all on, blow dried my hair. Then I went downstairs and sat on a recliner I had been on earlier. :banghead: So I ran upstairs and put some tea tree oil on my scalp. I know I'm not supposed to..... and I hope it didn't interfere with the Cetaphil. I will be washing it out in the morning.

 

I swear I'm still feeling things crawl. I feel like this could potentially really drive me crazy. I couldn't sleep all night last night.

 

Did you feel them crawl?

 

Do you think the tea tree oil messed up the Cetaphil treatment?

 

Off to strip down the bed again.

[Amy loves Bud]

I had lice when my kids had them. I didn't feel them crawl (they mainly clamp onto the hairshaft) but I was reeeeaaallly itchy.

 

Put the cetaphil on, comb through tiny section by tiny section with a nit comb while the cetaphil is wet, and wipe the comb on a dry white towel between sections. You will see the lice and nits if they are there. If they are there, go ahead and blow dry, if not, just wash out the cetaphil.

 

Really, I believe that the single best treatment for lice is combing with the nit comb every single day. Be sure to scrape the scalp because the eggs are laid right at the base of the hair shaft, so you want to get under them with the comb. I did this several days in a row to be sure I got them all. I have very short hair so was able to do it myself. YOu will probably need help with longer hair.

 

Shampoos and cetaphil help, but it is hard to do cetaphil correctly, and a lot of lice are resistant to the shampoos these days.

 

There is something called the Texas Lice Squad here. They inspect your entire family and treat if needed. They guarantee their treatment. Maybe you have something like that near you.

 

Good luck!

[ChemMommy]

Yes, I could feel them crawling. It was a like tickle mostly at the base of the hair line, but at times, I felt them everywhere.

 

It drove me nuts. Go for the medicated shampoo!!

 

Shampoo and leave that stuff on for as long as you can stand it. I tried for an hour. I'd feel the suckers crawl out of my hair and down my neck. I had the spray also, and so I sprayed my neck and killed them. Also, watch that they are not in your eyebrows! Yowsah!!

 

Rinse the stuff out but don't use shampoo it out; don't condition either. Try to go as long as you can without shampooing and try to avoid conditioner. Repeat at the first sign of new tickles. By day 7, they were alive and crawling again for me!! You may even need a 3rd round. But, we thorough and aggressive from the beginning. (PSA...if you aren't you'll end up putting malathion on your head....that's mosquito killer!!! YUCK!!)

 

So, now that I've shared my awful story, please don't go thinking I'm a dirty person. Really, I'm not. I just didn't treat thoroughly and way the pillow each day, etc. I was lackadaisical and paid for it!

 

And, yes, they kept me up at night.

 

We also found that if, when you feel the tickle, you rub the entire area around the tickle, you can smash the suckers and get some relief. Rub like crazy. It was wonderful relief!!!

 

Good luck to you! It took me a long time to get over feeling tickles, imaginary ones, in my hair!!!:grouphug:

[Annie G]

I scratched my head about five times reading this thread. Talk about the power of suggestion!!!

 

Hope the little creepy crawlers are gone for good- you sound READY to be done with them!!

[Denisemomof4]

Yes, I could feel them crawling. It was a like tickle mostly at the base of the hair line, but at times, I felt them everywhere.

 

It drove me nuts. Go for the medicated shampoo!!

 

Shampoo and leave that stuff on for as long as you can stand it. I tried for an hour. I'd feel the suckers crawl out of my hair and down my neck. I had the spray also, and so I sprayed my neck and killed them. Also, watch that they are not in your eyebrows! Yowsah!!

 

Rinse the stuff out but don't use shampoo it out; don't condition either. Try to go as long as you can without shampooing and try to avoid conditioner. Repeat at the first sign of new tickles. By day 7, they were alive and crawling again for me!! You may even need a 3rd round. But, we thorough and aggressive from the beginning. (PSA...if you aren't you'll end up putting malathion on your head....that's mosquito killer!!! YUCK!!)

 

So, now that I've shared my awful story, please don't go thinking I'm a dirty person. Really, I'm not. I just didn't treat thoroughly and way the pillow each day, etc. I was lackadaisical and paid for it!

 

And, yes, they kept me up at night.

 

We also found that if, when you feel the tickle, you rub the entire area around the tickle, you can smash the suckers and get some relief. Rub like crazy. It was wonderful relief!!!

 

Good luck to you! It took me a long time to get over feeling tickles, imaginary ones, in my hair!!!:grouphug:

 

Lice like CLEAN hair.

 

We got them from our HOMESCHOOL GROUP. The group is still meeting weekly. We won't be returning this year.

 

Dd12's friend had four treatments and STILL had nits! :angry:

 

Amy, I do comb but it's really hard for me to see anything. I just started today. Dd12 has been at it 3 weeks. Then dd9 got them. Now me. I don't understand. I stripped all bedding, washed, then dried thoroughly.

 

All down comforters and pillows were sealed shut.

 

I vacuumed the heck out of everything.

 

If I don't sleep tonight I just may go insane. I will rub hard and imagine the suckers popping.:001_huh:

[dangermom]

It could easily be psychological. When my younger daughter had them a couple of years ago, my head itched for WEEKS. I swore I could feel them crawling. I kept getting checked and I never had any lice at all.

[Amy loves Bud]

Lice like CLEAN hair.

 

We got them from our HOMESCHOOL GROUP. The group is still meeting weekly. We won't be returning this year.

 

Dd12's friend had four treatments and STILL had nits! :angry:

 

Amy, I do comb but it's really hard for me to see anything. I just started today. Dd12 has been at it 3 weeks. Then dd9 got them. Now me. I don't understand. I stripped all bedding, washed, then dried thoroughly.

 

All down comforters and pillows were sealed shut.

 

I vacuumed the heck out of everything.

 

If I don't sleep tonight I just may go insane. I will rub hard and imagine the suckers popping.:001_huh:

 

The problem is the life cycle. The shampoos only kill lice, not the eggs. So the lice die but the eggs hatch and pretty soon you are right back where you started. We had a massive neighborhood infestation that was really hard to get under control. Sorry you have to deal with it, too.

 

EDIT: The eggs take about 7 days to hatch, so you can do four treatments four days in a row, and three days later you've got them crawling on you again. You really have to do a minimum of three treatments, one week apart to be sure you are getting them. That's assuming you aren't dealing with a resistant strain.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Amy loves Bud

[Denisemomof4]

The problem is the life cycle. The shampoos only kill lice, not the eggs. So the lice die but the eggs hatch and pretty soon you are right back where you started. We had a massive neighborhood infestation that was really hard to get under control. Sorry you have to deal with it, too.

 

thanks.

 

I really think the homeschool group should disband for the rest of the year but..... the leader is the leader and I'm not the leader.;) Four families got lice in a short period of time, and I can tell you FOR SURE that there are more families in there passing it all around.

 

Point taken about it being psychological. I thought that's what was happening to me these past three weeks until last night when I couldn't sleep because I kept feeling them crawling on me. Today has been awful.

 

Next Monday is my hair appt. I'll have my hairdresser check outside. It's hard to see close to my scalp because my hair is all whitish grey now at the root. And a lovely Auburn everywhere else.:tongue_smilie:

[stripe]

Did you feel them crawl?

I think so, but my head was definitely itchy.

 

I put oil on my head to smother them. It worked. I got lice twice as an adult. Once I think from a hair salon.

 

Yuck.

[Denisemomof4]

Amy, all of us will be doing no less than three treatments. A friend of mine is a hairdresser and has offered to check all of us.

 

I have had another hairdresser for years and years and I'm also going to ask her to check us on Monday.

 

I think to be safe we will do four treatments, all a week apart.

[Denisemomof4]

I think so, but my head was definitely itchy.

 

I put oil on my head to smother them. It worked. I got lice twice as an adult. Once I think from a hair salon.

 

Yuck.

 

what kind of oil did you use? I've heard people recommend olive oil and mayo.

 

I'm SO thankful our new furniture won't arrive for at least another month.

[SunD]

Yes, I have had lice and felt them! I was 12.

 

My sister got them at a sleepover, passed them to me (thanks, mom, for making me share my clothes because "she's the same size anyway" ... I digress), and we could.not.get.rid.of.them.

 

We ended up setting off bug bombs in the house, then my dad went in and bagged everything possible, even rugs and stuff. Then he dipped our heads in diesel. No, we're not normally that trashy. We were desperate! My grandpa swore it would work, and it did. My mom did comb us daily for a long time, which is probably what actually did it, but there's no way there was a conscious bug in our hair after that experience.

 

But there's always a bright side, right? We at least got a good family story. My sister had a Furby Baby that got bagged, and Dad didn't think about turning it off before he shoved it in with the other toys. So sis's first night in her bag-filled room, she woke up hearing something calling to her, in that high-pitched, halting voice. "Mama! Me ... scared! Big ... dark! Where ... light?"

[Denisemomof4]

Yes, I have had lice and felt them! I was 12.

 

My sister got them at a sleepover, passed them to me (thanks, mom, for making me share my clothes because "she's the same size anyway" ... I digress), and we could.not.get.rid.of.them.

 

We ended up setting off bug bombs in the house, then my dad went in and bagged everything possible, even rugs and stuff. Then he dipped our heads in diesel. No, we're not normally that trashy. We were desperate! My grandpa swore it would work, and it did. My mom did comb us daily for a long time, which is probably what actually did it, but there's no way there was a conscious bug in our hair after that experience.

 

But there's always a bright side, right? We at least got a good family story. My sister had a Furby Baby that got bagged, and Dad didn't think about turning it off before he shoved it in with the other toys. So sis's first night in her bag-filled room, she woke up hearing something calling to her, in that high-pitched, halting voice. "Mama! Me ... scared! Big ... dark! Where ... light?"

:lol::lol::lol:

 

I just read online tonight about dousing my head with gasoline. Sorry, I can't do that.:tongue_smilie:

[SunD]

:lol::lol::lol:

 

I just read online tonight about dousing my head with gasoline. Sorry, I can't do that.:tongue_smilie:

 

That thing complained about the big dark for about a week before the batteries died. :D

[Denisemomof4]

That thing complained about the big dark for about a week before the batteries died. :D

 

they weren't Energizers?:lol:

[Lovin Learnin]

Denise, just stick with the Cetaphil. It WILL work. I promise you. Just make sure you use it exactly as directed.

 

Good luck.

[SunD]

they weren't Energizers?:lol:

 

My dad ran a strict Duracell household. :tongue_smilie:

[Starr]

When I was a school nurse my head itched whenever lice was going around. With a dry scalp and the power of suggestion I was always making my dh check my head, no lice. I hope you don't have them!

[stripe]

what kind of oil did you use? I've heard people recommend olive oil and mayo.

 

I don't know, maybe canola?? I then used loads of cheap shampoo to get it out! Ugh, my head itches in sympathy.

[GingerPoppy]

Denise, just stick with the Cetaphil. It WILL work. I promise you. Just make sure you use it exactly as directed.

 

Good luck.

:iagree: Cetaphil or olive oil, used as directed. It is SO important do every 5 days to get the newly hatched ones *before* they become sexually mature (at around 1 week old) and make lots of new eggs!

 

Be sure to not have any water in your hair before applying either treatment, and be sure to smother every last inch of your scalp and hair. When my daughter got them at school, we were able to get rid of them with only olive oil treatments plus dedicated daily egg-picking (ick).

[Catwoman]

It's hard to see close to my scalp because my hair is all whitish grey now at the root. And a lovely Auburn everywhere else.:tongue_smilie:

 

It's so cool how it grows that way, isn't it? ;)

[Mergath]

Do you have PCOS or other hormone issues? It's sort of weird, but I've noticed that every time my symptoms get worse and I'm about to have more hair fall out, I get that itchy, crawly sensation on my scalp, and I've read that other PCOS sufferers have the same issue. I've had dh check my head every time, and not a single bug anywhere.

[clarkacademy]

It could easily be psychological. When my younger daughter had them a couple of years ago, my head itched for WEEKS. I swore I could feel them crawling. I kept getting checked and I never had any lice at all.

 

 

:iagree:My kids had it it has been years but I remember. I am a bad scratcher person as well. I really honestly dug gashes in my neck and scalp. Funny I never even had the bugs it was all in my head. To this day I have scratch scars on the back of my neck and scars I can feel in my scalp. I would do it during the day but was really bad at night in my sleep.

 

I would wake up with my pillow and my fingernails caked in dried blood it was horrible.

[Sarah CB]

It could easily be psychological. When my younger daughter had them a couple of years ago, my head itched for WEEKS. I swore I could feel them crawling. I kept getting checked and I never had any lice at all.

 

Yes! I think I itched for years after having lice. I was totally paranoid about it. Just reading this thread makes me itchy!

[Laura Corin]

I could feel them crawl, but the main thing was uncontrollable itching. I'd be having a conversation with a stranger and suddenly realise that I was scratching wildly. I used a louse shampoo and combed it through diligently with a metal comb.

 

An itchy scalp could just be dryness though - you might want to look for a shampoo that addresses a dry scalp.

 

FWIW, I never stripped beds or did any other control when I (and we) had lice. Lice don't live long off a warm body.

 

Laura

[LucyStoner]

Only once I saw them. So I think it was in my head, rather than feeling them on my head so much. I felt the itching for sure but no crawling sensation until I visually saw a few.

 

I still keep licemeister combs (plural), a lot of cepaphil and a large supply of Fairy Tales brand products, 5 years post our encounter with the buggers- me, my spouse, our older son (younger was not born) and my mom. My mom was the worst. Sick with cancer again and miraculously not experiencing hair loss for the first time ever and having no real choice but to cut 2+ feet of thick dark red hair. :(

 

Heck reading this post makes me think something is crawling on my head. :tongue_smilie:

[Negin]

Yes! I think I itched for years after having lice. I was totally paranoid about it. Just reading this thread makes me itchy!

Me too. Hated it.

One of my pet peeves is when parents of children with lice knowingly expose others. :glare:

My dc and I got it several years ago. It really was a horrible and quite traumatic experience. There's a huge stigma and overall ignorance about it in this part of the world.

[melissad2]

I remember my mom treating my cousins heads with listerine for head lice. She would comb out their hair with a nit comb then pour listerine on their heads and let it sit for 20 minutes or so before shampooing. Worked like a charm :)

[Scuff]

I had l ice once as a child. I don't remember feeling them. I'm going to say no, since I didn't know they were there when my mom found them.

 

Several times as a teen/collegiate I thought i had them and did a treatment. Once i treated a few times, certain I felt them and they weren't going away, and my hair started to fall out. That stuff is harsh and I do think you can think your feeling them when it's just irritation. If your hairdresser didn't see any and you've already shampooed, try to forget about it and just trust that things are ok.

[Deee]

Lice are really common in Australia (more likely due to our climate than our lousy convict beginnings). Most schools have a lice plague every year, and they seem to be on the increase. The treatment recommended by the Australian College of Paediatricians is to liberally coat your hair with cheap conditioner, then comb it through using a metal lice comb (the plastic combs are a complete waste of time!). Wipe the comb on a tissue or paper towel after each pass through your hair. You'll see any critters. Make sure you start at the scalp. Do this every 4 days for about 3 weeks. This really does work - you just have to be patient. Lice like clean hair. They also seem to like some people more than others:tongue_smilie: Lice shampoos don't do much. Its the combing that does the trick. Some people favour preventative treatments like lavender and ti-tree oil, but the effectiveness of these is not proven. There is also no evidence that washing all your bedding helps, but that didn't stop me washing everything in sight last time my son got nits!

Hope this helps

Danielle

[Tmhearn]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned... There is a neat little battery operated lice comb you can buy at most drugstores. It makes a buzzing sound as you comb through the hair and then stops buzzing when you catch something.

[MeganW]

When one person in our house got them, we treated the entire family at once as if they had them. I assumed it was like pink eye - something that we would keep passing back and forth if we didn't all deal with it at once.

[Xilka]

Drench your hair and scalp in olive oil, and then comb with metal delousing comb.

 

Next to you, have a cup of boiling water to dip the comb into, so that they die immediately and can't jump off. Reheat water every 7 minutes or so.

 

The olive oil helps by making them stick to the comb. They also die from suffocation, as they can't breathe with the oil.

 

Do it one day, and then a couple days later again. Repeat until nothing else comes off on the comb.

 

When you sit down to the task, know that it's going to take a couple of hours.

[Rosie_0801]

Lice like clean hair. They also seem to like some people more than others:tongue_smilie:

 

I think you're right! Both times we've had them, it's been dh bringing them home! He likes to buy the shampoo for himself and the kids, but I have long hair and find it easier to use olive oil. It dissolves their exoskeletons. Coconut oil does too.

 

Rosie