Jennifer in MI Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 We just got THAT call. My dd had two friends (sisters) over to play last week (Monday). They had an annual doctor appointment and were checked there on Tuesday and were officlally lice-free (?). But, one girl had an itchy head. I got the call today. The girls have lice. I'm SO grateful that they called. But, what can we do to protect ourselves??? I've checked all my kids and dh (nothing). I'm washing the bedding they played on and putting all stuffed animals and dolls in a plastic bag in the garage for two weeks. Is there anything else we can do? How long should I continue to check everyone? (My kids have asked me to check every night! They thought it felt SOOOO good!!!) TIA!! FYI - Dd had her hair in a braid the days we were together. The girls are in gymnastics together, if that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Sounds like you are doing well. I would also vacuum the furniture. Just keep checking their hair every other day or so for about the two weeks. Looking in the sun can help. Good luck! I hope you don't get any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Get a good metal lice comb and check for bugs by combing through, not just looking. It is pretty easy to see nits, but the bugs are harder to find without the comb. You want to find them before they lay lots of eggs so that they will be easier to get rid of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova147 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 The life cycle is about 2 weeks. So check for that long. Lice can only live fairly close to the scalp, so you don't need to check the ends of their hair - the nits and bugs will be at the roots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacie Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Put some tee tree oil in shampoo and wash everyone. The tee tree oil is supposed to kill lice, it works as a preventative too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Put some tee tree oil in shampoo and wash everyone. The tee tree oil is supposed to kill lice, it works as a preventative too. :iagree: There was a girl with lice at VBS last week, and 2 of my children were in the same class as her. As soon as we got home that night, I put TTO, as well as oils of rosemary, eucalyptus, and lemon into coconut oil and smeared it on everyone's head (including my own) and left it for 30 minutes. We added essential oils to our shampoo for a few days until I felt like we were okay. I also added grapefruit seed extract; it's supposed to kill all stages of the life cycle. My precautions may have been a bit drastic, but the girl was at VBS with the lice for 3 days before it was caught and treated. None of us ended up with lice, though the oils can cause some itchy scalp, so we've been a bit paranoid from time to time! We sprayed the church pews and our furniture here at home with a mixture of water with those same essential oils. I did tons of laundry to wash everyone's bedding and stuffed animals. The adults can only live for 1-2 days on other surfaces, so it doesn't take long to know if you have them or not. This is twice now that we've taken some pretty drastic precautions during VBS "just in case" one of us picked up lice from a child at church, and both times it worked. I figure it's a lot easier to kill a couple of adult lice (if we happened to pick them up) than to wait and see and end up dealing with a big infestation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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