Talk to me about lice...

[Rich with Kids]

My niece caught it and exposed my dc this weekend. We didn't find out until a coupla days into the weekend. Are my kids gonna get it? Is there anything I can do to prevent it?

[abbeyej]

Here's a recent thread that might help... :)

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38020

[Sandy in Indy]

Oily hair is better at this point...lice have trouble attaching to it. You might not have any problem, but I'd certainly look carefully for the next few weeks!

If you need to treat, Vaseline is your friend.

[Camy]

Check out the Lice R Gone shampoo (http://www.safe2use.com/).

It works. It's a preventative. It can be used in diluted form to spray areas in the house.

Many here (I hope...grin), can vouch for my credibility. I was an active participant on the old WTM board (7 years in the making) and I'm now getting back into the new board. Just thought I'd add that....that's how much I love the Lice R Gone.

It doesn't hurt to have a bottle on hand. You can also kill other bugs with it, too!

Blessings,
Camy

[clarkacademy]

I don't know what it is called but when the kids were in PS we used an electronic shocker comb type thing. My son has really bad skin issues any of the shampoo we used even organic and prescribed ate him up. This was wonderful and worked so well. I also heard about vaseline cover the hair for two days then comb and wash. We have not had it since I began HS so I feel your pain and hope it all works out for you and the children.
:grouphug:

[Melinda TX]

We went through this in the spring. It didn't look anything like what I expected - I expected lots and lots of white nits. Very very few. But then I caught sight of a tiny bug. Ewww. After trying the expensive shampoo, which didn't really work, I found a remedy online that was great and inexpensive.
Soak hair in Listerine and cover with a shower cap for two hours. Rinse, then soak hair in vinegar. Cover with shower cap for another two hours. Rinse, comb thru with a metal flea comb. Then wash hair. The first step kills all the bugs, the vinegar loosens the nits from the hair.
Of course, we did all the linens and towels in hot water and dryer. Soaked all the combs/brushes in Lysol. Anyway - it is a hassle, but we got it under control.
Good Luck!

[Ferdie]

My understanding is that lice can not jump or fly, and are spread by direct contact. So for me it would depend on how your niece and children interacted. If they shared hair brushes, pillows, hats or if your niece was lying on your sofa or floor I would do a little preventive work.

Lice don't like coconut shampoo and Suave makes an inexpensive one. I would buy the shampoo and conditioner and use that for a while. I would also pick up a metal lice comb (about $10 but worth it) and comb out your kids' hair for several days in a row as follows: shampoo your child's hair first and then comb out small section at a time, starting at the nap of the neck and work up. If you find a live lice you will have to treat your child but hopefully if you catch it early they won't spread to other children.

If you niece was not in direct contact, but just playing at the park or something, then I really wouldn't worry about it.

[melissaL]

shampoo and conditioner, left in the hair don't kill lice, they just make them unconscious. we discovered the under the microscope, while I was fine combing my sons hair, and he was counting how many we found. after about 20 minutes they come "alive" again, and leap off the slide with a little flip.
we just soaked the hair every day in conditioner for 30 minutes, then fine combed and looked at the conditioner that was fine combed out under the microscope. after a few days we got all the lice, and had to wait 5 days for the eggs to hatch, then we repeated the above until they were all gone.
I also washed all linen and blankets every day above 60 oC

[Rich with Kids]

Thanks for all of your advice! My head itches just thinking about it!