Can't get rid of LICE! HELP!!!!!

My 3 and a half year old has been battling lice for 6 MONTHS.  We have tried RID, NIX, olive oil, Licefreee, nit-picking by hand (HA, HA, she's 3--she won't even sit still for 5 mins, let alone an hour to go through every strand of hair!!.  Every time I think they are gone, they show back up again.  My other kids are clear, and DH insists he can't find any on me (thought I'm awfully itchy--could be psychological).  Doc is not helpful, says the prescriptions available are not good for kids, (fine, but....)offers no other options, just says to pick them out by hand.  I have plastic on everything, change bedding, bagged up stuffed toys.
I finally got fed up and did a no-no--I double dosed her with RID, and then Nix in one day.  When I went to comb and pick nits, I found several LIVE lice!!!!!!  I realize now that they are resistant mutants, and the chemicals aren't working, so there is no point in continuing to expose her to the chemicals, but what can I do????  I am at my wits end, and she announces to EVERYBODY that she has "buggies" in her hair, as she scratches away.  I am MORTIFIED, and want them GONE.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!!!  Thank You!

[amythist2779]

OMG I am not alone in this. I have an 11 yr old son that has them,we get rid of them and it seems like they come right back within a week or two. I have tried about everything too. I have tried the RID, NIX, LICEICE, I tried vegetable oil with a bag over the head for 2 hours to try to suffocate them, someone even told me to put mayonayse in the hair and then cover the head with a plastic bag for a couple of hours and this would take care of it. Well the mayo thing works the best for the time being. My son hates it, and so do I, I mean its just so messy and gross, but I dont know what else to do. I have even tried the prescription shampoo that the pharmacies have. No luck.

Now my youngest son is 6 and he does not have the lice, neither does my husband or I. It is only the 11 yr old who keeps on getting it. I am also to my wits end. I dont know what to do. I got so desperate awhile back I was doing some research on the net and there is a medication that the doctors can give to people that have tried everything else. It is some kind of pill medication though. I will have to go look it up again and let you know what it is so that you can ask your doc about it.

I feel for you hun. It is so embarrassing, but what can you do? I mean really, I have boys, so I cut their hair a little bit shorter if they get lice so that its easier, so I thought, to get out. But you poor thing its not like you can go and buzz your daughters head without everyone knowing.

I will try to find that information again and get back to you on this post ok. Hang in there, and hey if you havent tried the mayo thing...give it a shot. You really have to make sure you get it really saturated though, im talking like globs and globs sitting on the scalp and rubbed into the scalp...and it is a pain in the rear to wash out.

Its just no fun, no matter how you look at it, but it may work. But like I said saturate the hair and scalp with mayo then pile the hair on top of the head, put a plastic bag over her head, i use the bags that the grocery stores give you, I put it on the head cover the tips of the ears with the bag, gather it at the nape of the neck and use a rubberband, or a clippy to hold it into place. Keep the bag on her head for atleast 2 hours, so that it hopefully smothers the lice.

If you try this I hope it works for you, and good luck. Let me know if you decide to try it and if it works for you or not.

Oh one more thing...after you comb through the wet hair and get out all the dead lice and nits that you can, blow dry her hair, especially scalp for as long as she will let you. The hot air will help kill any remaining lice or nits...or its supposed to anyways.

Again, lemme know how it goes... and good luck!!
Aurora

[imcrazy2]

LOL--looks like I'm not the only one who makes the rounds on these forums!  Thank you for responding to both of my posts!!  I will try the mayo thing.  I have also heard vaseline works the same way, but one website that talked about home remedies said that olive oil was the most effective of the 3.  So I DOUSED her head with it, put a shower cap on, and put her to bed for 12 hours.  Next day, I pulled at least 10 big fat live ones off, and NO dead ones!!!!  Maybe mayo or vaseline will be better because they are thicker, so the little buggers can't crawl out to get air.  If my husband would let me, I would almost consider shaving her head, I'm at that point, but she has gorgeous blond almost waist-length hair.  I feel like tossing my hands up and saying, "ok, so she'll just have lice for the rest of her life!"  (Not going to do that, though, LOL)
AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[amythist2779]

Yes I am a medhelp forum junky..lol...and I dont stick to just one topic, I have to check almost all of them out to see whats goin on. What an exciting life I have huh..lol. I have been so busy on the addiction forum today I still havent looked up that pill I told you about, but I will get to it sometime today.

I most often go to the addiction forum, and we had a little bit of drama over there today. Of course here I am wide awake today and feeling frisky, so I had to put my two or more cents in...lol. Made one lady mad, big whoop, so I did the right thing and apologized, and she just wanted to continue on arguing, so I finally left. She was giving me a dang headache. Way too much drama over there for me right now. So here I am wondering around medhelp poppin in and out of rooms being nosey, helping if I can...and quietly reading and leaving if I cant...lol.

You know what? You will not believe this...its been snowing here since last night right, so there was no school. Ok so first thing this morning we discuss this headlice thing, and my son wakes up and scratches his head, I was like omg you gotta be kidding me....sure as hell, hes got it AGAIN. He just had them last week too. So he is going to be very unhappy with me tonight when I douse his head in mayo and put that bag on his head. Man oh man he hates that. Hes due for a hair cut too, but I left all of my supplies at my grandmothers house 20 miles away, and there is no way I am driving in this blizzard to get it. He will just have to deal with extra extra mayo on his head tonight. LOL....The wonderful world of parenthood...gotta love it huh...

[really??]

I have heard from many sources that tea tree oil both gets rid of lice and deter them from coming back if used in shampoos regularly.

Go to any search engine and type in "tea tree oil" + "lice"

here is just the first site URL that I looked at"
http://specialchildren.about.com/od/medicalissues/qt/teatree.htm

And the paragraph about this:
"During my daughter's battle with The Head Lice That Would Not Die, I sent a message out to an e-mail support group begging for suggestions on what to do. One correspondent suggested tea tree oil shampoo, saying that she had used it when living among people with head lice and never gotten any herself. Shampoos with tea tree oil aren't the best-smelling things you're ever going to put on your child's head -- but as much as you don't like it, lice dislike it even more, and will find a treated head altogether less hospitable. That makes it a good natural solution, particularly in conjunction with another technique such as smothering the bugs. You'll also want to have everybody else in the family shampoo with it to keep their heads lice-free."

[imcrazy2]

I posted a message for you on the addiction forum, but it didn't get posted with all of the drama today they are cracking down and sensoring everything.  I had already been there, and read it, so I knew what you were referring to. I spend  a good amount of time on the addiction forum too.  I am not an addict, but a nursing student fascinated with the psychology of addiction.  Plus it's really hard to not get personally involved & to care about each person's story, so I read to hear how everyone is doing.  I guess it's the nature of the beast, but I really worry about regulars who stop posting.  I think about Shorty all the time--remember her?  Anyway, always nice to make new friends!!
PS  My other post may have been deleted because I put my e-mail in case you wanted to chat off the forum.  Is that against the rules???
PPS  You-know-who was TOTALLY out of line.  Kudos for speaking up.

[amythist2779]

Yeah I know who you are talking about being out of line, but I suppose I could have shut my mouth too. But Im with you, I enjoy reading their stories. I am not an addict either, but I know all about living with one, and what goes along with it. I do rememeber shorty, and I was also asking about memma. I believe she had just had her baby, but what I was concerned about was her head. She bumped it pretty bad before she went into labor, and we were both worried that she may have damaged the surgery she had already gone through. We both have arnold chiari malformation, only mine is stable and I have not had to have any surgeries as of yet, she has on the other hand, and I am worried that she may have hurt herself worse off than she originally thought. I just hope they didnt have to go back in and do the surgery again. God I pray that they didn't. I am so grateful that mine is stable and has stayed that way for the last 3 or 4 years.

As far as them deleting some of the posts, someone must have turned in that mamapooh lady because she did leave a last post to tell us all that medhelp emailed her telling her that they had removed all of her posts because she did not follow the terms of service, or something like that.

I actually started to feel bad about getting everyone riled up. I felt somewhat guilty because I was infact the first person who responded to her this morning at like 4 am. So I tried to apoligize and she came in on that post and started in on me and attacking me again. I finally just told her to leave me alone in a round about way.

I don't think you are supposed to post email addys on here but I see people do it all the time. I wont necessarily post mine, but if you take my screen name on here and put the yahoo name after it, you will reach my mailbox, or you can add me to messenger if you want. I hope you understood what I just tried to say there...lol. I was trying to be sneaky, which I am obviously not very good at...LOL. So now...about this tea tree oil. I wonder where you can get it. Im going to send hubby to the store to see if they have it in the pharmacy department. I am so desperate, I am willing to try anything!

Anyways I have little munchkins hollaring for some food, so I suppose I should get going, we still have valentines boxes to decorate tonight....ugh, not in the mood, glad I have boys so they wont want it all prettied up. LOL. Take care crazy...
Aurora

[harrassedmother]

Glad to see others are also obssessed with head lice! with 3 daughters, I have a wealth of experience I'd like to share!
First of all, I haven't found any of the chemical treatments and shampoos any good, and besides I was never happy at pouring insecticides over the kids heads.
I have been told there is a new thing out that suffucates them which works well, sounds like a version of mayonaise/vasaline idea!
I'm afraid the only way i have found to get rid of them is combing with conditioner which stops them holding on! comb and comb, using the very narrow tooth ones made for the job. make sure you wipe the comb clean after each comb.
when you are happy the head is clear, do everyone else on the same day. Then do everyone the next day. then the next. If everyone is clear wait for 2-3 days and repeat. then do it again in 2-3 days! if all clear prevention is now essential. Tea tree is great for this. shampoo is ok but i find 1-2 drops of essential oil  mixed into a bowl of water and combed through works well.be very careful not to use too much,its strong stuff. after washing the hair towel dry vigorously,if any have got back on the head, this breaks their legs and they drop out. then as mentioned before, use the hairdyer, hot as possible next to the scalp. tying the hair back makes it easier for them to climb aboard!If your child is restless we find doing the combing in front of a dvd helps with the boredom. Once I was combing my youngests hair dry and the lice mustof been flying around. a little while later I looked down at my white top and there were 10-15 lice crawling up towards my hair, I think they can sniff it out!
good luck! by the way if you have a boy, apparently  they do not go anywhere them once puberty starts, sadly not true for girls.      

[suzyqx3]

OH WOW!!! I could have written these post on here my self...I am at my wits end right now with my 9 year old daughter. And like you others oddly enough she is the only one. The first case appeared this summer, then again about 2 weeks ago and sure enough again tonight!! I have done it all too, chemicals, olive oil, mayo and tea tree oil.... AAUUGGGHH! The mayo and the olive oil seem to be the most effective. The best thing about those is that the nits slide right off the hair shatf....
I AM SO OVER THIS!! We cut 7 inches off my daughters beautiful thick hair, I cried, she loved it. But now its back again!! My husband is deployed and I want to cry...thanks for letting me vent...I do feel better knowing I am not alone!

[kk2]

OK now I know why God led me to this forum tonight. I am on the weight loss forum day in and day out every day since last June, but I have never checked out any of the others until tonight!

My daughters and I fought the lice battle last winter and I remember what you guys are feeling. I found the answer on the Internet in a very simple affordable product called Nitmix. It is an oil. Its a little bit messy but it does not leave the hair oily, in fact you can get a spray or rinse to use every day as a preventative and people say it makes your hair shiny and smell great. The really amazing thing about the oil is that it doesn't kill the lice. So you think " well it doesn't work then." But it does! Its so oily they cannot hang on and you just comb them right out. Whatever you don't get the first day you probably will the next, and that's eggs too so you don't have to worry about them hatching seven days later. We used the stuff once and never had a problem again. It was a miracle for us. Just google Nitmix and you will probably find it, if not, let me know and I will see if I still have any of their info.

[Nikkihaskins]

I am 24 years old and have 3 half siblings 7 10 and 11 years younger then me.  Because of head lice I was not allowed to visit my father or my brother and sisters.  When ever I went there I would catch them and my mom would freak out. I love my other family very much and head lice or not mother could not keep me from them.  I swear they had them for years but no one would talk about it.  I felt horrable for them because no one was allowed to play with them becuase of the lice in school my sister told me they were known as the head lice family.  Ever time a check was done they would be sent home.  My stepmother tried everything that was mentioned above and still years later they have it.  My brother doesn't have it all the time because he will shave his head himself.  They are Muntant Lice.  The kids had it for so long that they did not think twice about useing peoples brushes lying on peoples bed etc.  It would upset me because I didn't want to treat them the way every one else did.  So I would hide brushes ask them to only sit in the living room and vacum after they left.  I know have a 5 yrold daughter who loves her aunties and uncle very much.  But I could not live like this anymore.  School was starting in a fw weeks and I started to panick.  I heard that hair die would kill them.  So me and my daughter both got new hair colors then we piled hair grease on our heads and put bags over them.  The next day we had showers and the bugs FALL OUT.  I could not beleive it all the years I struggled with this as a kid my self they FALL OUT.  For the next week every day we combed every strand of hair on my daughters head then my own.  Never had them since.  I beleive not does it kill them but the bugs to not like you hair after you do it either.  They only thing is that my daughter has not seen her aunties or uncle or grandfather since school began this year.  How should I handle this?  I don't know what to say to my siblings or father.  

[babeth]

Did anyone looked for Nit pickers, they are all over the US, like Lice Source Services & Lice Cleanique in Florida, they have clinics for you to go to or also offer house calls.
Even so they are obvious fees  to have someone remove nits for 2 hrs, it is probably nothing compare to how much you already have spent trying on your own. They work with needed families & educate individuals as well. Looking for a specialist in your area is the way to go.

[Jewel08]

Oh Boy that time again Head Lice .. when my neice gets head lice from school she calls me the professional nit picker every time to go through her hair  .. yes they do offer services in areas to clean you child out for a fee .. it is a lot of hard work to get them out of a small child that does not like to sit still for you to do it by hand.  Yes the RID , NIX do not work that well but PRONTO seems to work better then these too but my niece not only has me pick her clean but she keeps the shampoo  ( Pronto) on hand during head lice season and another thing that might help you is trying a small drop of Tea Tree oil on the scalp after they are clean the lice tend not to like the taste of the scalp treated with this oil during the Head lice season..

I have also had my neice after treating her and picking her clean have her put lots of conditioner on her head .... with a plastic bag on the head and this causes any live ones  babies that might hatch if you missed any (nits) to come to the surface becasue the conditioner keeps the lice from being able to get ahold of the scalp .. this is how I found them in my head one time when I caught them .. thought I had dry scalp during the winter and it turned out I had head lice.. I left the conditioner in and was brushing through my hair with the conditioner still in my hair and found lice in my brush .. boy was I shocked..

Conditioner is not going to hurt or harm your childs head  this way you can periodically check by leaving conditioner on her under a bag  to make sure she doesnt have any new hatches if you missed any nits ... hope this might help you

[Jewel08]

I dont know if I would put straight kerosense on a childs head even if it does get rid of them because if this burns the childs scalp it could be considered child abuse have you ever read the label on the Kerosene bottle ?   Using on yourself as an adult even ( I have done this to myself in the past ) but mixed it in shampoo never put it on full strength ..  putting it on full strength =  possible consequenses if you burn the child or it gets into their eyes because it is dangerous to use this chemical for a use not intended... I would never put this full strength on my daughter or son and they are both 9 at the moment .. and prime targets during head lice season ..

[primalmom]

Mayo will work. Lice can hold their breath for 8 hours. So putting mayo or olive oil will not work if you put it on for a couple of hours. You must have it on LONGER than 8 hours. Now, I will say the olive oil way works but you must stay on top of it.. olive oil night #1, night #2, night #5, #9, and every 4th night for 21 days.

Mayo.. do not do at night. Leaving on a child while sleeping risks the child getting salmonella. Do it early am (6am? 7am?) and leave on until at least 9 hours have passed. Comb through while the may is in the hair (out in the sunlight is best so that you can see the nits and aren't reinfesting the house.) Wash out by putting a shampoo for oily hair DIRECTLY on the hair with NO water. Massage in.. add a little water to suds it up. Rinse. Repeat. I rinse with vinegar too.

They WILL suffocate or at least slow down enough to get them out. Depending on severity.. you may have to do it the next day as well.

[Bellix]

I didn't read the whole blog, but I totally understand not being able to pick the nits out of a three year old girl's hair. It was such a frustrating situation, I was out of work for a week the first time, and 3 days a couple of weeks later because of course we can't have one single nit in her hair. Here's what I did. I started with the rid, and what do you know, I pulled live and dead lice out of her hair. I was amazed that the buggers survived the chemicals. So, here's the real trick my dear...
1. Get some cetaphyl, it's the not soap stuff that you wash your face with, very gentle and easy with no nasty harsh chemicals. DOUSE the hair with it, and start blow drying... What we're going here for is a friggin CRUST of cetaphyl, so you'll have to put more in, and dry, and more... but you can sculpt her hair into all kinds of cool configurations while you're at it and turn it into a little game. Once you get all the hair up top in a nice little crusty helmet, slather some more on there, bag it, and put her to bed for the night. It's not greasy or grimy like the mayo treatment. The cetaphyl should suffocate the nasty little things.
2. In the morning, or as late into the afternoon as you can stand it, go for a rinse. You might still fine a few live ones but I've got that covered too.
3. Once her hair is dry, start making random parts in the hair and use a cotton swab to wipe tea tree oil on her head. This is the best part, I think they even abandon ship at this point, I didn't find a single live louse on my daughter's head the next day.
4. Put the tea tree oil on the head every day for about a week, keep it up, my understanding is that any that do happen to hatch quickly jump off onto your rug and die in a few hours.
5. I added tea tree oil to the bottle of shampoo the family was using, you don't need a ton, just enough to make it a little stinky. The smell got covered up with our conditioners, hairsprays, etc so nobody really noticed.

This was really easy on my family, especially after the nitpicking episode my daughter and I had to sit through. I only had to do it once. Hope it works!

[HazelLynn]

Hi, I have four children, three of them girls with waist long hair - they caught nits, we bought HEADRIN, NIX, TEATREE, LAVENDER, and many many other concoctions - and none of them worked, I spent hours and hours combing through, then I had an idea of soaking their hair in baby oil, I left it for a few hours and then combed through, and continued combing through and through.  I left the oil in all night and day and combed and combed, then washed it out by putting shampoo in first without water - to lift the oil and shampooed normally.  I repeated this every few days and found that there were no eggs and no nits.  We had wasted a fortune on this remedies, we had them imported if we couldnt buy them here - what a waste of money.   If you try this, please let me know if you are succesful. It smells nice and leaves the hair in lovely condition too.  GOOD LUCK!

[romanorick]

the reason i have the lice removal center is just that my own kids are worst for me but good for everyone else,so same principal kids sit and be good for me at the center,where normally they wouldnt sit still at home....p.s im gonna check in to your guys sugggestion on the oil

[Rachelinpain]

i have 2 children who are adopted...they came into foster care to us covered in lice and from what i know had had lice for YEARS!!  like some of the other posters have said...the chemicals really did not help...although I must admit I took several rid baths my self because of the psychological itching (never got them btu felt i had them).  the only thing that worked was cutting the kids hair as short as possible...for my son we just shaved his head...end of problem...with girls it is harder but you need to cut her hair as short as you can stand...then (as difficult as it may be) sit down every night after her bath and use the nit comb on every ounce of her hair...dont worry about the eggs, you will comb those out as they hatch but you have to get all of the adults before they have time to lay more eggs.  if you comb her every night she will get used to it.  we did this every night for months...my daughter strarted watching them swim around in the bowl of water.  you also have to be very careful about what is in her room...bag it all...if it is not entirely made of plastic, put it in a garbage bag and keep it in the garage for 2 months then wash it, that way you are sure you have killed everything.  you have to remove baby dolls and barbies too...i finally found a barbie that she slept with that i think was keeping her infected.  you have to completely steralize her room, they can transfer to anything.  if you can not wipe it with a damp rag it needs to be out of the house.  you have to do your car too, where she sits and the seat all around her.  a really bad case of lice is the pits...what horrible memories.  i hope some of my suggestions help.  good luck.

[sisbbbb]

Wow, you guys are going through my biggest fear.  When the kids (now 7 and 9) started school I found out just how prevelant lice was in schools today.  My kids have not gotten lice yet, but it is one of my biggest fears.  I work on pevention:  I have them wash their hair with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Oil shampoo during school lice season (which is most of the school year), and during the cold weather season I make them put their winter coat, hat and mittens in a plastic bag when they take it off at school.  They just put their stuff in the bag and hang it on their hook.  My son never complains about doing this, but my daughter didn't like doing this at first.  She still wishes she didn't have to because no other kids have to do this but too bad.  The children's elementary school has 215 total students, and their have been times when as many as 15 - 20 kids have lice.  Our school does head checks at the beginning of the school year, and has periodic head checks after vacations where the kids are out of school for 5 days or longer.  I'm probably creating paranoid kids, but I know how much trouble people I know have had getting rid of the lice once their kids get it.  My prayers are with all of you.  I would advise that once you get rid of the lice do everything you can to prevent it from happening again.

[Becky1989]

tea tree oil mixed with conditioner really does work, give it a go if you haven't already.

[rilbrianne]

Mayo and vaseline mix works for us.  3 hours.  Has worked for my teen sister for 2 outbreaks now and we swear by it.  Oil works too with the mayo.  

[Godslove0210]

help!  I keep thinking we get rid of lice in our 2 year old daughter, and today I found another egg! First found lice 2 weeks ago today...did over the counter shampoo, and manual picking...then switched to olive oil,  and been putting tea tree oil in her hair....we hav 4 girls in house, and babysit a 5th everyday...so far no one got it, but cant stop finding eggs in youngest's hair! am I missing them or is there one hiding laying more eggs....feel im losing sanity.....

[redneckgurl]

lavender shapoo helps keep them away alot people dont know after you do a treatment your are spost to repeat it after 10 day my sister use to get it and if she went  somewhere to spent the night we had to do a teretment when she got back and other thing you need to it wash the towels in hot water and the bed stuff and get the lice spray and spray it on every thing what ever she sit or touched and when you put her hair up make sure you put hair spray or evern when her hair is down put tons tof hair spray and another thing you can do is put maniose in her hair it and put a shower cap on and let her sleep in it

[redneckgurl]

and after you do those things it can leave her hair mess what you it get some baking soda and mix it in with a little bit of shapoo and scrub in iher hair and on her scalp

[redneckgurl]

hope this helped someone

[Trylea]

im am bout to blow a fuse....tried all the chemicals...now doing a tee tree oil and mayo setting. for 2 hours i hope it works. we had a out break in dec and its march and im still fighting it. my daughter just turned four and cries because her toys are gone and she has a new bed and still has them... i just found the barbie post. i never thought  about that so we are doing the barbies...not sure how but im going to try and bag them and put them on the top rack of the dish washer...? and redo the mayo treatment in a couple days?.....pray for me im gonna scream

[Sally44]

My daughter is the only one who repeatedly picks them up at school.  There must be other kids with them.  But the system I use that works is:-
All bedding, toys, towels, combs/brushes etc have to be washed at +60 degrees.
I buy a nit comb from the chemist, and after washing her hair I put on a conditioner that I have added tea tree oil to.  And then I comb the hair through.  After every down stroke I rinse the nit comb under the tap in the sink.  I keep a plug in the sink and I count how many I comb out.  You have to rinse it out after every down stroke so that you aren't just spreading lice and eggs all over the hair.  When I am no longer combing out any - and by that time I may have gone over all her head 5 times - I rinse her hair with clean water (not from the bath incase eggs or nits are floating in it.  Then I do the same thing again every 3 days, until I have not found any live lice for 2 weeks.  Then I stop.  Sometimes she gets re-infected.  But this last time she has been clear for over 6 months.  I also make sure her hair is not loose at school in a pony tail etc.  This summer I will probably cut it short.

[MAYALEE]

hi, every one! yah I'm one whos also in battle with these things, I feel like just cutting all girls hair off! I did the mayo thing, olive oil too combed all nits but they came back I feel reading you all on here may help.. thanks so much! :)  ITS GOOD TO HEAR THINGS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRYED, I HAVE BEFOR ONLY READ THING FROM PEOPLE WHO JUST THINK THEY KNOW..

[Help54]

It is so frustrating! At my house we tried RID and it didn't work. The school nurse said put Cooking Oil on her head with a plastic bag. It didn't work. And then the doctor said to put mayo on her head with a bath cap overnight. It still left maybe 5 adult lice left. So lice die because of heat, right? So we are going to sit her in the bathtub, have hot water coming out of the facet and she is going to put her head under it for 20 min. and hopefully that will kill the lice. Then we will wash her hair. If you do the mayo or oil thing make sure you wash her hair with ULTRA CONCENTRATED DAWN dish washing soap. I know you have tried some of these, but try it again. And then my husband made her cry and get worried cause he said a friend of his friends daughter had lice and they couldn't get it out so she had to shave her head, but the funny this is, her dad shaved his head, too so she wouldn't feel as bad. Hope this helps!

[Help54]

It turns out that the Mayo didn't leave lice, it was just in her mind, only the eggs we left, so she took off her cap, took a shower and now we are picking out the eggs. Hope this helps! and if you can't get the ''buggies'' gone, then you will have to shave off her hair.

[luchiii]

Hi, Im 14 I just got lice and it is HORRIBLE. I had it one time before, and it just kept coming backk! but theres this one thing that works that few people know about.
          This is exactly what I did in 1 night:
1. Get ALL clothes, brushes, blankets, pillow cases, hats, etc and IMMEDIATELY put them in the washer and dryer, or boil them.
2. Layout about 3-4 towels, and 2-3 pairs of clothes that you will need to use during the process. Also, if anyone is helping you, make sure they do the same: (putting clothes etc in the washer) and also washing their hands and putting their hair up in a high ponytail!
3. took a shower and SCRUBED my hair with shampoo with the hottest water I could stand.
4. Wrapped my hair in a towel.
5. Begin "NIX" treatment. First have someone SMOTHER your hair in the NIX lotion (use the WHOLE bottle) and leave it in for 10 minutes.
6. After the 10 minutes is up, go back into the shower and rinse ALL of the lotion out of your hair. During this process, some of the lice may fall out of your hair in the shower.
7.Get out of shower and with a DIFFERENT towel, wrap your hair again and change into a NEW pair of clothes.
8. Use the fine comb that will come in the NIX pakage and comb out Every single strand of hair...literally until most ALL eggs, nits and lice are gone.
Next, use a 12 oz bottle of CETAPHIL and saturate your hair in it. and i mean like DRENCH it!
9. Then, again use the fine tooth comb and do the same. Also, during this time, you are tyring to get out as much cetaphil as possible with the comb. This part is the most important. You really really have to get every thing out!
10. Blow Dry your hair until completely dry.
11. Check head again for ANY signs of lice.

The next day, even if you DONT see anything, still do another treatment. you could do anything...mayonaise, vinegar...etc.  Eventhough this takes a long long time, it works, and the most important thing is to keep doing treatments like every 2 days or so after this one, because eventhought they might seem like their gone, they can re hatch without you noticing.
Hope this helsps

[veroluvsluis]

my daughter had lice when she was 6 years old and it took me 6 months to get rid of them. It's  true what luchiii said, you need to keep on doing these treatments at least for the next month eventhough you think they are gone. combing the hair and doing any treatment of your choice  at least every other day untill you completely kill all the eggs or they will hatch and keep on coming back. good luck and don't give up. remember keep on doing your treatment of your choice untill know you got rid of every single egg. and very important keep on combing and combing hair with fine comb.

[erin545]

buy lice x off the computer my children had lice for 5 years straight it will work and the spray iff you use it every year will keep your child from catching it i promise you you can buy this on the internet i urge everyone to buy it if they have children and even ust use as a precauiton

[erin545]

buy lice x off the computer my children had lice for 5 years straight it will work and the spray iff you use it every year will keep your child from catching it i promise you you can buy this on the internet i urge everyone to buy it if they have children and even ust use as a precauiton

[steph5692]

I have been threw this twice. My kids are almost 10yrs apart and when i was pregnant with my second child my oldest had caught it at end of school yr. I fought it all summer long. Then someone told me about rubbing alcohol. I put it on and and shower cap and let it sit for a hr or so. Then i combed and picked threw her hair and she has never had it again, now 17. Now i am pregnant with my third child and my second daughter, now 7, have been fighting it since May, here it is end of July.  I have tried Rid x, Mayo, the alcohol. Nothing seems to work. My oldest daughter read a article that says to use a hot straightner to straighten the hair but in little section. She is doing this as we speak. Im going crazy. I have washed pillows, blankets, vaccuumed everything possible and they just dont go away... I feel like shaving her hair off at times. But i cant do that to my little girl. Her dr. even says the only way to get rid of it is pick them out till there is none no more.... This is hard when i have a very active 7 yr old.  Well i will keep trying everything i can find. If and when i get rid of them i will post how i did it... Thank you im so glad i am not the only one out there..

[gosharks1]

I have been battling lice for 3 months now, with my daughter who is 9. She keeps getting reinfested, and we have even gone to a lice clinic in Houston. We have spent over $500 on trying to battle this thing. Evey couple of weeks, I find either nits or live lice.
I think we are just going to do what the posts say, a treatment every 3 days with a thorough nitpicking. School will start soon and that is where she got it from in the first place! Cetaphil has seemed to work best, (The Nuvo Treamtment) but you MUST do the follow up treatments, which I didn't do. Now, I will.

[chemicalanarchy]

80% of all head lice are PESTICIDE RESISTANT!

I won't beat around the bush, but I'm a biochemist and I have my own business making organic body lotions and massage oils and a PRIVATE website with restricted access and my kids and wife had head lice for 2 mos until I found, and looked up 'ulesfia'.  Being a chemist, it's not hard to make 5% benzyl alcohol (BA) solution like in their formula or make it 4% or 6% of substitute a like chemical for 1/10 the cost. (I accidently made a 10% solution when I didn't remember it was only 5% for ulesfia and that worked, too!)

NONE of the chemicals including the BA, or any other part of it are restricted and in fact, ANYBODY can buy 1 gallon BA for $50 and you don't need a script or I can sell you my version by the liter which cured the problem IMMEDIATELY after we'd been living this hell for mos with EVERY other 'remedy' and you only have to apply it and leave it on for TEN MINUTES!

If you want to know how safe BA is, it is also used in pharmaceuticals for INJECTION as well as IV's and eye washes and drops which I also make for my allergies.

This 'big secret' about how to really kill head lice has to end as well as the suffering I and others had to go through to solve it!

You can contact me at ***@**** if interested!

[AndyM63]

Hair..off!...its that simple with a serious infection of lice.  Oh don't fret......it grows back.

[kerry63]

I found that using Head and Shoulders anti dandruff shampoo worked for my girls. Only use once a week on young children, it seems to stop any nits being able to stick to the hair.  Follow all the other advice over washing brushes combs bedding etc. I found buying cheep pillows was a better answer than trying to launder them, and whenever I discovered lice the pillow went in the bin. Thankfully my girls are grown up now , but occasionally their boys come home with itchy heads so they follow the routine.

[91004]

You all are saying mayo and cooking oil. Have you tried the oil that black people use. I use it in my hair just to moisten it at nite but it has the same effect but probly easier to wash out then mayo. Also you mite want to check who the kids that keep getting it are hanging around. I remember my nieces would always get it. They would get rid of it and go to their neighbors and the little girl there had it. They were getting it from her. Plus are you tellin the school that the child has it they could have it in the class room to and other kids that parents don't know yet and its just going back and forth. When you get rid of it put girls hair up in ponytail and spray with hairspray. Boys gel the hair or spray also.

[kerry63]

Your suggestion of spraying hairspray and using hair gel is a good one and makes sense.  What a simple and good idea, the blighters cant stick their eggs to the hair.Just make sure  that when using the hairspray the child covers her face with a towel so that she doesnt inhale it, or get it in her eyes.

[91004]

I use to do it all thru school and even when my neices would get it. When they would come over I would do a treatment on them then put their hair up and spray theirs. I have only had it once and I got it that time in I think third grade. My son just start Kindergarden and I put gel and spray in his for that reason. Not alot where it looks slicked.

[McAw8709]

Try "Not nice to lice"
it takes time to apply, but it worked for me!
Blow-drying hair kills them because of the heat, and V05 has a chemical in it that the lice cannot live in.
Good Luck!

[teddybears4ever2]

One other thing that I would have you make sure you are doing is disinfecting your hairbrushes and combs.  You can use lysol, hospital grade disinfect, and/or rubbing alcohol.  Make sure that you are combing out their hair throughly with the picks that come with the lice shampoo.  It will get rid of dead lice as well as any eggs they may have layed.
I know no one wants to sit still for this and it takes time, but it is really helpful.  Again, i'm sorry you are going through this.  Also be sure to repeat this in abut a week as any leftover lice will be killed.

[momofseven]

Go to www.nitnannies.com. Lots of great information on headlice, products that they offer
are non toxic and I have heard they really work! Its about time someone can up with something
like this.

[babygirl6152]

Yes the Lysol type stuff should work--- under and over mattresses the whole house- carpets- de fogger type sprays- you have to leave the area for a few hours- that way you will rid it from the whole house- their friends may also be spreading it back and forth - does she/he seep anywhere else?- theres always pure alcohol or Jack Daniels- no kidding. I worked in a shcool over 20 years and heard of all these treatments but you have to treat the WHOLE ENTIRE HOME not just the head- wash all bedding in HOTTEST water possible .  Cut little girl's hair in a short cute bob if they are willing...

[xmjsb3z]

some of what ppl say I have heard really works, my cousins daughter fought with it for years, she dies her hair everytime she comes for a visit because its the only thing that works. Lice dont like dirty hair I have always been told to spray hairspray and put gell on their hair before they go to school. thats why adults dont get it. we die our hair and use tons of products. I would die the hair a natural color and call it a day. good luck

[luvinmommy]

I have just found and removed like 12 live lice from my 6 year old daughter's hair, but I haven't and cannot find any  nits or eggs what so ever.. how is this possible? does she still have lice?, should I do treatments?

[kaydencelovesyou]

I am 18 years old and have had lice for about a month or two (I found out a couple weeks ago).
It's terribly embarrassing, especially since every website discussing lice treatment and even the shampoos give directions for washing your elementary-school-aged child's hair, and even my elementary-school-age brother is lice-free! I am an adult in college with no children!
Last time my mother and I caught lice when I was 7, we tried all of the OTC shampoos and the only one that worked was Rid. So this time I faithfully used the Rid treatment, 4 times although I know it's not recommended (twice on Day 1 because after the first treatment my mother still found a live louse, again on Day 4 or 5 because I couldn't stand the thought of letting the babies run around on my head while I waited for the rest to hatch, and again on Day 7). I was honestly more concerned at that point with killing the little buggers rather than any pesticide damage I cause to my body, but my scalp is now destroyed it is so dried out, I do have weak kidneys I should watch out for, and obviously the pesticides are not working entirely. I asked my mother and my stepfather to comb through my hair for me and they both declared me clean (and they have had a lot of experience in lice-combing from the last infestation). I've been putting several drops of tea tree oil into my shampoo every morning and before I blow dry my hair I spray it with water that I have also mixed more than several drops of tea tree oil into, enough so that I can really smell the oil. I've washed every article of clothing, bedding, sheets, and hair accessories on the hot cycle in the washing machine and then put them in the dryer, everything I couldn't wash I sprayed with pesticides. My mother and brother never caught it, still don't have it, but this morning I pulled a few strands of hair from my comb and saw nits on the hair, very close to the root, and so I am assuming that I have a reinfestation right now. The only people I have come into close contact with since my treatment are my immediate family who are still bug-free, my boyfriend who has shaved his head, and 2 of our friends whom I have checked myself and are bug-free as well.
At first I was convinced that I picked it up from someone on the bus, since I have to use public transportation to get to school and work every day and to get pretty much everywhere. But now I honestly don't know. I've been careful not to lean back on the seats on the bus anymore and not to bump into anyone, although I know it's still possible that I may have been reinfested that way.
I'm losing my mind over this, I honestly want to shave my head right now, but I can't afford a wig, and the store where I work is VERY concerned with the appearance of employees and I know I would get fired if I showed up bald. I cannot afford to see a doctor for prescription medication, and I'm going to go try using the hair straightener right now and plan on trying the vinegar tonight, but after pesticides and tea tree oil have failed, I don't have much faith in other treatments either.
I'm considering getting my hair dyed as well, but would like more information on it. Must I get it professionally dyed or will at-home hair dyes work as well?
I was planning on taking my mother to the salon to get our hair done for her birthday in November, I suppose when I get paid at the end of the week I could take her early, but I don't want to resort to such an expensive treatment just yet.
I'm very upset that all the $20 bottles of Rid have failed. I've already spent the money I'd set aside for my boyfriend's birthday on treating my head, and I'm trying to save up for Christmas, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
Also, does hair dying kill the nits too or just the live lice? Is this something I will need to do twice?
I have a LOT of VERY thick hair, so although nit-combing is the most effective method, it's not a very practical one for me, since my family and I try to get all the nits but are simply unable to get them all. I also seem to be incompetent at nit-combing myself ; when I tried, all I successfully accomplished was to rip out chunks of my hair, break teeth off the plastic nit comb, and make my scalp bleed in various places.

[kaydencelovesyou]

Well don't I feel ridiculously silly. The hairs with "nits" that I found this morning I had placed into a ziploc, and my mother just came home for her lunch break and double-checked them for me - they were not nits, but in fact were the roots of my hair.
-sigh of relief-
So apparently multiple applications of Rid and religious tea tree oil usage really do handle the lice problem after all =)

[wyldgyrl]

This is an awesome remedy, works for us great.
You need pure essential oils for this:

10 drops Geranium
4 drops Eucalyptus Radiata
25 drops Lavender
4 drops Thyme
7 drops Rosemary Cineole
Blend them in 100 ml carrier oil ( e.g. Sweet Almond/Jojoba) and spread onto scalp.
You can put less drops of essential oils but do not exceed.

Or you can make it into a spray, will be easier as it can be carried and sprayed anywhere, anytime. But for sprays you need to get a disper & put in 50 drops of disper before dispensing with the correct (50) drops of essential oils.

Otherwise, for more convenience purchase a lice treatment from any natural therapies stores.

Cheers

[kynjpa]

This is a fool proof lice treatment.

Buy fenugreek seeds (get it at any Indian(asian store ))
Soak it in little water over night.
Blend into a fine paste (for added benefits add in 1 egg white while u blend)
Apply on scalp
Leave for 15-20 mins
Get in tub and wet hair with cool water....massage wet hair gently with  fingers...You will feel slightly slimy or little gritty...after massaging, wash off well with lots of water..u may use a little conditioner after this as hair may feel dry.

Pros: Fenugreek is excellent for thinning hair and 101% will get rid of lice .
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-fenugreek-5085.html


Cons: Its bitter ...so kids may complain of taste in mouth .
May make hair dry..so use conditioner.

Its natural and safe.

[helping480]

Use a lice-killing treatment as recommended, however, if you use it too much, you may have killed the lice but dried up the scalp.  This will cause the flakes and itching to continue making the person think they have lice.  Actually, these chemicals may have dried up the scalp so much that you either have psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis.  Continued use of lice-killing shampoos will only make the condition worse.  

SEE YOUR DOCTOR after reading this link about psoriasis vs. seborrheic dermatitis:  

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/scalp-psoriasis/an01177

[littlesoftwalker]

We too were at our wits end with this.. We have 3 girls with them and all with long hair... So I took the one who had it worst and filled up with the vaseline... The next day they were dead... Washed right out of her head... I was thrilled. The other girls were then treated same way... the difficult task is getting out the vaseline. Hand sanitizer works better than the Dawn or oil. It does take a few days but on the plus side, those critters can't stick to "slick" hair... woohoo! I'd rather live with the greased hair than nit pick... :) Good luck!

[Sandman2]

There is a new pill that treats lice. As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug Ivermectin works better than the traditional anti-lice scalp cream.  There were few reported side effects and the kids preferred it.  Its worth checking out!

[jen1201]

Not really sure where you live, but there are people you can pay who are specialists on lice removal.. they usually put a 2 week guarantee on it, and in parts of the US there are Lice/Nit salons where you go and they remove them for you.

[homecharmer]

have the same problem but everytime I think I have gontten rid of them the come back....The biggest problem is that I can't see my own head to get them all out....it is embarrasing to ask someone for help....I have tried and I get..."I don't want to get anywhere near them"...well if I can;t see them how do I get rid of them.......

[ericacasimira]

i know this comes kind of late, but there are more moms i am sure, with your problem.  i have a 13year old son, and about the time you were having yoru problem, i was having mine with my son...about 2007.  SO... he had lice ONE TIME, and they NEVER returned.  what i have done, and have told my friends to do, (and its worked for them as well) is...go ahead and get that product like RID-X and all.  shampoo the hair and go through the routine.  when you are done, right after the hair is dry, the BEST thing to do, and it requires patience is to take your child outside on a porch or deck, or get a sunlamp, and have it light up his head...and you might have to go through strand by strand, (but it works and is worth it) and pull out all the nits with your fingernails.  those lice combs/piks do not really work at getting them out...anyway, it may take a few hours, and you might not get them ALL in that few hours, but when you are done, wash again with the product...then do the same thing again going strand by strand.  after you are done with that, get some LYE soap.  and use the LYE soap to wash his hair every day for about two weeks.  the lice should be gone after the first 2 - 3 days of giving constant care, but the lye will keep them at bay afterwards.  you need to then in the meantime, the day you find them, wash all sheets, and pillows in HOT water and dry at a very high heat.  any stuffed animals should either be gotten rid of completely, or sprayed down with a lice killer and bagged and sealed in a garbage bag or plastic bag for a little over two weeks....when you are done with the bagging, spray again of course or wash in VERY HOT water.  ALSO...dont forget to shampoo or wash and spray, head rests in cars, seats in cars, couch headrests, couch armrests, chair armrests, and hats, coats and anything that your childs hair would have touched.  make sure that everything is disinfected/sanitized/cleansed and you can be sure, you will not have a problem with it coming back.  most of the times, the lice comes back because people do not follow with the couches, cars, coats, hats, combs, pillows, etc.  lice can stay in there if you don't do this for up to two weeks.  so they need to be done the very first day you take care of your childs head.  ALSO.  call your childs school and see if there is another person in the classroom who is having an issue.  i found out that there was a girl in my sons class with VERY long hair who sat in front of my son.  her hair would always touch his desk, and thats not good when they were told to put their heads down.  she also stood close to him in the front of the line...and swinging her hair and it hitting or touching him did not help either.  so if there is a child with an ongoing problem that sits close to your son, ask for him to be moved.  i have followed through with all of this and have had friends of mine do the same thing and they have NEVER had any more issues.  i hope this helps any other mothers out there, or you, if you are still having issues...MUCH luck to you!!!

[twimomako]

My daughter gets them from school. She has long hair so now, I always put them in a bun or braid.

In addition to all the remedies above, I put pillows and towels under the sun. Try changing your shampoo too. 15 years ago a mom-friend told me that her this brand always always give them lice.  I hate how stubborn I am and every time I forget about this and use the shampoo, lice starts to build up over and over.  There are 2 other mom-friends who told about this. My sister, who's living far from us, also used this brand and got lice.  Well, all I'm saying is that this shampoo has an ingredient that attracts the bugs. Try changing your shampoo while doing other remedies above.

I've learned a lot of stuff here http://nit-nurse.com/faqs.asp.

[Buffy2468]

Oh you think you have it bad? My daughter has brown hair down to the middle of her back and has had lice since 6th grade. Oh and shes about to go into the 11th grade. We've tried everything except that pill thing you guys were talking about earlier. We even got her a new mattress. Once we combed everything out literally everything out till you could sit there for hours and comb through her hair and not find a single lice and three weeks later they were back! I'm seriously considering shaving her head and buying her a wig.

[ElizabethSunshine]

My gosh. Well my family had lice over Christmas break. I have a 15 hear old and a 12 year old. Both of them had lice and so did I. We used RID every seven days.We thought they were gone but the day before my 15 year old was supposed to leave for summer camp I found she had them. Anyway, all summer we have been battling and the little suckers just never leave. My daughters are fed up with nit picking each other everyday because I have to work. It's driving us crazy. My husband is the only one without them.

[margypops]

The answer is that you also have to wash all the bedding a lot, as the eggs drop onto sheets , pillowcases, towels .clothes, combs brushes hair ornaments ...and reinfect they do not like being disturbed so do continual combing..good luck

[teddybears4ever2]

I agree with Margy.

[jenna12]

this sounds exactly like the situation my mom had and continues to have (im 11) my little sister is three and she will not stop getting lice and we have tried lice-x rid-x olive oil sulfer pills rid nix and all that crap our problem started around 2007 and i also have a little brother (age 9) over time i stopped getting lice only god knows why but my little brother and sister continue to get them i guess it might be because our school doesnt check for lice? but my little sister will not stay still so its hard for us to get everything she screams cries pinches bites hits anything to get away so its really hard but one thing that works is olive oil you have to do it over and over and heat it up so it doesnt cause damage to her hair well write back and tell me if this works.ThankYou -Jenna Eaton

[jenna12]

this sounds exactly like the situation my mom had and continues to have (im 11) my little sister is three and she will not stop getting lice and we have tried lice-x rid-x olive oil sulfer pills rid nix and all that crap our problem started around 2007 and i also have a little brother (age 9) over time i stopped getting lice only god knows why but my little brother and sister continue to get them i guess it might be because our school doesnt check for lice? but my little sister will not stay still so its hard for us to get everything she screams cries pinches bites hits anything to get away so its really hard but one thing that works is olive oil satturate the childs head in it put a shower cap or something over it leave it on overnight then hand pick every single tiny little lice out of their head then do in 2 weeks do it again and keep doing it every 2 weeks until it works well write back and tell me if this helps.Thank You -Jenna Eaton

[margypops]

As I said if the eggs and they do drop out on anything the cycle will continue ,everything has to be hot washed all the time , sheets , towels ,clothes,,soft toys, blankets  anything her head is in contact with,and yours, its not easy ,  or it reinfects .the eggs will be back as live lice in her hair ., You have to comb, comb, brush ,brush, non stop ..the lice  dont like it ..

[buga123]

hi my name is reagan i am 8 years old and i had lice in my hair and i tryed nix and rid and quit nits the nix and rid dident work that much it did not git alot of lice out of my hair but the best one is quit nits it gits more lice out of your hair you rub it all over your hair and after that you take the hair net thats in the pack and let it sit for 4 ours and after its ben set and you take the net off then you do not wash it out then you kep it on then wate untill night you put the net back on she or he then in the morning you take the net out wash it out then when its all washed out pick thew it and it will be by by lice

[margypops]

Thank you for that buga It makes sense ..

[dottiemae]

can you post what the ingredients you put in with the benzyl alcohol.. thank you

[NotSoTypicalAfterAll]

I'm 13 and have had lice for 8 years of my life, nit comb everyday, shampoo once a week and change my bedding every 2 days and have tried just about every remedie in the book! I go to school scared someone will find out, i dont know how they're still here but its upsetting me please please please if you find a working remedy tell me, I want this to end

[margypops]

I am sorry I can understand how frustrating it may be , have you spoken to the doctor to see if there is something on prescription to use. It does sound as if you get reinfected,long hair makes it more difficult to get rid of, and a once a day comb wont do it, you have to comb all the time, carry a metal tooth comb inside a sealed baggy to school and when you use the bathroom Comb..Read what Buga123 has to say above and contact her to get more info .

[dorap]

Sadly, daily washing with tea tree oil liberally added to "Lice-Free" shampoo did NOT keep the buggers from coming back, even though this second infestation is nowhere near as bad as the first. I'm 56 if you can believe it, and this is my first experience with lice. I can't find it on my 16-year-old daughter or my 60-year-old husband, have washed and vacuumed everything many times over, and checked daily. All was gone for nearly a month until I picked SEVEN nits (clear, maybe they were dead) out with my metal Lice Meister (highly recommended, check Amazon) comb. No real live lice that I can identify, but plenty of itching! My husband is ready to commit me, and i can't blame him. He has terrible dandruff, so checking his balding pate is a nightmare, because if he DID have nits, I'm having a hard time seeing anything because of his terribly scaly scalp. ENUFF! This has been a nightmare.

I tried sleeping with mayo last night, nothing on plastic cap, then Listerine today and saw two questionable round rust-colored things, but they had no legs under a magnifying glass. Nymphs??? They were certainly dead, or maybe just scabs.

[margypops]

Sorry but I am going to have a chuckle ..but a kind one , you are having a bad time , they must love you a lot ...do you have any idea why they keep coming back, do you teach for a living are you amongst little kids during the day , what about pets are they bug free ?

[Mama78]

Honestly, the best remedy is to get some rubbing alcohol, (its about $1.00 in any grocery store) and put it in a spray bottle, you may want to have someone help you with this.  You want to make sure you are in a vent-elated room... if in the restroom; leave the door open.  

1 Place a think towel around your face and pin it at top buy your forehead  with the towel flaps draped to the sides of your face.  Have your helper spray your head from behind with a comb or brush were you are sectioning  off the hair until you have sprayed all of your scalp and brushed the hair through if possible.  

2 Now wrap that same towel around your head and hair to keep the alcohol sent away or grab another clean dry towel to wrap around your head and pin back as if you have just gotten out of the shower.  Sleep in it and in the morning all of the current lice will be dead. Make sure and wash your hair in the morning.  

3  The nits don’t die because they have a protective coding (egg). … also, the nit stays stuck on your hair they will appear clear when the lice has hatched...  you can have someone pick them out… or  you must repeat putting alcohol  at least once a week.   It does dry out your hair a bit.. so make sure to use conditioner when you wash it.   You hair will recover (don’t worry).

I have only had to do this twice to get rid of them on my daughter.  I sprayed her on a Friday and then again Wednesday.  And picked out the nits and she was rid of them.   I guarantee that this will  get rid of them... you just have to make sure to spray down and away from your face because of the alcohol smell.

[cynthia629]

Coconut Oil! It's 100% natural. Won't harm your kids and is actually GOOD for your hair. Saturate their hair in it, leave it on for 2 or 3 hours and wash out with a strong soap. I used dish soap to cut the oil. The eggs slide right off and the oil suffocates the lice.

[briwolf1]

That doesn't work either. Ive got 3 girls that had gotten it, 2 of them still have it. This has been going on since the beginning of school. Where they got it from in the first place.  Ive also tried everything from OTC products to home remedy's including the mayo and oil and tree tea oil. I'm at a loss. Ive cut their hair, dyed it, used a flat iron and a blow dryer. Ive washed all the bedding, put away the stuffed toys, in a bag, vacuumed the whole house. Ive spent so much money on all the sprays and foggers for the house i just cant get rid of it. Any other suggestions?

[spicy101]

My hairdresser told me to use dog flea and tick shampoo, she said you could use it everyday.I am guessing a whole life cycle of the lice?  I am going to try it, tonight. I do understand you pain, we have been going through this since the summer. :(

[spicy101]

My hairdresser told me to use dog flea and tick shampoo, she said you could use it everyday.I am guessing a whole life cycle of the lice?  I am going to try it, tonight. I do understand you pain, we have been going through this since the summer. :(

[Puff_the_magic_dragon]

I am 12 I know this is a lil late but I had just had lice for 6 months to and I finally got rid of it i was so infested I had about 50 eggs on each strand of hair and I'm a girl so that really hurt and I tryed so many things I had tryed vinegar with a plastic bag over it that worked a lil but then my mom got so mad and did kerocine well that worked but it burns and I wouldn't suggest that to a lil baby but it worked.

[Puff_the_magic_dragon]

Oh and to kill the eggs blow dry their hair close to the scalp 1 time everyday

[luvmytwo]

My four year old daughter has been battling with this for a month. My six year old son, husband and I have been free and clear. I am at my wits end. Everytime I think its over, it starts back up again. It takes 1hour 15min a day to go through her thick hair every night. She cries so much during this process and she doesn't stay still. I was so frustrated that I cut her long beautiful hair to her shoulders. I was devasted and cried for two days. We have used the over the counter shampoos. I have also used mayo, listerine and the hair dryer. I was thinking of "nit nannies" but she wouldn't stay still for strangers either. She flinches when I hold a brush in my hand now. At this point my baby girl is going to have this for the rest of her life! I don't know what else to do.

[Ambelee]

HELP!!! We have been dealing with lice for awhile now. We have done everything!! Tried all the products, done the vasiline, alcholol, we have bombed the house, gotten our carpets cleaned, we wash all the bedding all the time, wash the coats and everything else! I don't know what to do any more. We have three girls and they all get it!! Luckily I haven't gotten it yet but I don't know what to do. I just read about the dog flea and tick shampoo everyday for a week. I was wondering if this has worked for anyone. PLease send me an e-mail me. I saw that lice free site but they seem sooo expensive, but if anyone knows if it actually works please let me know! Thanks, ***@****

[mcmama3]

We have been dealing with lice for what seems like forever.  Since last year it seems that at least once every couple of months one of my kids comes home with lice (maybe not that bad but it was 2 times last year and about 5 times this year) I have two sons and a daughter.  Fortunately we just shave my sons hair and wash and vacuum everything in the house but working with my daughters hair is a horrible experience.  Her hair is past her butt and is very thick.  This year she has gotten lice 5 or 6 times.  I shampoo her hair with rid then go through ever centimeter of her hair pulling out the eggs.  I look through her hair a couple of times a day and make her wear her hair in a bun.  I think everything is in the clear and I don't look for a couple of days.  When I do look just after two days there is a couple of live bugs in her hair and more eggs.  I though that it took like 10 days for the eggs to hatch and another 10 for the lice to lay eggs.  This happens in a couple of days!!!  I have never washed so much laundry in my life.  I wash everything.  Between the shampoos and laundry detergent it is costing me a fortune.  We even took all the stuffed animals an put them in the space saver bags air tight.  I have tried olive oil, mayo, blow dryer, etc.  I found some soap at whole foods that has peppermint and olive oil in it which i read can prevent the lice from coming in her hair.  I will get that tomorrow and will let you know how that works.

[marina_1234]

I hope this helps -- one thing I found that works real well is something called Diatomaceous Earth... There's 2 types -- the food grade one and the industrial (or regular grade) only, only, only use the food grade one I can't stress it enough... I'm sure you can buy it many places but the easiest place I found was right off of ebay... The brand I get is perma guard, organic, food grade, Diatomaceous Earth... Costs about $5 for 1/2 lb -- or around $10 for 1 lb -- you can get more if you like... You can use it on almost everything -- people, pets, bedding, rugs, etc.. A little care when using on pets -- don't use on their faces, don't let them inhale it... And don't inhale it yourself or get it in your eyes either... It works on most bugs including lice... essentially it's very fine ground up shells of this single cell organism (to get a full accounting of what it is you can just look it up on wikipedia)... It's a powder. But it has tiny, microscopic shards (which is why you don't want to inhale it, get in your eyes, etc -- again the same for your pets). You sprinkle it on and work it through your hair, or rub it on your body and it cuts up whatever bugs are attached to you into tiny little pieces -- alive, dead, or eggs. Works REAL well. Dust yourself heavily (I do), wuzzle your hair a lot with the dust in it (I do this in my shower and take a lot of breaks you really don't want to inhale the dust -- I'll admit I even leave the shower several times while dusting myself to let it all settle)... Once you're coated and look like something out of a monster movie (cause the stuff will make your hair thick and massively teased while the dust is in it, at least mine does perhaps its how much I work it through but I want to make sure it's all the way through to my scalp) -- I rinse myself off and thoroughly wash and condition my hair. You may have some tiny little cuts (I always do) from the D.E. Earth but all you have to do then is just heavily moisturize for the week or so and everything heals. All bugs gone. You can even sprinkle on your pets beds if they get fleas -- it does work real well for that too. If it crawls and is a pest -- this stuff will eliminate it... Since I discovered it I ALWAYS keep it on hand. Works for ants, etc... It's totally NON-TOXIC -- as long as you don't inhale it. The food grade some people take for intestinal / parasitic stuff and although they say it doesn't hurt you I have never been brave enough (or needed to) to try it... The regular or industrial grade is STRICTLY for gardens -- but if you want a pesticide free garden by that grade and use it there -- a few of my gardening friends say it works great... That's just an FYI. If you want feel free to email me for any comments, questions, etc...

[LovemyKids86]

STUFFED ANIMALS can carry lice

[shushu903]

I have finally found the cure after spending a fortune on pesticides,i decided to try a home remedy that really worked,i never thought it would be over.I found this on line from more than one person,a gallon of vinegar,small bottle of palmolive dish soap,and baby oil.I put the vinegar on her head wrapped her head in a plastic bag and tied it with a rubber band.After 2 hours i took off the bag and was shocked to see so many i missed,all dead,i then rinsed it in my sink with the sprayer,applied the dish soap and washed it twice,rubbed the baby oil on her scalp and took the nit comb and went through her hair with it,to my surprise there were only 2 lice left,the vinegar recipe worked.After i washed her hair it was a little oily but i just put it in a braid.I will never again put poison on my childs head again.Good luck, i know what your going through.

[margypops]

Thats good news I hope others get to see this as its a lot of scrolling   lol Vinegar is good stuff for many things ..I will pass this tip/cure on to others .I always found with young children that a lot of consistent combing helps aswell they dont like being disturbed ...

[vandamn]

read this before you put over the counter lice treatments on your child ....this is very scary and very sad  ...... her son got leukemia from lice treatments !!!
http://www.****.com/articles/jesse.htm    

[evolution123]

I Have Lice.. Im 13 Years Old And When i Went to school my best friend pulled one out its so bad that hwen im just sitting their you could pull them out.. I Cry Everynight I Had beautiful Long Hair And I Had To Cut It And I dnt Know What To Do Anymore they Wont come out and its not bugs theirs like Hundreds I Cant take it nomore all i do is cry cause i think they will NEVER Leave Someone please help Me :'(

[supermomma531]

I have finally found the cure after spending a fortune on pesticides,i decided to try a home remedy that really worked,i never thought it would be over.I found this on line from more than one person,a gallon of vinegar,small bottle of palmolive dish soap,and baby oil.I put the vinegar on her head wrapped her head in a plastic bag and tied it with a rubber band.After 2 hours i took off the bag and was shocked to see so many i missed,all dead,i then rinsed it in my sink with the sprayer,applied the dish soap and washed it twice,rubbed the baby oil on her scalp and took the nit comb and went through her hair with it,to my surprise there were only 2 lice left,the vinegar recipe worked.After i washed her hair it was a little oily but i just put it in a braid.I will never again put poison on my childs head again.Good luck, i know what your going through.

[jbaby429]

the pill crosses the blood brain barrier so it can damage the brain. the dr. prolly wont give it to a child. tee tree oil try it it kills and repells the lice

[Shyfighter]

:( I'm 12 and I've been trying the Lyclear. It's really good for killing the live lice but I CAN'T get rid of the nits. My mum refuses to 'nit-pick' for me which means the eggs keep re-hatching as I cannot see (even with a mirror) where the nits are. I know this is VERY late but if anyone can help PLEASE!!!

[kuhlare]

Ummm... but i have DOUSED my head in vinegar, tried every frigging remedy in the book, and still have it. it has been 2 months now, and i have nagginig friends who wonder why i cant sleep over. it kills me. AND recently my mother pulled her back out, bad, becuase of the lice thing. this has been a big fat pain in my donkey. but, obviously, it worked 4 u, so gud 4 u. just help me!!!
KUHLARE

[LivingByPrayer]

Hello my name is jessica and i have 4 children two girls and two boys we went through the battle with headlice and after 6months to a year of battling it i went off on the doctor health department i mean all because it seemed they kept getting it and nobody wanted to help so i went to a organic health store and talked to them and one lady in there was so nice she sat down with me as i was having a meltdown and talked with me so here is what she told me to try you will need the following.....1 bottle tea tree oil, 1 bottle olive oil, 1 metal flea comb for dogs, 1 blow dryer so now you will mix 4-8 drops of tea tree oil in a bowl with 1/2 to 1 cup olive oil depending on the length of childs hair mix well and smother the childs head then massage into the scalp and cover for 1 hour then rinse with very worm water towl dry and then comb and make sure you clean the comb after every swipe after doing this clean the comb with hot water and repeat the combing until nothing comes out at this point you want to start the blow drying after hair is dry go through and look closely if you see none awesome ....now grab any and everything the child has slept on or with or sat on and wash it on hot with 10-20 drops of tea tree oil in with your washing soap and dry on hot make sure to wash pillows and stuffed toys also it helps to mix 10 drops in with your shampoo and conditioner and repeat all these steps in 1-2 weeks just to be sure ......i know this seems like a lot of work but it worked my kids have been lice free for 6 months the stuff stinks but it works when used with the right steps oh and pure lavander soap from an organic health store also works when mixed with tea tree oil.....BEST WISHES & GOD BLESS

[riddins32]

I'm right with all of you,  i have tried everything, the mayo, the hair dye, the olive oil, everything i have tired. i was even told mayo and olive oil  plus some pepper mixed together would work. if did. but it came back. i have my nieces and nephews live with me. all of them get it. all the time. its weird  and i don't understand it. but there is this  shampoo you use now that actually kills and  they wont get them back. it works!!   so i her from a family member that used it. you use it once a month or once a week.  and they haven't had lice. so  I'm going to try it and let you know. its nothing like rid or that other crap either. its found in the shampoo is. i am tired of battling them to.  one of my nieces hair is to her waste and it is so thick. but the funny thing was. we never had them to  the girls moved in.  once in awhile the would get them from school. but we got rid of them with the conditioner and combing Thur there hair everyday.. but now it doesn't work. we thing there gone. and the come back. i just don't get it. we spay everything that can't be washed and bag the stuffed animals for three weeks and leave them out in the sun but the weird thing is my oldest nephew  has never got them. but the  but other three. wow. its a mess. i just want them gone.

[riddins32]

I am  right their with all of you,  i have tried everything, the mayo, the hair dye, the olive oil, everything i have tired. i was even told mayo and olive oil  plus some pepper mixed together would work. if did. but it came back. i have my nieces and nephews that  live with me. all of them get it. all the time. its weird  and i don't understand it. but there is this  shampoo you use now that actually kills and  they wont get them back. it works!!   so have i heard  from a family member that used it. you use it once a month or once a week. once they uses it .they haven't had lice. so  I'm going to try it and let you know. its nothing like rid or that other crap either. i am tired of battling them to.  one of my nieces hair is to her waste and it is so thick. but the funny thing was. we never had them tell  the girls moved in.once in awhile they would get them from school. but we got rid of them with the conditioner and combing Thur there hair everyday.. but now that doesn't work,  we think there gone. and then it comes back. i just don't get it. we spay everything that can't be washed and bag the stuffed animals for three weeks and leave them out in the sun but the weird thing is my oldest nephew  has never got them. but the  but other three. wow. its a mess. i just want them gone. and the funny thing is we have had them gone. and then the kid go visit someone.  and they come back with them. its like  i don't want them going anywhere. afraid they will come back with lice. its drama.  I'm tired of battling. so i guess i will just try that shampoo.

[tdtremont]

When people say try this and that I say I've done it give me something new....my daughter turned 3 Jan 2012, it is now April and I have been fighting lice since Dec 2010 just when I think its gone here we go again. I have done ALL over the counter....2 different prescription lice shampoos.....mayo, olive oil, vinegar, Apple cider vinegar, yogurt, egg, lotions, campho phenic......I rarely wash her hair and after I wash it I just turn around and put gels and hair spray in it.....I have put plastic over beds and pillows......I have even moved yes moved to stop them and did not bring a thing into the new house till treated.....she is stingy w them too no one else she's ever around gets them....today I have spent another 5 1/2 hrs picking through her hair by hand which is record timing its usually 7 hrs or more.....I vacuum I spray I wash....they have no stuffed animals left and I'm so close to taking away blankets and clothes lol.....I have chopped off her hair.....I've done everything short of shaving her head.....and as I said today I have fought lice again.....it won't go away and I am at a loss.....she has already had one daycare drop her for head lice.....pls someone help me.....

[ramsange]

Has any one tried the Listerine trick? The origional yellow listerine, spray (pour in any kind of spray bottle) it in and leave it for at least an hour. Wash out and add conditioner and comb through really good. It seems to be working....we discovered lice in our sons head for the 2nd time just a few days ago and I think we may have it under control already with this little trick. His hair is very shiny now too and none of the bad chemicals! If you try it, let me know if it works for you too! Good luck!

[karmina8401]

I was told to saturated my daughters hair with vinegar for 30minutes. The acidity dissolves the glue holding the.nits onto the hair. Then start the combing with the fine tooth comb and everyone I know has said the metal comb is the best. I am trying this tomorrow morning. Tonight we did the oil before bed. Wish us luck!!!

[arthurino1]

just cut his hair really short than you can use RID and pluck them out

[LilLette]

This is such a terrible experience! I had lice so many times as a little girl. The lice treatments and combs never worked ever.
What I would suggest is tea tree oil over night. Keep a close eye on her. But put tea tree oil on her head and tie a bag or basic wrap over her hair so nothing can try and leave and hide somewhere else. This worked for me everytime! Goodluck!

[alejandra0129]

Hello...I just read your entry and am most interested to try the benzyl alcohol on myself.  I have struggled for months and months, sometimes getting an infestation really low, but never successful in completely eliminating them.

I am presently in Panama.  If I am able to find "alcohol de bencilico", could you assist me in how to prepare a solution?  Thank you for you time.

[nosilla13]

SUPERMOMMA531 THANK YOU!!!!
I have two kids (10 year old girl and 12 year old boy). My daughter came home from school almost two weeks ago with lice (got a call from the school nurse and had to pick her up). I think she got it from the movie theater seats. Anyway, a few days later my son got it. Used RID. It initially killed the live bugs, but had to manually remove the eggs every day. A few days later bugs were still there. Re-treated with RID. A few days later bugs AGAIN!!. RID again. I then came on this site and read SUPERMOMMA531 posting about the vinegar and baby oil. I decided to give it a try. I started by checking my kids in the morning (which I did everyday) for eggs/lice found 3 - 5 eggs on each. I followed the direction posted by SUPERMOMMA531 but at the end added a leave in conditioner, follwed by blowdrying and hairspray ( I put my girls hair in a braid). After the baby oil when I combed out my daughters hair I actually found an additional 5 eggs in the bowl ( I filled a white bowl with warm water and would rinse the comb after every swipe). The next morning I checked my kids hair and found nothing. I will keep you posted :)
PS: every day I did vacume their beds and the couch and put their bedding in the dryer for 30 min

[nosilla13]

UPDATE: The vinegar and baby oil works!!! I did this every other day on my kids until I found no eggs in the bowl. That took me three treatments. The last eggs looked smaller. I think the vinegar or oil smothered and killed them (or it was the heat from the blowdryer). I continued to check them daily and found nothing. It has been 10 days with no bugs or eggs. All their stuff is still bagged up. The CDC says you should keep things bagged up for four weeks, so I going with that. I will continue to check their heads. I hope they dont come back. Good luck to everyone I hope this helps.
PS: thanks to shushu903 who originally posted this treatment!!!!

[anonymous3031]

If medication and chemicals have not worked I suggest actually collecting bugs that eat lice. Sounds scary for your child. Might be the only way. It's not a harmful process. Just make sure bugs are not poisonous and their diet consists of lice.

[mummyt3]

Vinigar is ment to work !

[nosilla13]

I forgot to mention to make sure you retreat 10 to 14 days later in case you miss an egg and it hatches. I did it on day 10 and 14 just to be safe!!! A nurse also said that you can use the blue dawn dish detergent everyday in between treatments. What you do is lather on theirs heads cover and wait 30 min. Then rinse. I hope this helps.

[KaylaMarie25]

there is a shampoo sold at walmart for $9. i forgot what exactly its called but it has tea tree oil in it (it has that minty smell to it), its a fact that lice CANNOT cling to tree oil. my 10 year old sister got it and then gave it to all of us we treated ourselves with rid then used that shampoo and no one has them anymore. try that out =]

[Nkristine]

I have lice right now and this is a nightmare!!! This is my day in a nutshell:

Get up, wash bedding and pillow case, VACUUM MY BED, yes, I vacuum my bed about 3 times a day! Then I wash the olive oil out of my hair that I slept with, wash my body off, and let my hair air dry and then straighten it with a 400•F straightener in HIGH HOPES to eradicate these mfers! Then I boil my hair brush and get dressed and leave for work. I come home after work and throw my bedding in the dryer on high, run it TWICE and while that's going I vacuum my floor and my bed.. Again. Then do another load of wash for the clothes I wore that day and any towels I used for my hair and showering, then I put my sheets on and finally SATURATE my hair from scalp to tip in extra virgin olive oil, tie it up and throw about 2-3 plastic bags over it. While oil drips down my face and neck for the next couple hours till I fall asleep and don't notice it, I dream of a day without lice!! Wake up.. Repeat!

Ps.. I do a chemical treatment everyother day or every 3 days depending on my work schedule. Fun

If anyone has something new to tell me other than nit picking(most affective, I know), and washing my sheets and vacuuming my bed, PLEASE HELP!! I'm freaking out!

[Maddi3]

So it's now almos the end of July and I've had it
Since thanksgiving. I've tried everything(like everything. Like oil, spraying my bed and couches and putting all my bedding in the dryer too. And having my mom go through it for hours on end.) (I even dyed my hair and it still didn't help a all!!) I am at my wits end! Anyone please tell me anything I can do to get rid of these damn lice!!!!!!!!

[Zahyra]

I have a 10 year old a 4  and a one month old daughter my oldest got lice and spread them out to my 4 year old I tried everything I do mean everything to cuting and dying her hair she couldnt go back to school for a whole year until finnaly I did the unimaginable I put raid fo1 ants on her and rid on my 4 year old it worked like a charm if you dedide to try this please make shure they are old enough and use a regular face mask like the ones in the hospital

[laurasalgado]

OMG i can finally help u guys out!!! i have a HOME REMEDY!!! put listerine mouthwash in for about two hours before you put your kids in the shower or bath then rinse with a teaspoon of white vinager!!!! i really hope this helps!!

[laurasalgado]

put listerine mouth wash  in your hair two hours before you hop in the shower!! then use just a teaspoon of white vinegar and rinse eith that!! hope this helps(:

[mixx]

I'm about to be a senior in high school and I have lice. It's the most embarrassing thing. The worst part is that I'm not really close to my mom and dad anymore, and they take a sort of "you-take-care-of-it" stance (without really providing money for a treatment or a way to visit a place to take care of it for me), and I haven't told them this time around. I can't figure out how to get the damn things away! This is the third time in three months. I've never had them before. Strangely enough, I think it started when I used this one brand of hair dye-- Clairol? It came back the next time I used hair dye, as well-- but I've heard hair dye is supposed to get rid of lice? So I'm really confused, my parents refuse to help even in making sure they're gone, and my scalp burns like a... you know. I'm trying the Cetaphil thing right now. I just want these stupid things gone.
Somebody please help! It's embarrassing as hell, and I don't want to be stuck with this nonsense in college.

[Risa_Langford]

I used to have a problem with that a lot, but a neighbor used Kerosene...yes, kerosene...I know it's wacky but after that I NEVER caught lice again. O_o So yeahhh maybe try Kerosene? Just don't light a match....Just put some kerosene in the hair and leave it a while and that should do it...That was back in elementary school and I'm a high school graduate now so it worked really well for me.

[jussayin]

Is there any other steps after putting the kerosene in the hair? Do you have to sit and pick them out by hand or just put that on and they are gone? Because it is only me and I live with noone else so its kinda hard to pick them out of my hair by myself.

[omgod]

Please do NOT use kerosene. That's a myth. A very dangerous one. Kerosene is hard to remove so you would be endangering your kids and/or yourself.

Please check out this website for a Lice Removal Program if you want the lice totally gone.

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/theliceprogram/theprogram.html

According to Medicinenet, Dimethicone and other oils may help suffocate the lice. Dimethicone can be found in shampoos and conditioners so look in the ingredient list to see if it's near the top of the list to find the ones with the highest content. i prefer the conditioners. Coconut oil or olive oil may also work. You must leave the oil on for at least an hour, wash it out, use a fine comb to remove nits and also handpick them out and REPEAT THIS DAILY FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS. Cutting hair short may also help prevent lice since it's harder for them to jump from host to host.

[oathkeeper]

I  never had a problem with lice when my son was growing up, but this year my dogs had fleas so bad, I used 1/2 cup of brown vinger and 1/2 cup of original dawn dishwashing liquid mixed together started at the underneath side working to top saw live ones trying to escape but dead I lost count of. I wonder if it could help the lice problem? Just got to keep it away from the eyes. And maybe they aren't resistant to these items.

[bizquick]

Honey bunny,

my heart goes out to you, how are you now??

[genesmom]

tea tree oil does work i have used it, but my mistake was not putting a plastic cover on our beds so again i have it because i wasn't vigilant with the tea tree oil shampoo. i am doing again today unfortunately and i am going to get nasty with these evil little buggers my husband hates to see me and my son suffer.

[genesmom]

i also am putting covers on beds replacing my son mattress and spraying everything with vinegar water.

[laura222820]

The crucial thing here is that the oil smoothering DOES work but you need to do it many times, and on a strategic schedule, when the nits will hatch. So completely hand remove as many nits as you can, then smother the hair in olive oil (I found the mayo to be gross and make the hard tangly). Sleep with it with a plastic bag over the head all night. Then comb out with a nit comb and wash. DO THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT TWO NIGHTS to get rid of any lice still alive. Continue to pick out nits, but only once a day--dont make yourself crazy. Do it either outdoors or under a strong spotlight lamp (you can get one for about $ 7 in the hardware store and it makes it much easier to see. Then do the oil bag thing again 7 days later, when the nits would be hatching. Then do it again one week later. So its the first three nights, then a week later (once), then again a week later. This should keep any nits from hatching into live lice. You can add a few drops of tea tree oil to the olive oil, too and in the shampoo.
I actually treated my child's hair with RID and the next day saw a live lice crawling in her hair. The stuff does not kill all the lice and does nothing against the nits. Better to save your money and use the olive oil/tea tree stuff.
To be safe, let everyone in the house sleep with olive oil too. Its a total pain in the neck but worth it not to get infested or reinfested.
Don't give up. If you really can't take anymore, then call the professional lice pickers. For a couple of hundred dollars you will get your life back and they will give you lots of good advice.
And keep it in perspective. Gross, annoying, and time consuming, but harmless and lice love clear hair and don't discriminate against anyone so no shame!

[Sandman2]

   Wonderful answer - thankyou!

[laura222820]

Mixx
You need SOMEONE--a friend?-- who can pick the nits out for you or you will not get rid of it. You cannot do it yourself. If no-one else is willing maybe you can ask the school nurse. Believe me, they have seen it all and much much more embarrasing things. No matter what you use on your hair you will not get rid of lice without getting rid of the nits, and nothing really kills them except picking and then following the schedule of oil on the head with bag all night for three nights, then one time a week later, then again once a week later. And wash your linens and clothes EVERY DAY.
Good luck to you.

[xcgirl1697]

Im 15 and got head lice and my mom keeps on doing the chemical treatments and they are not working. Yet she insist that they are and will not take me to a doctor is there any words of advice on how to git rid of them?!?

[Sandman2]

   Yep, lots of good ideas posted above.  Have your mom read through them.  Good Luck - although, it really takes more hard work than luck.

[Mom_knows]

I highly recommend the product  "lice freee"  you can find it at Walgreens, or go to their website
licefreee.com  (3 e's)  My daughters got it, and I got it too! We all 3 have long hair!  I used EVERYTHING! RID, NIX, Mayo, Olive Oil, Tree Oil, dying my hair, super HOT blow dryer, flat iron, vinegar etc, nothing seemed to work. I used this product ONCE and then comb the hair strand by strand I got a lot of the eegs, the next day, I checked and I have been checking for lice since, and combing and combing ... and I can't see a single eeg, or lice or even nits!!!! Also is very important you use a metal comb! they work much better than the plastic ones. Im keeping applying the product just in case, since is not toxic. I hope this works!

[ddn30130]

I found out last night that my son has lice.  He is in the 4th grade.  I kept him home from school today and discussed the situation with the school nurse.  She stated that he was not the only one in his grade dealing with this right now and it has been going around school.  She also said that they do not check an entire class if one student is found with lice.  They just spot check when someone comes into the nurse's office.  This being said, if your school's are doing the same thing, then your children could be getting it back from the original source, or someone else that caught if from the original source.  So my advice is to check the school or daycare.

[WitEnd]

OMG!  So I'm not the only one!!  In the past when we have had a case, we do the Nix thing and it's all good.  This time the lice from he*! Have invaded my house and I'm the one who brought them home!  I sub at the school and think I got them from one of the kids.  I have had them for six weeks and they won't go away!  I did the Nix thing 3 times, Listerine over night with my head in a bag, olive oil for 4 hours, several natural products, the prescription poison from the doc, and recently I got so desperate that I dipped my hair with dog dip!  It didn't help, I still got them back. I have been shampooing my family (husband and 5 kids) with Nix every two weeks and keeping the coconut oil from the African American hair products on my two little ones.  They managed not to get them until recently. Two of the teenage girls had a few eggs and a dead bug.  I want to scream! Thanksgiving is at my house this year and I'm wondering if I should cancel it.  I just want to cry!  My poor husband and children have had to endure my constant cleaning and combing their hair.  I have spent over 72 hours on combing my hair alone!  I spend 4 hours a day combing my own hair as I don't have anyone to do it for me.  I wish there was a hair place you could go and have them delice your family!!  I know they have people in New York as I heard Kelli Ripa talk about it on one of her programs.  Me and my 10 year old think someone shoul invent a shampoo that unglues them so they wash out and one that dies them a bright green so you could see to get them out.  For the little blonde girl, try getting some coconut oil African American hair product. It looks like white vasiline and her hair will look wet, but you can french braid it.  Someone at her school may have it and not be treating it.  

[WitEnd]

Lol. Just realized I was reading posts from 2007!

[bella118]

use keroscene leave it on for 2 hrs then wash it with anti lice shampoo use the nitcomb and yr free!

[Jenny41976]

I am so very thankful to know my daughter is not alone.  Every time she gets lice it takes months to get rid of.  I have found this time around that Sulphur 8 shampoo seems to kill the live ones.  I put it on her hair and let it sit for an hour or two.  After I rinse her head then I comb through it thoroughly.  I need to rewash her hair about every three days and see if that helps.  Every time I think they are gone about 3 days later I find they are back.  I hate those stupid little things.

[meLishere]

Its 2012 & can't get rid of my daughter's lice. The shampoos don't work ;so I will try olive oil

[kalanirose2328]

try mineral oil soak it in the hair overnight it kills the live bugs. you will have to pick the nits out by hand though. another thing that helps is coconut shampoo, conditioner or grease they don't like coconut. also tea tree oil in the hair helps keep them away too. it also helps to comb your kids hair every other day even when they don't have them because that way you'll know as soon as they catch them and their alot easier to get rid of when not covered in nits.

[TiffanyZL]

I'm 18 and I got lice from my 6 year old niece who got it from school. She got rid of it easily with just two lice treatments and going through her hair andpicking out all of the nits. I have long thick hair so it wasn't that easy. But it is possible! I had it for about a month or so before I got rid of it...I tried mayo, lice treatments 5 times, flat iron, conditioner, vinager, my last resort was dying my hair and it WORKED. All I did was get the same color hair dye, 4 of them and used two at a time cause my hair so so thick.. left it on for 25 min and did what the directions said, I then blow dried my hair and had my twin pick out all of the nits she could find. After a day we did it again the same exact way ans she looked through my hair until she couldnt find anything. I was changing my bedding and sweeping everyday btw. And it worked. Finally I am lice free.qe

[katykins116]

I have 3 kids and we have lice about once a year.  The only thing that works is heat.  I wash and condition my kids hair, blow dry it then flat iron it.  The blow drier burns the live ones, the flat iron cooks the eggs.  No chemicals, no lice.  Then just wash their bedding coats and hats, spray the furniture with lice spray and vacuum all the lovies go in the dryer on High heat for an hour.  A heck of a lot easier than all that gross stinky flammable shampoo stuff.  I do know people who swear by mayonaisse.  But it's easier just to cook those little suckers.  When my mom gets a an outbreak at her day care she flat irons everyones hair.  It works great and is a lot easier than the rest.

[Lachula]

I have this lice battle many times with my kids. Looking in old books I came across with vinegar. Centuries ago they used this to kill lice and their eggs. Guess what....it works!!! After a year of trying to get rid of those horrible things the vinegar worked. Just apply white vinegar on the hair. Make sure you cover the scalp too, very well, leave it for 15 to 20 minutes and wash with a normal shampoo, then when dry, comb the hair with the lice comb to get all the eggs off. Do not leave it for more than that, Vinegar is very strong, just the smell will make your eyes watery and can make you itchy but just for a few minutes.
After having my daughter come from school with lice several times I tried the vinegar and got rid of them for almost a year. I check her head every week and this week I found lice and eggs, so I just did the vinegar treatment again and I am sure they will be gone by tomorrow and won't come back for a long time.

[Moody30ish]

My kids got lice from school 3 months ago, been trying to get rid of it for weeks.  I try everything, from rid, nix, to everything I could come across. But nothing work.  Finally found a solution it was easy and cheap. I put Mayo on the kids hair left it for 2 hours, rinse it out with water, blow dry their hair,  then I took a vacuum cleaner hose using the vacuum crevice tool to their head and vacuum all the nits and dead lice out of their hair. When using mayo the nits can't attach to the hair strands that well and can be easily vacuum out. It sounds crazy but it works. But also may sure you wash all their sheets, pillows, blankets and jackets that they have worn or used.  

[jahan655]

Hi, I have tried mayo 4 month ago but they come back and this time there are more than before. OMG, I am tired of them . I had put mayo and cover her hair with a plastic bag over night. They seems to be gone but I find out today that she has more lice than before after 4 month.! I have heard bleach will work. Do you think bleach is good. I am afraid to put bleach on her hair. WHat do you guys think?

[stephanie1984b]

My daughter is 5 and we went to Carowinds and when standing in line for a ride I noticed the movement in her light blond hair, Now when we came back home I put in the Nixs treatment and it seemed to kill the adults and I combed through her hair for almost 2 hours (we watched a movie so she would sit still and I used the blue comb and a paper towel to wipe off the nits(eggs). A week later she was fully infested again and a nurse friend of mine said to mix 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 mineral oil together to kill and smother and leave on the head for over 8 hours (since they can hold their breath for 8 hours) so I did this and got a shower cap and put this in at night before bed and the next morning wash her bedding and let her wash out her hair, use dish soap to pull the oil off the hair and comb thoroughly, this time I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and bought a Lice comb that is a bit bigger with smaller area b/w bristles to escape. This seemed to work better, she said to repeat every 4 days for month    to make sure every nit egg is out. Well that was two months ago and she has them again. I went and bought some hair dye and colored her hair same as it was so you can't even tell it was done.After washing it out towel dry then place on the conditioner but don't rinse that off,  Blow drying kills the nits (dries them out) but for a 5 year old it only works on warm/low, but the hotter the better. After her hair was dry I separated her hair in small pieces while she played her DS on my sink and I combed for another 2 hours and tied up her hair in little rubber bands after I combed through it. Let me say I want to SCREAM but I was soooo surprised on how many nits came out of her hair when I took my time and did it, over 60!!! in the sink, I will do this conditioner and comb through again in a few days b/c we are all tired of this. Combing on dry hair is so much better than it wet, you can see them better come off. Oh and While her hair was in like 15 different sections on her head I dabbed Tea Tree Oil throughout her while scalp. She finally stopped itching and guess what!? She was the only one in the house of 4 who had gotten them!>? How weird is that. Well, I hope all goes well and it will go away if you get them all out. Even one nit can grow to lay 100 eggs in a month. EWE!!

[lena84]

My daughter is 6 yrs old and has had lice a few times. I've tried the rid and everhthing but nothing worked. I talked to her doctor and they told me to use cetaphil moisturizing lotion. Just soak the hair in it take strands of hair comb thru when all combed out blow dry till you get it as dry a possible except its so oily that it won't really dry so just dry it enough to get heat through out her hair. Put her hair into maybe two braids or a french braid and put a shower cap on her head over night. Was in the morning then do the treatment again at night. Ur should all be gone. I've only had to do two treatments but it all depends on how bad it is. Good luck hope it works for you.

[lena84]

My daughter is 6 yrs old and has had lice a few times. I've tried the rid and everhthing but nothing worked. I talked to her doctor and they told me to use cetaphil moisturizing lotion. Just soak the hair in it take strands of hair comb thru when all combed out blow dry till you get it as dry a possible except its so oily that it won't really dry so just dry it enough to get heat through out her hair. Put her hair into maybe two braids or a french braid and put a shower cap on her head over night. Was in the morning then do the treatment again at night. Ur should all be gone. I've only had to do two treatments but it all depends on how bad it is. Good luck hope it works for you.

[allmymarbles]

A lady from El Salvador told me that in her country they rinse the hair in vinegar after washing it and the lice die or go away (I don't know which). I did not try this since I do not know anyone at this time who has head lice. But my husband heard that to get rid of ants you use vinegar. So he sprayed the counter tops with a half vinegar/half water solution and the ants departed, never to return. If it works on ants I should think it would work on lice.

[allmymarbles]

P.S. My friend said to always rinse with vinegar, whether or not they have lice, as the vinegar will prevent the lice from taking up residence.