Imperfect mums I need help. About three months ago my daughter brought home nits from school. This is not our first rodeo so I did the usual. Brought the treatment, treated everyone, combed out the hair, washed the sheets and hats, vacuumed and sprayed tee tree and lavander oil everywhere then retreated a week later.
Three months on, hundreds of dollars later and we still have them.
We have been home for over a month now so it isn't coming from an outside source.
I have really bad eye sight and can not actually see anything so I am combining blindly. I have brought a decent comb etc but I still see noting. I can feel them crawling on my head even the day after treatment. I know I'm not imagining it because I tried to ignore it thinking no way I still have them but it just continues to get worse until I do a treatment. I have tried putting all soft toys in a bag for two weeks etc also. Where are they coming from? Please help I am loosing my mind over this. No one will come near me to check mine or my kids heads for me either. I have asked my brother and he says he sees nothing but didn't really look very well. Could it be something else? I have tried head treatments to combat dry scalp just incase it is that but it did nothing and I can definitely feel the crawling. I want to be clear... I can not actually see any lice. My kids are scratching tho also.
Head lice infestation
Head lice infestation
Posted in:
Health & Wellbeing, Kids
8 Replies
I would treat you all again, then dry hair, put in straight tea tree oil and then straighten.
If it continues please see a hair dresser who may be able to offer assistance and don't be embarrassed
I’d get your GP to check your hair.
My mum thought we had head lice a number of times. She realised we had never had head lice when she saw a friends hair with actual lice.
We had dandruff.
You poor things. I'd go to the doctor, they can check and if it is lice they can prescribe something.
My best tips.
Go buy a few bottles of cheap hair conditioner. The $1.90 fruits brand one from Woolies or Coles is perfect for this.
Brush your dry hair out so there's no knots.
Lather conditioner all over until your whole scalp and hair is covered.
Plastic bag over your head (or shower cap, cling wrap - whatever you've got handy) and let is sit for 20 mins.
With a fine tooth comb, comb small sections using a repetitive technique (whilst conditioner is still in), starting at the base of the neck. Pay particularly attention to the base of the neck and behind ears as lice gravitate towards warmer areas.
Rinse thoroughly and repeat every couple of nights. Consistent combing is the only way you'll get the eggs out and you have to go by feel a lot of the time as eggs are almost invisible in most hair types, even for those with good eyesight.
As much of a pain in the ass it is, change and wash pillow cases, PJs and clothes daily, vacuum daily and don't forget couches, armchairs etc.
Soak hairbrushes and hair ties in boiling water. And anyone with long hair, make sure it's tied back - braided or plaited is ideal.
We have had infestations before thanks to my kids thick curly afros and the thing I found to fully kill the lot was to use 3 or 4 treatments in one session. An oil based one that goes on dry hair as directed, wash it out then use a lice shampoo as directed, then use a lotion as directed, then use a lice shampoo again, then a heap of conditioner with a metal nit comb that has ridges on the teeth, it is the best kind of nit comb, I have tried them all. Do everyone's hair like this and make sure you use plenty of product, twice as much as normal. Expensive but it works!
I will just add that I went through 13 years of dealing with head lice before I tried this, I have tried everything! This really works, it just bombs it.
This will hopefully make you feel better!
I’d been scratching my head off and on for about 6-8mths. Friends looked at my hair, nope can’t see anything; went to different drs, nope can’t see anything; paid over $200 for a dermatologist to tell me I had nits...wtf 😂
My kids had head lice and have slightly sensitive skin. I was so freaked out because even after all the treatments they kept scratching! After lots of research I read some kids just feel itchy for a long while after having head lice. I put it down to their sensitive skin. It took a couple of weeks for the itching to subside. They definitely had no head lice at all (they're boys with short hair and I have good eye sight!). Maybe stop treatments now and give it a couple of weeks? I also thought the treatments I did over and over might not have helped with their sensitive skin d made the itchiness worse . During this time I also freaked out thinking i might have head lice so I did treatments for my hair too. But I continuously felt them crawling all over my head even though my husband said he couldn't see anything (I didn't trust he was looking hard enough!). Then one day I went to the hairdressers. She was about to do my hair and I quietly told her I'd been feeling like i have nits etc but couldn't see anything. She checked my hair thoroughly before she did my colour and confirmed there was absolutely no sign of nits and it was all in my head! That just made me feel so much better. I walked out of the salon and honestly didn't feel that crawling feeling again. (Was definitely all in my head! So strange I know!)