Topic: Head lice

[saddad]

the purple stuff was for SCABIES that actually burrow into the skin.... I've brought head lice home from work (school) and the boys did several times. OH has long curly hair (red/brown) and a bu**er to comb out but it is the best way. Thankfully she hasn't brought Scabies home yet from work (Hospital) although it does come in with some patients... usually down and outs...  ::)

[dtw]

Why not get yourself a pet monkey, it would make quick work of picking them out.  ;D

[caroline7758]

My daughter used to get nits a lot at primary school. The school gave out free non-chemical stuff (tea-tree, I think) but nit comb (free plastic one) and conditioner was always the best method. And telling the teacher she had them, so that a letter went out to all parents in the class asking them to check and treat.
If it's any consolation, she hasn't had them since she went to secondary school- guess they don't put their heads together so much!

[manicscousers]

or share hats and things, Callum caught them by swapping hats with his mates, luckily his hair is really short now so he hasn't had them since.
Sam used to have really long, lovely hair, she used to catch them continually, I was given something at the clinic..probably can't get it now..helped when we put her hair in french plaits  :-\

[Garjan]

Can't remember who told me this, but I use lavender oil. Rub it in the hair, put a kerchief over it, and leave it for a night. Comb the hair with a lice comb the following morning.
Smells good and is very effective. Repeat a few days later and all the lice should be gone.

Also, a lot of school here use a "coat cape": it is a cape with a tiny hole for a coathanger. The children put their coat inside and hang the package on the coathooks. The capes prevent the coats from touching and the lice from walking from one coat to the other. This is a major factor in the spreading of lice.

Good luck.

[nilly71]

Have you tried putting hair conditioner on the hair and then combing with a lice comb?

We usually do the above. If more parents took the time to bother getting rid of the lice rather than have the attatude of "well it's not worth doing as they are only going to get them again" >:( then there would be nowhere near the amount of times ours come home with them.

Neil

[elsie]

Wow, really shocked by your doctors reaction to Delacet  :o
We used this a few years ago after 9 months of trying everything else, it's making me feel sick just remembering it all. At the time my daughter was 5, and had never had her hair cut, lovely thick curly hair down to her waist. We were new to the area, and the only experience I'd previously had was at my son's school who sent a letter out straight away, and I used a tea tree product, easily combed through his hair with the nit comb in about 5 minutes, problem gone. Unfortunately it wasn't so easy for my daughter, I tried a number of different preparations, even chemical ones in the end, all of which involved a 60-90 minute ordeal with the nit comb at least every other day, and nothing seemed to clear them completely. We tried the Nitty Gritty comb, which was a big improvement on a normal one, but still had a problem dealing with the volume of her hair. She had her hair cut to shoulder length, as the constant tearing at it with the nit comb had taken its toll, and still the problem persisted.
After a desperate internet search, I discovered Delacet, and that really was the end of it all! Just the one application, and then a quick mist with a watered down version every morning, and she hasn't had them back!
On the site I found it on, it says that Delacet has been around for over 40 years, and that it is widely used in Europe. It also says that it is available on the NHS. I didn't ask my doctor for a prescription at the time, as I couldn't wait to try it and went to my local health food shop, so I can't back this claim up, but I can wholeheartedly confirm the positive results they promise, and so have no reason to disbelieve their claims  :)
Sorry to go on a rant  :-[ I don't normally have much to say, as someone more knowledgeable than me is always on hand, but I really feel quite passionate about this, as has probably been noted  ;D

[Borlotti]

Thanks for that Suzanne.  I think I understand, because Delacet said 100% natural and is has a sticker on the information leaflet that said 'available on the NHS' thought the doctor would give us a prescription, or if not would pay for it.  Had used it before and it worked well.  Might give them a ring (Delacet) and find out exactly what is in it as don't want to give my granddaughter neurological problems as the doctor warned.  The doctor was very, very anti.  Interesting that you say herbal remedies can cause problems.  My daughter has controlled epilepsy so that might have been why the doctor was so anti.  Well I stand corrected and will not keep telling my daughter and granddaughter off for not doing any chemical/natural treatment.  She did the loads of conditioner method and the £10 nit comb last night and think we are gradually beating it.  It seems that some people are more inclined to catch them unless it is the school. Seems that they accept it as normal. Hopefully this will stop when she goes to secondary school and once we get rid of them both my daughter and granddaughter will have their hair cut short. Don't want to get thrown out of the hairdresser.  I am becoming quite obsessed with it and keep checking her hair with a magnifying glass.  Also have had cats all my life (65 years) and never been bitten by fleas but if my son comes he immediately gets bitten.  Use frontline on the cat and even had to have the pest control in and spray the house.  I do smoke and wonder if they don't like my blood.  I did go for a consultation to one of the Chinese herb shops locally and paid £10 to be told that I was a very nervous person.  Didn't know I had to pay as they dragged me in whilst walking past and thought it was free consultation.  Now I don't walk past that shop as they are always outside handing out leaflets.

[Froglegs]

Why not get yourself a pet monkey, it would make quick work of picking them out.  ;D

;D ;D ;D

[Borlotti]

Elsie, as I said all our problems were solved with Delacet but after being told by the doctor it could cause neurological damage I did not feel I could buy it and use it.  I paid for two bottles last time as mum, dad and granddaughter had to do it and they told me in the chemist I could get it on prescription.  Doctor said no, would gladly have paid for it but after being warned by the doctor decided not to.  Perhaps she was just annoyed that I asked for a prescription.

[elsie]

I can completely understand your concern. Was it Delacet in particular that she said could cause this, or all treatments?
I am on the school PTA, and was interested in seeing if we could supply this to our pupils. The PTA were more than happy to buy this wholesale, and supply it at cost to the parents to have a chance to rid the school of the problem, but we weren't allowed to do this as it "went against the advice of the school nurse" which is the classic "wet combing"  :( However, as part of my research for this, I had a very interesting conversation with one of the distributors about Delacet and why it isn't more commonly used in England. I will try to find her phone number and PM you with it. I'd be really interested to hear what she has to say in response to your doctors advice, as I have recommended this product to many people.

[Borlotti]

The doctor was quite emphatic not to use ANY treatments as they can get absorbed into the scalp and cause damage apart from the conditioning and combing.  She got quite annoyed when I asked why Delacet has a sticker on it available on the NHS.  The locum in the chemist rang up and said it was available on the NHS but I couldn't have it without a prescription but could buy it.  This doesn't seem to make sense to me.  Would be very interested to find out any further information about this.  I colour my hair every six weeks so I expect that is bad, but one can't take any risk with children, especially if they are not yours.

[Barnowl]

Some years ago, bearing in mind that most lice treatments contain organophospates I asked a vet. He recommended some stuff without OP's that worked brilliantly on my daughter. The active ingredients weren't licensed for use on people in the UK but were FDA approved in America. Wish I could remember the make - of course it might have been Delacet.

If Delacet's ingredients can be absorbed into the scalp then surely it would be prescription only?

PS does reading about lice make your head itch. It does mine?

[Multiveg]

According to my mother, I had lice and the only thing that worked was, erm, paraffin!
Anyway, we used those metal nit combs (can't remember names - 3 types, one with long prongs, 2 with short but one of those has double row) and they work on wet tea-tree-ed hair.

[flossy]

  Like many of us ,our grandchildren suffered with head lice -  [ 12 and 8 ] in age now,
  I know for some it will be a long wait but - did hear that the lice left them once they
  reached puberty ?

   floss x