Head lice getting harder to treat

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Sep 15th 2008 3:00PM

Categories: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Health & Safety, In The News, Home Remedies

Two words a parent dreads hearing: head lice. Those creepy little bugs that infest the hair of humans are a hassle to treat and often cause for embarrassment. Considering the fact that head lice have been bugging humans for thousands of years, one wonders why we haven't figured out a sure-fire way to eradicate them.

One of the reasons is the parasite's ability to adapt and become immune to the medications we use to get rid of it. In fact, experts say that it takes only three to five years for head lice - or pediculosis - to develop an immunity to a new treatment. This means that sometimes the over-the-counter medications parents furiously work into their child's hair does absolutely nothing.

Health experts still recommend that medications such as Rid and Nix be used to treat head lice as they do work for many people. But for those who have tried them and still have creepy crawlers up there, help may be on the horizon. The Food and Drug Administration is close to approving several new treatments, including the "Lice Asphyxiator", which basically kills the bugs by preventing them from breathing. Also on the way is a fast-acting lotion that does the job in a fraction of the time as current treatments. And my personal favorite: a treatment that involves blow-drying the bugs to death.

In the meantime, the Internet is full of suggestions on how to get rid of lice with home remedies. I don't know if covering your kid's scalp in mayonnaise, olive oil or Vaseline really works, but I would sure be willing to give it a try.

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Comments (11)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ame s 9-15-2008 @ 5:47PM

An aunt of mine swears by a hefty coating of mayo covered with a shower cap and left on for hours.

Melissa 9-15-2008 @ 6:36PM

Did you know that lice actually LIKE clean hair, not "dirty" hair?? So that means, the more product (i.e. gel, hairspray, etc.) you use the less likely you are to get it....when my ex husband i first started dating, there was an outbreak of lice at his mom's house (they had her elementary aged grandchild living there)....I was the only female in the house who did not end up with lice....BECAUSE I use gel, and mousse, and hairspray, and I wash my hair every other day!

Serena 9-15-2008 @ 10:23PM

As a preventative I add a dozen drops of tea tree oil to my kids shampoo.

vicky 9-17-2008 @ 8:12PM

where do you get tea tree oil?

serena 9-17-2008 @ 9:22PM

I snagged mine at the local health food store. I've seen it in some pharmacies as well. It's about 10$ CDN for a small bottle but my bottle has lasted most of this year and I add a few drops to certain laundry loads as well..

Debi 10-10-2008 @ 12:24PM

I'm a professional health and wellness coach and there is alot more research on tea tree oil. There are many grade levels of quality. I have resources to buy tea tree oil as well as many other natural products to help your families health. I don't sell products but could help you purchase at wholesale. If you're interested in ordering products or just information feel free to e-mail me. I also have reports available on preventing lice naturally.

Rebecca 9-16-2008 @ 8:27PM

I never had lice as a kid. Then I got it 3 years ago, when my daughters came for a visit. I tried the OTC gimmicks... They didn't work. I went 2 weeks with really bad head lice. I tried everything!

My boyfriend didn't get it, but our pour 2 year old son and I were covered with those nasty little bugs!

I went online and started complaining to my friends and everyone in general, then, omg! THANK GOD! Someone spoke up with something that I thoguht was gross, but worth a shot!

She said: Try olive oil. Put it on like shampoo, then wrap head in plastic wrap. Leave it on for 2-4 hours.

I was like, OMG! Your kidding me!

"Not at all, try it! If it doesn't work, I will appologize."

I tried it.

OH MY MOTHER OF GOD! IT WORKED!!!

It felt absolutely horrible on my head. made me itch worse. Felt like slime was dripping down my head and neck, but THANK YOU JESUS! It WORKED!!!!

I don't know the exact reason it works... but I am assuming it smothers those little guys so they cannot breathe.

I think the plastic wrap is just to try to keep a semi-balance of order with your greasy oily hair... I didn't use it. I wrapped a towel around my neck and let my hair drip on that as I sat there for 4 - yes 4 - hours!!

By the time that was done, I was sooo damned greatful! And since it had worked on mine, I went and did it to my son, and again, it WORKED. He had very short hair cos we'd buzzed it to try to get rid of the lice. So I just poured a little olive oil on his head, and he of course complained. And I just sat there holding him for 2 hours, watching TV. Then I took him in and gave him a good bath and his hair was clear of those bugs!!

OLIVE OIL WORKS FOLKS!!

I do not buy the RID any more. My exhusband buys it still, and I told him he was just hurting our daughters more by using the poisons. Just to dump Olive Oil on their hair and let it sit 4 hours... He tried it, it worked, but still uses the "preventatives"...

~Becca

jazzyazaliah 9-17-2008 @ 8:35AM

I acquired head lice from one of my pupils a couple of years back. It was the first time since I was something like 6. I was thirty at the time. Anyway, I got rid of them relatively easily, even though my hair is past the middle of my back; and since knew her trampy, ho of an aunt, who was living with her [my pupil's] father (long, sad story) would likely never get rid of the lice completely, I looked up preventatives in a home remedies book.

What did I find? Listerine, the nasty yellow kind, WORKS. And much to my surprise, it didn't stink, nor was it totally nasty and sticky. The trick is not to use too much. I bought a spray bottle, and before I went near her I spritzed my hair with it, blew it dry, and brushed it straight. (Never had so little frizz! LOL) No one ever knew, and I never got head lice from the girl again.

I did tell her mother about it, hoping it would help the situation, but eventually the situation persisted so badly that we actually had to get social services involved. Three kids in that house, all tainted with head lice for almost a year running, and that skank was deemed more fit than the children's mother, who, while admittedly strange, was by and far more concerned about them and at least a thousand times more stable. It took another year for her mother to get custody of her, and it really shouldn't have.

Heather 9-18-2008 @ 9:45AM

What finally worked for us was a curling/ flat iron. We fried the buggers. They do make a slight pop and sizzle but it did work. We used a curling iron and just dragged it through the hair rather then wrapping the hair around it. Like you would if using a flat iron/ straightening iron. We got as close the the scalp as possible and fried the eggs and what ever bugs we found. We also did the combing.

Janae 10-12-2008 @ 1:41PM

My 5 year old sister come home from school one day with lice, we got read of it and about 5 weeks later she got it again! the school said they couldnt do anything about it. and they didnt have to send notes out! we got read of them with baby oil, we are just looking for something we can put into her hair everyday to keep her from coming home with head lice?

loretta 9-30-2008 @ 4:55PM

I have made my own wonderful product using natural oils which truly works in as matter of minutes it gets rid of head-lice and their eggs.so no reinfestation the following week fantastic product.if you would like to know more email ALLABOUT NITS@bigpond.com.au my name is loretta and my product is called BUG FREE NATURALLY OR PHONE 0429367853

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