Question:
I live in Australia and my 2 daughters have had this problem for 6 months
now. They both have very long thick hair and I have tried every product on
the market. I have been able to get rid of the lice but not the eggs and
unfortunatly eggs hatch and I am back to square one.When I go to the chemist
and ask for something to treat the problem I am repeatly told there is
nothing on the market at the moment that will help. This can't be right. I
have said to the sales assistants that they are the biggest lice that I have
ever seen. I have been told that head lice and body lice are now cross
breeding that's why nothing helps. My daughter have their hair treated every
7 days and wash their hair every night.
Is there anything that will get rid of head lice?
Answer:
Lice resistant to treatment are an increasing problem many places including
here in Northern California. Various forms of primetherins are the most
effective treatments (Nix Rinse is available without prescription here,
Elimite is stronger (actually meant for scabies-but can be used on the scalp
for 4-8 hours) but is only available by MD's prescription here. Nothing is
guaranteed to kill all the eggs so it is still important to remove the nits
with a very fine toothed comb. A vinegar and water solution or some
diswashing liquids can help loosen the nits. With very thick long hair it
is a daunting task. When desperate it is possible to smother the lice with
mayonaise for several hours; the other preparations are very hard on the
scalp and hair. Don't overlook the possibilty of recurring infestation
rather than treatment failure.
