Question:
My 12 y o came home from a visit with Grandma and Grandpa today with
head lice. My mom insists she had them when she went a month ago, but I
know she didn't. Anyway, my mom treated my daughter with RID and washed
everything she owns, etc etc. Tonight I combed her with that little
bitty comb and found several that appeared dead. This child is
mortified beyond words, as are the rest of us. She is the youngest of 4
and we have never had this condition at our house before. I have no
idea what to expect and we all have the hebbie jebbies.....itching and
scratching from head to toe and the thought of it. Any of you have any
suggestions?
Answer:
Just went through this. Couple of things:
- It's not as bad as it seems right this second. Once the first
child got it, it spread through the house even to the adults, so I know
whereof I speak.
- Lice can happen to absolutely *anyone*, and is nothing to be
ashamed of.
- I believe that RID is not a single dose cure; look at the
packaging at the drugstore to see when it's supposed to be
readministered.
- We had very good success with Clear nit removing enzyme followed
by Nix. Work the Clear (we found it at Walgreen's) onto the hair
according to the package directions, then comb through with increasingly
smaller combs until you can get through it with the teeny nit comb in
the box. I stayed in the shower combing through my hair with the Clear
on for about forty-five minutes. After you've been through all of the
hair with the nit comb, rinse, then followup with Nix. Since your
daughter just had RID, I'd suggest that you get the Clear and apply it
today. Then, whenever the RID is supposed to be reapplied, use Nix
instead (it's stronger).
- Stay far, far away from the large bottles of natural enzymes
which are supposed to be applied to a single person's head (between six
and eight ounces). This is what I used first, since we had a bottle
we'd intended to use on our daughter. Leaning over the bathtub with a
washcloth over my eyes while I got tons of this crap soaked into my head
over a period of half an hour or so was uncomfortable to say the least.
- Wash all of _everyone's_ bedding, including pillows, in hot
water followed by the hot setting on the dryer. Bag stuffed animals on
all the beds in garbage bags and set them in the garage for two weeks.
Wash any washable hair thingys with the bedding. Soak any plastic or
metal hair thingys in hot, soapy water. Basically, anything on or near
hair or bedding needs to be treated or sealed up for two weeks.
- Sweep/mop or vacuum _all floors_. Vacuum the bedrooms twice.
- Wipe any leather/vinyl furniture or car interiors with hot, wet
washcloth.
- Buy a lice-killing spray for your fabric couches, chairs and
fabric car interiors; you may need two cans. I'd suggest spraying the
car this AM after getting back from the drugstore, leaving at least one
window open (that stuff is nasty). Later this afternoon or early
evening when the car is no longer toxic and you're most of the way
through treating your daughter and the house, open the windows in any
room in which you're spraying, put pets outside or off in a faraway
room, get everyone else to the car, put a washcloth over your face and
spray the living and family rooms. Then go to dinner and a movie;
you've earned it and you'll need the time out of the house.
We didn't do this all in one day, which may explain why the lice spread
through the household.
For maintenance:
- Every day for the next week or so, your daughter should wash,
condition, comb out any tangles, nit check, blow dry her hair on hot,
and nit check again. The first nit check is with the teeny comb while
the hair is still wet; the second is with someone else spending half an
hour or more walking through dry hair with fingers and pulling nits off
individual strands of hair. Clips to hold the hair back while you do
this are very helpful. Fold up a couple of paper towels or tissues and
get them damp; as you pull nits off the hair, put them on the tissues.
Nits will look white against the hair shaft but be kind of brown and
feathery against a white background. White flecks that stay white
against a tissue are not nits.
- Check everyone else's hair for the next 10 days, especially
focussing on the back of the head and around the ears. If anything is
moving or if you see nits, start treatment with Clear/Nix *that day*.
- Wash towels in hot everyday for the first week. May be
overkill, but I was more comfortable doing that than letting them dry
and reusing them.
I know it sounds arduous and it was, but once it's done you'll realize
it wasn't so bad.
