So, this is a post I thought I would never be qualified to write … at least I hoped I’d never become an expert at dealing with dreaded lice! But, I’m coming to you now as a seasoned veteran of the war against these horrible, nasty, persistent little pests.
Let me start from the beginning. I have a first grader with long, thick, thick, thick (Did I mention her hair is thick?!?) gorgeous hair. At the end of the Christmas break, she started complaining about her head itching, so I casually checked her head only to find the tell-tale white nits buried deep in there. I was horrified! I cancelled all our plans, called any friends we’d been in recent contact with, loaded the three kids in the car and headed straight for the drug store. I bought everything I could find, spent a fortune and went home to begin the war!
Products to prevent and treat lice:
My first battle with over-the-counter lice treatment was a failure. I read somewhere that 75 percent of lice are now resistant to the active ingredients in most popular lice treatments. Even after combing for hours and hours and hours, the lice weren’t gone. There were many moments when I just wanted to cry. My daughter did cry. It was a dark time, and I knew there must be better products out there to deal with this common problem. Enter Amazon.com and all the amazing reviews that directed me to the products I needed.
The first thing I bought was the Nit Free Terminator Lice Comb. I figured any product with the word “terminator” in its title was worth a shot. Plus, it got amazing reviews. It’s what the professionals use because it has micro spirals around the teeth of the comb that grip the lice and eggs and pull them free from the hair. Don’t even bother with the other combs. This pulled out more nastiness than you can imagine. Actually, don’t try to imagine. Just trust me. It worked. I still had to brush numerous times and pull off the tiniest nits by hand, but it’s a must have tool if lice is your reality.
While the “terminator” comb helped, my ultimate weapon came in the form of the Robi Comb. It’s what saved my sanity and stopped the lice nightmares (I was literally dreaming of lice … not fun). It’s an electronic lice zapping comb that emits an audible signal if it comes in contact with lice. In other words, you’ll know for sure if your child has lice, or STILL has lice. The comb makes a very unique buzzing sound until it comes in contact with a louse, then it goes silent as it emits an electronic pulse that kills the little bugger. It uses micro-charge technology that zaps the lice, but not your kid. They claim you’ll kill all existing lice in your child’s hair after the first use (That wasn’t exactly my experience, but my daughter has enough hair on her head for three kids). If you continue using it once daily for 10 days, you’ll end the infestation cycle. In other words, any unhatched eggs that you may have missed will hatch within 10 days. If you faithfully brush and zap them before they mature enough to lay more eggs, then you’ll have won the war.
And the best part about owning a Robi Comb is that I can easily spot check my kids once a week or so (for the rest of their lives – haha)! Instead of wondering if they’re in there setting up shop again, I’ll know. It brings amazing peace of mind to a mama who’s weary of wondering if I got EVERY LAST ONE – ahhhh!!!
And finally, who knew that there were lice repellent products out there to help keep your kid from ever getting lice?? I didn’t. There are actually lots of products out there that contain a combination of natural ingredients and essential oils that won’t harm your child. I’m currently using Lice Shield Leave In Spray every day before school on my daughter’s hair, coat and backpack. I can’t say with confidence yet that it helps, but it certainly can’t hurt. Especially if you have to send your child back to the environment in which they probably first picked up the lice.
So, I hope you never, ever, EVER have to deal with lice. But the reality is that if you have kids, you probably will. And when that time comes, I promise you that the Terminator Lice Comb and Robi Comb will become your new best friends.
Little tip. Instead of buying all those live treatments but a jar of mayo, yes mayo, and some plastic wrap. Coat the entire head and all the hair very well with the mayo. The wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Leave in for a whole day, the longer the better. The mayo smothers both the lice and nits. Plus it is like a super conditioner.
Ick! We had a lice scare with it found at school but luckily not on my kiddos so I immediately went shopping for any preventative products & found the Lice Shield shampoo, spray, & balm. Kids now shower with it always!
My daughter came home with Lice a few months ago…we cried together…three kids in her PreK class went home with it. Her hair is thick and long and beautiful and I just thought I was going to have to CHOP IT ALL OFF!!! For three days, we combed through day and night…mayonnaise, lice shampoo, those silly combs, the whole nine yards. I found the lice repellant spray and sprayed her and myself each day for two weeks to be sure we didn’t get them back. It was a horrid experience and I know it will happen again…so thanks for the awesome tips!
Clearlice – look it up online- all natural, gentle treatment that kills lice in a different way. We used this on my daughter who has THICK hair. And there was enough product for all of us to use it. Smells great without the burn and lice were gone! Can’t beat that!
Aysha is spot on about the mayonnaise. It also makes the nits slide off the hair much easier. For prevention, use shampoos that have tea tree oil in them. Lice hate the stuff and won’t go near it. You can buy shampoos that have it in it already or purchase a small bottle of Tea Tree Oil and add a few drops to your existing bottles of shampoo and conditioner. It doesn’t take much, so add it sparingly.
my grandchildren have been battling LICE for a year. My daughter in law has tried everything. She is now using Fairy Dust products that have seemed to help.Part of their problem is environment. They live in Yuma and it is a boarder toen and always hot. There are cultural differences there that do not help.
At Christmas my oldest granddaughter that grew up in Honduras was fixing the youngest granddaughter s hair and found lice in it. I felt so bad for her she was so upset she said she had not had lice since she was in Honduras and did not want it again. They go to school and ge rexxposed The Health Dept says there is nothing they can do
Any Ideas ?
When my daughters were in Jr high they brought home lice from school. We tried everything for a month nothing worked. Finally someone told us about using Denterox (not sure of spelling) Medicated dandruff shampoo. leave it in hair for at least an hour. Wash out. You will see dead lice falling out of the hair.Then apply hair cholesterol and cover with a shower cap leave on a couple of hours or even over night. Rinse out and comb out the nits. Repeat n 3 days. Don’t forget to wash all bedding, vacuum all carpet and furniture, clean backpacks and carseats. Bag all stuffed animals. Sounds like a lot of work but is worth it to get rid of those bugs, We never had to deal with lice again after following all those steps. When the girls went to camp or would stay all night with friends they would throw their clothes straight in the wash and wash their hair with the shampoo. Hope this information will help someone.
Thanks so much, Shannon!
I was told by my hairstylist to just use any leave in conditioner daily, & the hair will be too slick for lice to stick!
Olive oil really work and it’s safe. My daughter had too many toxic shampoo that didn’t work and the pharmacist recommended Olive oil, sure you still have to take all the eggs off. For boys I recommend a brush cut.