My son could have been exposed to lice last month. My mother told me that my cousins had it for several weeks. She didn't tell me this until after he had stayed all night with them. He is now scratching his head like crazy. We have held him down and looked at his scalp. We didn't see anything. Could it be something else?

He probably has lice. Sometimes those things move very fast and if the lighting is not good, they can be missed.

We went through this about 2 months ago. The otc stuff is too chemically and did not work. Here is what I used. I actually got this from a previous post here. You can also do this as a just in case.

Take Real Mayo and coat your sons hair throughly. Cover with a shower cap for about 2 hours. Rinse his hair really good. It's best to do this in the sink so you can stop it up and see if any dead bugs come out in the rinse.

If there are any bugs in the rinse, you will need to look for nits (eggs). I used white vineager as a final rinse and left it on by childs hair. I then used my fingers and a nit comb remover to pick off the eggs.

Mayo and vineager are natural items. My daoughter has allergies, so the chemical stuff was too harse and you can only use it every 7 - 10 days. Mayo and vineage can be used as often as you feel necessary.

I have also started adding tea tree oil to her shampoo as a deterent. You could probably add a few drops of it to the mayo for better results.

I hope this helps. If you are like me, I am a freak about these things and still have nightmares about when I was a kid.

Don't forget you need to wash everything as well. All the bedding, clothes he's worn, pillows, etc. Vaccum all furniture, the car, mattresses, carpets. Put stuffed animals in the dryer on high heat if you have them.

It's a pain, but you got to do it when you do his hair or you'll just reinfest.

It's a pain..

Hi,

I've had lots of experience with lice and it's not fun.

You can use mayo, oil, vinegar etc. but I found it too messy and the results unpredictable. The newest (and safe) product on the market is called RESULTZ - a clear liquid, easy to apply, and it really works. Follow the directions.

Because he is a boy, I would cut his hair short; it'll be easier to manage.:D

Also, to look for nits (eggs), use a comb called the NIT TERMINATOR. It's amazing! It actually takes the nits out as you are combing.....fab.:)

best,

c

ps. I am in Canada, but the two products mentioned should be available in the US since we usually get drug approval etc after you.

Thanks. I didn't think to vacuum the car. I vacuum the furniture at least once a week due to a shedding cat. I also wash is betting regularly.

He hasn't been itching today. He is only two, so it will be hard to keep this stuff on his head, but we will try it.

Thanks for all the great info!

If he's only two, then be careful with my suggestion - RESULTZ. I'd go natural and use a good comb and an oil, mayo etc. concoction.

best,

c

you might also just take him into see his doctor to make sure it's lice. my daughter went through a time where she was just scratching her head like crazy ALL the time and it started just after she'd spent time with some questionable looking kids. i figured it was lice, but it turns out she was having an allergic reaction to the hair spray and hair gel i was using in her hair!!! you might check about your pets too...

FYI - head lice don't live on animals, so no need to worry about pets. Thankfully!
c

We've had several problems with lice over the years. Since your son is only two, I would just cut his hair really, really short.

We did this with my son, it's not like he's at an age when a haircut is a big deal. My son is 13 now and every time I mention cutting his hair he goes nuts, so I pray he doesn't get it again.

Another all natural treatment is olive oil. Use it just like the mayo treatment.

But really at his age a haircut is probably your best bet. I'm here to tell you that once those little buggers settle in, it's horrible to get rid of them. It once took us 6 months and hundreds of dollars because another child's parent wasn't doing everything that needs to be done to get rid of them. My daughter kept getting reinfected and when I finally figured out where she was getting them from, I had a nice little chat the the the other childs mother and ended up not allowing my child to play with this little girl anymore.

Another thing is if he does have them, better check the whole family.

My best friend, who lives across the street, and I have 8 kids put together, and they shared the little buggers back and forth for almost a year. We each have a daughter with very thick, curly hair, and they were the two who kept harboring them. We tried every thing, including all the suggestions above, as well as making them not wash their hair but once a week. Last summer, we'd just had enough. I scoured the internet and came across Licex. It said they would refund your money if lice came back within one year. So, we went in together and ordered a case of the stuff. We got all the kids outside in the yard and doused heads, then did each others heads. Our husbands are both mostly bald, so we let them escape lol. We did routine head checks every Saturday since, and nobody has ever gotten them again, and it's been 13 months now. It's natural, and has tea tree and orange oils in it, and we didn't even have to 'nit-pick'. We still have 4 bottles left, even after giving a few to friends. It worked for us, and I'd recommend it to anyone else at the end of their rope.