I can't get rid of my child's head lice!!
Four weeks ago I treated my son with Nix for lice, repeated the treatment one week later, washed the bedding and sprayed the furniture. I had been checking periodically since then and a couple of days ago I saw nits and a louse. I treated him with mayonnaise overnight and combed out nits and dead lice in the morning. Now, two days later, I found a singe live louse. I got him a buzz cut, but are there any other natural home remedies to try? How about olive oil for a week, tea tree oil or a repeat of the mayonnaise?
Treating head lice is one of the most frustrating experiences most parents can endure. They are exceedingly common as children put their heads together every chance they get. Unfortunately, well done, blinded case control studies have shown that the various home remedies just don’t work. The idea behind mayonnaise and various oils was the smother the lice overnight. It turns out lice only breathe about once every 24 hours, and the nits are impervious to oils so these treatments will miss many lice and nits. It’s likely your son was re-exposed by another child and this is a new case. I would treat him with Nix or RID again. Bedding can be put in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes. Stuffed animals or other things that can’t go in the dryer can be put in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. The Nix spray is fine for the couch. The buzz cut is a great idea as it eliminates the work of searching for nits. The mainstay of making sure the treatment is effective is fine-combing the hair each night, under a lamp for the week between treatments.
