Head Lice Never Goes Away

by Monika
(Canada)

My daughter's head lice never goes away!

My child got head lice for the first time this summer. Since then she has been sent home so many times from school.


Every time when I thought I got rid of them they return. I have tried Lice Squad treatment and Nix and those pesky things still come back.


I try mineral oil and vinegar in her hair. I wash all her bedding and blankets and put them in the dryer for 40 to 50 minutes. I vacuum out her bed. Nothing seems to work.


I'm always cleaning out her hair. Poor girl cries every time I do this. She has the eggs, nits and live lice. I try to get the eggs out by pulling them out. It's hard when she doesn't want to sit still. Her hair is thick and dark.


I only have vegetable oil, vinegar, and mayonnaise in my house. Sorry no olive oil. What do I do??


I want to find a solution to destroy these things once and for all. What can I do?

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Dear Monika,

My heart goes out to both you and your little girl. I know how frustrated and discouraged you both must feel.


It sounds like you have a resistant breed of lice that isn't going to be vanquished by chemical products like the Lice Squad or Nix, etc.


I would definitely go with the smothering method. Olive oil is best and healthiest way to do this method. Since you don't have any in the house at the moment you can use the vegetable oil until you can get some. (Just buy the cheapest brand of olive oil you can get).


You need to completely cover and saturate the hair and head with the oil. Wrap her head in a towel and let her sleep like that. Wash and comb it out in the morning.


Do this EVERY 4 DAYS for a few weeks to be sure you are getting all of the newly hatched eggs so that you can break the life cycle from re-infesting her head.


You should continue to do what you are doing with the bedding, but also check/vacuum the back of the couch, car seats, etc., where she may be sitting just to be on the safe side.


By following this process every 4 days for a couple of weeks, you should be able to get rid of the head lice completely.


Is anyone else in her class having this problem? Be sure she isn't getting re-infested by sharing hats, combs, brushes, etc., with a friend.


Let me know if you are able to get victory over these pesky little head lice.

Blessings,
Angie