Head Lice

by Mary
(Ireland)

Head lice still alive in bedroom despite thorough cleaning, vacuuming, replacing pillows, duvets, etc.

What is going on? Help!

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Hi Mary,

First of all, how certain are you that you are dealing with head lice? Are you only experiencing the bugs in the hair and on the scalp?


The reason I'm asking is because you have mentioned that the lice are "still alive in bedroom" instead of still alive on someone's head.


The type of lice that afflict your head are not usually associated with a particular room.


Of course, cleaning, vacuuming, washing the bed linens, etc., is definitely part of the process when dealing with lice, but if you aren't getting rid of them, it is more likely that you are either failing to get rid of them off the affected heads OR you are continuing to come in contact with someone else who is infected and re-infesting yourself.


Considering the first option, how are you treating the lice in your effort to get rid of them? Try applying olive oil to the entire head and leaving it on overnight. Wash it out the next morning and then repeat this procedure every 4 days for two full weeks to be sure that you are getting all the eggs that you may have missed and have hatched in the meantime.



If you're sure that you are definitely taking care of the lice on your own heads, then you need to think about where you may be getting them from and being re-infested. Children are usually the culprits because they tend to play in close proximity to one another, heads together, sharing hats, brushes, combs, etc.


If you can locate the source of your infestation, you can more easily avoid it or educate your children to be more careful in their close proximity and sharing of personal care items.


Back to the original question... Are you sure it is head lice you are dealing with? No bites on the body or anything like that?


Blessings,
Angie