Lice Outbreak at My Child's School!!

Please go to headlice.org. Head lice is NO big deal. You get it, you sit and pick out the bugs and the nits, you can use alcohol, all kinds of different ideas, they die. You don't have to do all kinds of radical things.

One thing you can do is buy some Tea Tree Oil and put a couple of drops of it in each bottle of shampoo you buy. It is very very oily so it only needs a couple of drops per bottle. They don't like the smell, let's be honest, I don't like the smell either. It also put too much oil on the hair shaft and they can't stick the eggs to it.

Okay, sure it's icky, but do your research. Lice have a very very short lifespan off a human host, lice don't jump and transfer only happens if they are present on a surface or item that is then in contact with your sons hair. the simple fact that you have a son is a big plus in him not bringing them home. Use basic common sense. explain about not sharing hats or coats or gloves, beware if they share lockers or hang their coats on hooks next to each other. Other than that, send him back to school, check him when he comes home but really chances are at any point in time there is likely at least 1 kid in every class with lice and no one ever knows it. My step daughter would bring them home from her moms house and no one here ever got them, and we dealt with her being infested every other week for years, sure it can be bad, but if you are diligent in your checks and in getting all the eggs and nits if he does bring them home then it's not the end of the world.

My kids survived many outbreaks and neither of them ever got it.
The main thing is to teach them early on....
No sharing combs or brushes.
No sharing headbands or hair pretties.
No sharing jackets or sweaters.
No sharing hats.

I know at the schools here, children who get lice aren't allowed back until they are completely cleared. Therefore, as long at you take appropriate precautions, there is no reason to keep uninfected kids from school.

My daughter is 25, my son is 16. Never had lice once.
It does happen and it's not the end of the world, but the precautionary measures ingrained from an early age really helps.

Best wishes.

Try to relax. If he does get them it's a bit of a pain in the butt, but it's not horrible. Help him understand things to avoid: sharing hats, using someone else's comb, etc. Check his head each day, and tell him to let you know if he starts itching.

Honestly, I would send him to school. Yes, it's possible he could get lice, but I don't think that's worth putting your life on hold. If he gets it, you'll manage. In the mean time, think of all the fun and learning and time with is friends he would be missing out on.

*get suave rosemary mint shampoo, every store sells it
*cut his hair short, i believe a 1 1/2 with trimmers will do the trick
*rub tea tree oil on the back of his neck & around his ears
*if he can, put his coat in his backpack

the safest thing to do is cut his hair short

Tea tree oil or even adding conditioner to your son's hair so if any get on his head they can't stick.. For some reason the cleaner a kids hair is the easier it is for them to stick. Took 3 months for me to get them out of my girls hair last time my kids got them
http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/index.php?option=com_vi... Has some good products. Just check his hair daily.. I do weekly checks with my 4 more often if i hear someone has them in their school. Also if he gets them washing all bedding, pillows and stuffed animals he has touched.. those parents keeping kids out of school could get in trouble

Teatree oil in a shampoo will do the trick. I think they sell the shampoo with the oil in it now. Just for that reason.
I had a friend who's mom used to spray her kids hair with hairspray. I guess it works, but I'm not sure I'd do it.

Good luck and yes.... .ICK!

The main thing is to check your child's hair and tell them to let you know if they feel itching, etc. As soon as they felt something then you would need to take action. I would think going to school was the thing to do. We got a letter when one of our kids was in school so we were alerted and our kids were told to let us know if they suspected they had them and one did get them but because she came to us immediately we got right on them and she had very few and only needed one treatment. The worst part is having to vacuum everywhere, wash all bedding, etc. and some people don't do that and it keeps passing it around.

I really don't know how you will know when it is under control. Certainly no one is going to inspect every child's head. But you really don't need to keep your son out of school. Lice cannot fly or jump; they can only be spread through direct contact with another person who has lice or by wearing a hat or other head cover worn by someone with lice or by using a hair brush after someone with lice. Also, lice like clean hair so especially for a boy, just put some product in his hair and he should be fine. You can also take the extra step of blow drying his hair after you wash it. The heat of the blow dryer will make the lice "let go" of the hair strand and the blower will blow them out. Be sure to do this on a floor without carpet as they can live in carpet or other materials for few days. As far as a "natural" lice repellent, there are lice repellent shampoos and some sort of spray I think you leave in. Don't know if they are "natural" but again some styling gel or hair grease or anything like that will help repel them. I have hairspray on my hair every day. My granddaughter has head lice no less than four times. No one else in my house has ever gotten it.

I would seriously consider giving your son a buzz cut. That stopped the lice dead in their tracks when we had it (for him, anyway). Also, I have heard putting any kind of "product" in your son's hair, like hair wax or hair gel should help. As another poster mentioned, the "cleaner" the hair the more lice like it. I've heard good things about the tea tree oil too, but have never tried it.

I continue to do weekly checks on my son and myself, using the Rid metal comb when our hair is damp. I am totally paranoid about getting lice again.

We managed to survive the outbreaks when daughter was in elementary school, thankfully.

I would never keep her home from school because of lice though.... just educate yourself and your child. It is not worth missing important lessons from teachers and getting behind.

We have a separate area when you walk into the house which is my laundry room. I kept a stash of lice stuff there in case i ever got the call and daughter would go no further in the house until she was treated. Then my plan was to treat all the bedding,etc.

There are some repellents out there and I have used them on her just in case.

Be prepared... no sharing hats, brushes, anything that touches the hair.

Don't be paranoid about it... it happens to the cleanest of people... just have a plan of attack ready to go.

Keep your hair DIRTY! The lice can't attach to dirty hair because of the excess oil.

10ish drops tea tree oil in a whole bottle of shampoo. I use the Suave coconut shampoo with this because coconut oil is another natural repellant. Make sure he knows not to share hats, etc with anyone else.

We just got the letter home from school yesterday, I did the lice shampoo to be safe, and Kroger sells a lice shield shampoo and leave in spray that I picked up.... Maybe try that! Good Luck