Safe lice treatments
Are lice shampoos safe? Dr. Diane Sacks breaks it down and suggests some alternatives
Q: My eight-year-old just came home with head lice. I am worried about the chemicals in lice shampoo. Are they safe and are there any alternatives?
A: How something so small causes so much trouble amazes me.
A few important issues: Head lice, unlike body lice, isn’t a health hazard. It’s difficult to diagnose and only if there is certainty should treatment be instituted.
There are two chemicals that are safe, effective and approved for use in Canada, pyrethrin (brand name R&C) and permethrin (brand names Nix and Kwellada). Pyrethrin should not be used in people who have hay fever as there are some cross reactions. At present, we have not identified high resistance to these treatments. But please follow the instructions exactly. Most should not be used on kids under two years of age (nit/lice combing needs to be done here).
There is now a product that is non-insecticidal that has been shown to have success (Resultz). Many other treatments, such as tea tree oil and petroleum jelly, have been handed down, but there are no trials on how effective they are. Recently, a coconut-oil-based product called Hair Clean 1-2-3 has been shown to have some success.
By the way, hunting and combing works, but it must be done diligently and really takes hours. A good resource for this topic is caringforkids.cps.ca.
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What do you think?
Katherine (not verified) says ....
I used tea tree oil and it killed them dead in the first treatment. I did it for 7 days afterwards and washed all bedding. I haven't had a problem since. I do preventative maintenance with the tea tree oil (I didn't catch the lice right away and it got out of control) once a month. I put 5 drops per 3mls of shampoo. Then I leave it in for ten minutes, wash out and then do a combing out. The combing out is easier too because the tea tree oil makes their hair really nice and untangled. lol
Tina (not verified) says ....
I suggest contacting your local Licesquad (if you google Lice squad you will find them). They use a chemical free enzyme based solution with dollarstore conditioner. You have to buy the solution and do it yourself or they will come and de-lice your child for a fee. It was the best money spent when we had to do it on Boxing Day several years ago. If you get them to show you how the first time, you can do it yourself from then on. They came in with lollypops for the kids and the kids sat and watched a movie while they did there thing.
uzfive says ....
I have a home daycare and use tea tree oil as prevention - 12 yrs and counting - so far lice free! Knock on wood! Like person in previous post, I rub the oil on nape, behind ears and hairline every morning before school. I have 3 girls of my own, so we tie their hair up too. Also, we hang coats in separate places to avoid any jumpy bugs. I hope we manage to avoid it this year also - three notices have come home in the last two weeks. Tough odds.....
uzfive says ....
I have a home daycare and use tea tree oil as prevention - 12 yrs and counting - so far lice free! Knock on wood! Like person in previous post, I rub the oil on nape, behind ears and hairline every morning before school. I have 3 girls of my own, so we tie their hair up too. Also, we hang coats in separate places to avoid any jumpy bugs. I hope we manage to avoid it this year also - three notices have come home in the last two weeks. Tough odds.....
marcoisabel@sym... says ....
Oh yes, I forgot to add that over the years, I would always keep my sons' hair short and right before they'd leave for school, I'd rub lavender oil around their hairline and behind their ears and nape and they never caught lice. This was the first year where I had their hair a little longer and did not use the lavendar oil and they caught it. Lavender oil will not treat lice but will work great as a preventive measure as lice don't like this scent. It isn't the greatest scent, but it beats the tedious job of getting rid of lice, because it is not only the hair you need to treat, but you have to wash and dry all the bedding, stuffed animals, vacuum upholstery, and store those things that you cannot wash. It is such a hassle!
marcoisabel@sym... says ....
Like the treatment. I too have 8 year old boys and a 5 year old daughter and for the 1st time in 4 years at this school and 6 years at a daycare, I actually had the problem come home. Not only did the kids catch it, but they gave it to me. I started off with NIX and did both treatments. However, because the school nurse didn't go in my sons' classes to check the students after I advised them, they kept getting contaminated. I finally got rid of them on the 3rd treatment and I went with ZAP which is a new natural product and it worked. I did my 2nd round with the R&C and the only thing I can say is that this is extremely strong smelling and it states to not inhale when applying it, so I would definitely not use it on any child. I would go with the NIX and try one of the natural products. Also, ensure that once you've advised the school or wherever, that they send someone in to check otherwise the problem just keeps persisting. I was right in advising the school to send in the nurse because right before I did the 3rd treatment (2nd product) they found the culprits in one of my twins' class and at least we knew where it came from. Good luck!
Katherine (not verified) says ....
An easy fix is to mix half mineral oil, half vinegar, rub into kids hair, leave on half an hour, go through with lice comb, works great!