Preventing Catching Headlice

Hairspray! When my dds got lice a couple years ago, I did not get any even though my youngest was always using my hairbrush. I have read that hairspray makes the hair so that it isn't smooth. Lice like smooth hair to lay their eggs.

Here is what I learned:

Keep your kids hair pulled back (ex: pony tail)
Use shampoo with Tea Tree Oil or Coconut Oil (sold in most stores)
Lice like clean hair (they can glue their eggs to clean strands better than oily strands)
Use leave in conditioner, hairspray, and/or gel
Blow dry and/or flat iron at least once a week (Lice cant survive the heat)
Never share hair accessories, brushes, hats, etc.
If you suspect lice, buy a NitComb and comb behind the ears, nape of neck and crown of the head. If you see brown-ish colored debris on the comb, then its most likely lice.

**Try not to use the pesticides. Studies are finding that lice are becoming resistant to them**

Good Luck

Hairspray. My girls have really long hair and have avoided lice every year:)

I've not tried it, but I've heard that adding a few drops of tea tree oil to the shampoo helps...... good luck!

First of all Lice is attracted mostly to light colored thin hair that is super clean.

And so washing their hair every other or every 3rd night is one way.

And yes, Tea Tree oil in shampoo will do wonders.

Do you have boys or girls? My son caught it at preschool recently and I buzzed his hair almost all off. So far, so good!

Great Clips offers a spray-on product which is supposed to prevent it.

Just add the tea tree oil to their shampoo.

Keep their hair up in a pony tail or if you have boys keep it short.

I have (thankfully) not had to deal with my kids and lice ever but my sister and I, who both have VERY thick and VERY long had it as kids and I remember it was awful!

~I know you said no to the dirty hair in your house but you had better believe that if my kids' class had an outbreak I would not be hesitant AT ALL to lay off the shampooing for a couple days to save me the headache of all that laundry and combing and chemicals you have to deal with to get rid of it...but that's just me!

Good Luck!

I highly recommend the Nit Free Terminator comb!! You can find them on Amazon, unfortunately not in the stores. Whenever you hear of and outbreak comb through wet and conditioned hair throughly! This will catch any critter that may have hopped on board. Be careful with the tea tree oil, never apply it strait! Mint is another great preventative, I have seen many nice mint hair products :) the comb is the best though, it is super safe and effective no need for chemicals! Hoo-ray!

I don't have any other tips to prevent head lice other than whats been posted but I wanted to share a treatment my doctor told me about when my daughter had it. It's time consuming but works. It's called the Nuvo treatment & you use Cetaphil soap. Google it and the site will explain step by step instructions.

Add some tea tree oil to your shampoo and have everyone in the house use that shampoo. Just be careful if you have cats since tea tree oil is fatal for felines.

You can find tea tree oil shampoo at the salon now, Paul Mitchell makes it. I would suggest getting one from the health food store since they will carry products that have fewer chemicals in it.

Yikes this makes me itchy! So far I have not had to deal with this, but I get nervous every-time I see a post about it. Before I had kids I worked at a daycare where a child had lice. I bought the shampoo and combs and used it on myself even tho I couldn't find any on my head. It scared me tho. I dread my kids ever getting them. I think I will buy one of those combs now. And try to be more proactive to keep my kids from getting them. Thanks for posting this! It is easy to forget about lice.

There is a treatment and spray called quit nitts. It is natural and it is awesome! They have a spray for everyday use in the hair. My kids have not had lice since we have started using it, even when others in their class get it. I have usually find it at CVS, but I believe it is becoming more widely available. quitnitts.us is their web site. It should be able to tell you where you can get it, or order from them. The treatment killed the lice and then we have used the spray. =)

In my child care center I told my parents to buy the real stuff. It was sort of expensive at that time. I told them to add a couple of drops to every bottle of shampoo they bought. That way the oil would be in each one.

The truth is that head lice are at epidemic levels everywhere. They are nearly impossible to prevent. I think checking your children's hair at least once per week is enough to catch it in it's early stages and put a stop to it.

My granddaughter takes a long hot shower every Saturday morning. I have her lay her head down on a little tykes table and I use my magnifying head gear and check her wet hair. I section it off and take about an inch square and check it from root to ends. I have caught nearly every critter on her head.

We have only used the shampoo once in her life because I found about 30 live large bugs on her head after she came from a friends house, she had spend the night and then the next day spent it pulling bugs out of her friends hair.

Gross huh. I called the mom, told her too.

Go to headlice.org

They have the most non threatening advice, they tell you about all the old wives tales and how to actually treat the outbreaks.

So many great tips here....after reading them I wonder if it would be toxic to both add Tea Tree Oil to the shampoo and use hair spray? Probably not?