How to Treat Head lice for Your Child

This is about treating your child head, without using the RIT lice treatment and also how to treat your home.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vegetable Oil
• Rit Bedding Spray
• Nit Comb
• Trash Bags
• Vacuum Cleaner
• Washer and Dryer
• Patience

1. The first thing that should be done, is the removal of any and all items, i.e., extra blankets, stuffed animals, dolls with hair, extra pillows, anything with fabric to it, from the infested room. Place these items into trash bags and store them somewhere, shed, basement, etc., for approximately 4 weeks.

2. All bedding, clothing, hair ties, anything fabric that will be used, needs to be washed in hot water and dried. Hair ties and brushes, can be soaked in a pot of boiled water, but don't put them into the pot until you take it off the heat.

3. Spray beds and carpets with the RIT bedding spray and allow to sit for a solid 4 hours.

4. This is the time to treat your child's head, while the laundry is running and the spray is killing the lice. Using vegetable oil, soak the child's hair in it, completely and cover the hair, with saran wrap or plastic grocery bag, let it sit for 45 minutes to an hour. This suffocates the adult lice and helps to easily remove any nits, that are stuck to the hair shaft.

5. Continue the process of running laundry, since this is probably going to take you all day, the in-between time can be used to accomplish the other steps above.

6. After your child's head has been soaking for 45 minutes to an hour, remove the plastic wrap or plastic bag from your child's hair and begin using the nit comb. Do this in the bathtub or over a sink, the vegetable oil is messy and the lice will start coming out as the oil drips. Using the nit comb, start at the scalp and work your way to the tips of the hair. You can divide the hair into 4 sections or pin each section off as you go, with a hair clip. For effectiveness, do 1 to 2 inch sections of hair at a time, until you have completed the combing of your child's head. You can use a rat tail comb to get to each section smoothly.

7. Once you have completed combing your child's head, give them a bath or shower, wash them with shampoo and soap from head to toe. This is to remove the oil and any possibly, missed lice. You should recheck your child's head, after the bath or shower and pick out any missed nits.

8. Vacuum beds and carpets thoroughly, after the lice spray has sat for the 4 hours. It's best if you have a non-bag less vacuum cleaner, but if you don't it's okay, just make sure you clean and spray each section of the vacuum cleaner, including the filters, after each vacuuming.

9. The combing, vacuuming and bedding process, will need to be repeated daily, until you are sure that all the head lice, are gone from your home and child's head. The bedding doesn't need to be washed, but should be run through a dryer and shaken outside.

10. After all lice are gone from your home and the items that you have bagged have been sitting for 4 weeks. You may bring them back into your home, but either run them through the dryer first or shake them out, outside first. While drying them is faster and easier, shaken them out is more cost effective. Unless, you don't pay your own electric bill, which unfortunately, most of us aren't that lucky.

11. As stated, this takes patience and time, but once it's done, you'll be able to take a break and breath a little easier.

Tips & Warnings

• If your child starts to get frustrated, while your working on their hair, it's okay, take a break and work on something else for a bit.
• You can also give your child something to do, to keep their mind preoccupied, such as reading a book, playing a hand held game, coloring, what ever works for your child.
• Pets CANNOT catch head lice from humans.
• Make sure the plastic wrap or plastic bag, are not on your child's face, at all. You want to suffocate the lice, not your child.

[Limowreck]

on 3/28/2009 Thank you for outlining this process. My son will be starting school in a few years and I am sure I will need to know how to treat head lice. Thanks so much! *****