# A warning about the lice would have been nice . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750 "2005-05-13T21:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/1 "2005-05-13T21:37:00Z")
_ **before** _ you allowed your daughter to hug me 5 or 6 times! The joys of being a cps worker abound. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/2 "2005-05-13T21:48:43Z")
> [@N. Sane](#): > > _ **before** _ you allowed your daughter to hug me 5 or 6 times! > > The joys of being a cps worker abound. :mad: :eek: I was temping for our county Children & Youth Agency about a year ago when they had this family come into the office to be treated with Rid. I spent that forty minutes or so on a smoke break out back. And I still had phantom bugs crawling all over my skin for an hour after they’d gone. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/3 "2005-05-13T21:58:54Z")
A mint or tea tree oil shampoo will help repel the lice and a vinegar rinse I’ve heard asphyxiates them also. A bright light and fine comb to wet hair will reveal the nits and crawlies ( they are fast). My kid’s school had an insidious break out this year , all year long every week notes wwent home and the office was full of kids waiting their turn to be checked. The notes always made sure to make you feel good about yourself and that it was nothing to be ashamed about. Which is true, but damn, some practical advice beyond avoiding sharing hats and combs and harmful toxic treatments would have been helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/4 "2005-05-13T22:03:00Z")
I gots to know: Is this “the lice” as in “Johnny can’t come to school today; he’s got the lice”, or “My head was a creeping maelstrom of vermin; the lice crawled like Hell-spawned armies of the apocalypse across my scalp”? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/5 "2005-05-13T22:03:47Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > I gots to know: > > Is this “the lice” as in “Johnny can’t come to school today; he’s got the lice”, or “My head was a creeping maelstrom of vermin; the lice crawled like Hell-spawned armies of the apocalypse across my scalp”? The 400,000 Lousemen of the Apocalypse? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/6 "2005-05-13T22:10:42Z")
Made me laugh! 😃 Seriously, though, I’m sorry **N. Sane**. I worked a summer rec. program with a bunch of kids from the projects (even in Maine, there are “projects”), and got good and exposed to a kid with the lice for several days before his useless excuse for a father decided to let us all know he found nits on the kids head before he sent him back to his mother’s a week ago. I don’t know if I got the lice myself, but had to get treated, along with a gazillion other people. It’s creepy, but probably not harmful. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/7 "2005-05-13T22:12:24Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > I gots to know: > > Is this “the lice” as in “Johnny can’t come to school today; he’s got the lice”, or “My head was a creeping maelstrom of vermin; the lice crawled like Hell-spawned armies of the apocalypse across my scalp”? Oh God, my scalp is itching now. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/8 "2005-05-13T22:41:15Z")
Sounds like a lousy day. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/9 "2005-05-13T22:56:08Z")
Our school isn’t in the Projects and we still get a notice at least once a year. My daughter picked up a mild case when she went to another school for a few days. I used a nontoxic foam you can get at any drug store that immobilises them so they can be combed out. I didn’t see any more after a couple of days. Then we just washed my daughter’s clothes and bedding for a few days until we weren’t seeing any more. The nits are hard to kill, though and you basically need to comb them out by hand. The adults can only survive a few hours off a person and the eggs only a few days. You’re probably fine, but you should have someone else check you in a couple of days. The one thing that surprised me was how small they are. The adults are smaller than the tiniest ant and the eggs are really hard to spot. I’ve heard that treating your hair with a strong dandruff shampoo periodically can be a good preventive if you are likely to be exposed often. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/10 "2005-05-13T23:56:19Z")
Ooooo, yuck. (TMI ahead) I’ve had lice, it ain’t pleasant. The damn little buggers. My cousin in India had hair down to her butt and had lice, but would she cut it? Oh noooo. She had to keep it long. Scuse me while I go wash my head. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/11 "2005-05-14T00:11:02Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Scuse me while I go wash my head. I’ve heard it said that lice prefer cleaner hair… Is this true? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/12 "2005-05-14T00:22:01Z")
Wow. Talk about looking good making things go to your head. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/13 "2005-05-14T00:39:14Z")
I once sat in choir practice in college for an hour watching an energetic little louse cavort on my classmate’s head. I just couldn’t look away. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/14 "2005-05-14T03:30:48Z")
Eeeuuuu! As soon as she said the word “lice,” my scalp started itching. My sister’s taking great glee in it–we were hanging out this evening, and every now and then she’d start scratching her head, and then my whole body would start to itch. The mom told me that they got some really expensive stuff that killed the lice, but she couldn’t get the nits all combed out. Apparently the kid has really thick hair and gets all whiny and complainey, and the mom, incredibly (or, since this is CPS we’re talking about, perhaps not so incredibly) lets it go. Thanks for the tips about the tea tree oil shampoos & strong dandruff shampoos. I’ll have to give them a try. I actually do have a good dandruff shampoo, because I get dry scalp every now and then and my hairdresser recommended that I use the stuff once or twice a month. **DarkSideoftheFloyd** , if you’re right that lice prefer cleaner hair, I may be in luck. I only wash my hair twice a week, and was due for a shampoo tonight anyway. My hair gets too dry and frizzy if I wash it too often. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/15 "2005-05-14T03:48:46Z")
Here’s previous thread on the topic with some good information: [Apparently, Denorex shampoo kills head lice](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=271593) I’m trying not to get the mental itchies while I post this. Aaahhhhh! Too late! I have to scratch now. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/16 "2005-05-14T06:26:31Z")
My scalp is prickling like crazy. Eeeeeek. (Oddly, I’ve worked in a school, and dealt with kids that had lice, and never felt like this.) ---
**Author:** ![funions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/34f0e0/32.png) [@funions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funions)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/17 "2005-05-14T07:20:25Z")
A few years ago my kids’ school seemd to be plagued with kids who had lice, and whose parents didn’t do much in terms of prevention. This meant frequent nit picking sessions. I found the bestcombination that worked for us was to coat their hair with a non-stick cooking spray, and thouroughly comb through with one of [these](http://www.headlice.org/licemeister/index.htm). It worked fairly well, as long as the laundry was done and the process was repeated after about a week. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/18 "2005-05-14T07:35:00Z")
I’ve never been so glad I shave my head. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/19 "2005-05-14T11:43:28Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > I’ve never been so glad I shave my head. You and me both brother. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750/20 "2005-05-14T11:44:59Z")
Not only do they seem to prefer clean hair, but they prefer blond hair. That angelic blond haired freshly cleaned cherub (my kid) sitting next to the black kid on the bus? Mine’s the one more likely to get lice. Apparently they really have trouble laying nits on African hair because of the flattened shape of the follicle. (All information according to my kid’s school nurse who sees 76% black kids and 19% white. Don’t stone me for racist broadbrushing unless you want to call the lice racist too!) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-warning-about-the-lice-would-have-been-nice/303750.md?page=2)