Chop it of to avoid head lice?
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Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: General Hair Talk
Forum Description: A free wheeling discussion of hair related topics.
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6905
Printed Date: November 27 2025 at 1:02pm
Topic: Chop it of to avoid head lice?
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Subject: Chop it of to avoid head lice?
Date Posted: September 24 2004 at 1:52pm
| Im in the process of growing my hair att he moment, but I have just started working in a primary school and in colse proximity with young children. The thing is head lice are a common problem in the school, and I really can't stand the though of getting them. Do you think short hair is the answer? |
Replies:
Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: September 24 2004 at 2:03pm
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They will live in your hair whether it is long or short, so I don't think short hair is the answer...unless you want short hair. If you shaved your head, you would probably avoid them (if they didn't have any hair at all to grab onto and hide in, they would just wash off of your head when you took a shower). They sell shampoo thats supposed to kill them if you get them....I've never tried it, nor have I ever gotten them, so I can't attest to how well it works, but I would assume it does, since the kids I knew in elementary school that got them did not come back bald after they were sent home. ------------- Making metal barettes/concord clips hair safe, long hair style how to: http://alonghair.wordpress.com |
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: September 26 2004 at 9:26am
| Thanks for that, is there not more chance of them jumping onto your hair in the first place if it is long though? |
Posted By: AnaisSatin
Date Posted: September 26 2004 at 12:07pm
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Longhairs with enough length can bun their hair, so that does decrease the odds. IMO I think it's better than a short bob. Actually, I've always been told that headlice can't literally "hop" from one person to another, and that there has to be direct contact or contact with some head gear. Anyone know for sure? Anais ------------- http://anaissatin.livejournal.com">  my LJ , 40 inches long
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Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: September 27 2004 at 9:04am
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The National Institutes of Health medical encyclopedia says they spread by "close contact"...whatever that means exactly...and says they are more common in "overcrowded conditions". It also says you should check the school rules, most schools don't allow the child to come to class unless they've been cured. I would imagine most school administrators would not want them either, so if a child is found with them, they would probably bug spray all the classes and take whatever precautions they could. |
Posted By: Bob S
Date Posted: September 27 2004 at 11:47am
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If you have no head to head contact, Moi, you should be able to avoid them. My wife had problems twice with the louts, and the first time Sue chopped off most of her hair after several weeks of failed attempts. No store or prescription remedies work on long hair because the products must be applied dry. You need about five bottles! The second time (last year), her locks were saved thanks to mayo! Saturate your dry hair with it, put it in a shower cap and leave it in as you sleep. When you wake, shampoo with Dawn and condition. Her lice were combed out big, brown and dead. Then, a few days later do it again, in case of new hatchings. There is no need to cut for fear of lice, in my view. Good luck, Bob  P.S. It's said that vaseline works also. |
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: September 28 2004 at 8:45am
| How much did she have to chop off the first time? Are vaseline and mayo and stuff good for your hair? |
Posted By: arch94
Date Posted: September 28 2004 at 9:34pm
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Olive oil works too...the lice suffocate in it.... I might add the lice like Olive oil about as much as a 2 and 3 year old like having their hair smothered in it. lol ------------- We all know what opinions are like...and I've got both! |
Posted By: Susan W
Date Posted: September 29 2004 at 8:19am
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I don't know about vaseline or olive oil, but mayo is excellent for your hair. You can even use it as a deep conditioning treatment...leaving it on your head for an hour and washing it out after that will give you super soft hair. ------------- Making metal barettes/concord clips hair safe, long hair style how to: http://alonghair.wordpress.com |
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: September 29 2004 at 3:51pm
| I shouldn't think it would be a huge problem. If you're sacrificing your hair for something that probably won't happen and is hardly *that* difficult to cure, then maybe you want to cut it short anyway, and are just looking for a better reason to convince yourself? |
Posted By: dragoness
Date Posted: September 30 2004 at 1:19pm
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I wouldn't chop your hair off just because of a risk of lice. I had the displeasure of having lice once due to improper cleansing of combs at a hair salon. They actually bought me mayo and told me not to bother with medicated crap due to the fact that it does not work at all and is impossible to use with long hair. you shouldn't catch it unless you are hovering over a child with lice and come within direct contact of them or their clothing. ------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change,the courage to change the things I can't accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off. |
Posted By: Bob S
Date Posted: September 30 2004 at 2:30pm
Moi, Sue cut her mid-back hair shaggy short after a month of trying to rid herself of lice in 1992. It was sad for me, but I appreciated that she tried "everything" to keep it long. All the conventional remedies were dismal failures. It was an awful experience back then, but last year they were gone within a week. Best, Bob 
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Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: October 01 2004 at 4:08pm
| Thanks for the replies guys, don't really want to cut it no, but would rather do that than get headlice! But there seemt to be some good solutions here. |
Posted By: korsakovhatt3
Date Posted: October 01 2004 at 6:47pm
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AnaisSatin is right. Head lice do not jump (like fleas); they crawl. You would have to come in close contact with someone who has lice -- e.g. sharing a hairbrush or pillow, or very close personal contact. ------------- My user name is WAY too long. Just call me Juliana. :-) |
Posted By: Unregistered Guest
Date Posted: October 03 2004 at 9:08am
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If you''re really worried, wouldn''t wearing it up have essentially the same effect? Also, that means if they did get in your hair, since it''s bunched up, they might not get to your scalp before you wash it. I'd suggest growing it out even longer, and maybe using thickening shampoo, to make it more difficult for them to actually get into your scalp. It shouldn't happen, though, unless you hug the children and rub your head against theirs. |
Posted By: The Asian Invasion
Date Posted: October 03 2004 at 5:28pm
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Don't bother with vaseline, it's like heck to get out of your hair. XD But Mayo sounds like a good remedy! I've never had head lice before, but I'm a freak about sharing brushes and hats.. I only share my brushes and hats with like 3 people, my mom, my brother, and my best friend who would tell me if she ever got lice. =P ------------- |
Posted By: Immortal2111
Date Posted: April 24 2006 at 9:33pm
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Lice can't jump, they can run quite fast however lol. Remember though that lice are brown usually bugs and they move! Nits are black and stuck very hard to the bottom of the hair shaft right next to the scalp, usually behind the ears, the base of the neck and the crown. where it's the warmest. If you find white shells those are eggs that have already hatched. Also lice only like CLEAN hair because its easier to attach to. |
Posted By: trophywife
Date Posted: April 25 2006 at 2:42am
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If you hear of an outbreak of nits at your school, wash your hair with a tea tree shampoo as this will repel the nits from your head. (This is a preventative measure rather than a cure, although tea tree oil applied to the scalp will kill nits and, if it's a mild case, the shampoo should work too). Tea tree oil has a drying effect, though, so be sure to follow up with an intensive, moisturising conditioner. Washing your brushes, combs and hair accessories in the tea tree shampoo is also a good preventative measure. If you do get nits, slathering your head in conditioner (something cheap is fine - you'll need to use lots), massage it into the scalp and hair for five minutes, then bend your head forward (so your hair is hanging down over your face), get a comb and comb through the hair from the scalp. Use a firm, "flicking" motion to try and get as much of the conditioner out of your hair as possible. You will notice all of the dead nits falling out. Then rinse your hair as normal (if you've used a low grade conditioner, you may want to re-condition afterwards with your usual brand). When you get out of the shower, comb through it again, especially in the scalp area, as the conditioning will have loosened the eggs and now by combing you can push them down the hair, which breaks them up so they will not hatch. A "nit comb" with close teeth is the most effective tool to use, but you could probably use an ordinary comb first and then follow up with the other one afterwards if necessary. Hope this helps. Don't cut your hair, if you don't want to. Best to stick to the rules for the children and keep it tied back securely (a French plait is probably the best). ------------- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life. |