How do you know if it is a nit?

I see no crawley things. There has not been a case reported since the holidays. However, today I see several tiny white things on DDs hair shafts. Not near the roots, just anywhere in the middle of the shaft. They do not move when I rub on them.

I'm heading to do the google search now for more info. But figured between everyone here, I would find all the answers

Thanks

By Dana on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 06:03 pm:

Never mind. I just am assuming they are nits. The dr office wouldn't even let us come there

I opted for the "nit picking" method rather than chemicals...esp not being sure.

I found about 40 or more of these things stuck to her hair but only in one area. I'll be keeping a close eye and checking DH and I tonight when he gets home. I'm hoping she just got the eggs and the original nit is gone??? Hmmm, could be on one of us! Seems there should be more than what I found. I just don't know what it is.

By Yjja123 on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:42 pm:

But eggs hatch and then you have them everywhere!
You need to react BEFORE you have lice everywhere.
My daughter got them once and it was horrible. She has thick curly hair and the chemicals didn't work. I finally slathered her hair with vaseline which smothered them.
I would take preventative measures for everyone in your family instead of the waiting.
Just my opinion. Good Luck!!!

By Dana on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:49 pm:

I already did all that. I started the process when I first posted and saw no replies. My second post was 3 hours AFTER picking and what not. I'm hoping I found all the eggs. It is night time now, without any house light brite engough. Nothing more I can do. I will be checking again in the morning. I will also have the school check her. At least they know what they are looking for.

I really don't want to use the chemicals. Too many stories gone wrong. Also, seems to be a ton of information saying that smothering works just as well as chemicals and without the side effects.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:50 pm:

I agree it would be wise to take preventative measures NOW. Give her a treatment and comb out all the nits and check again daily. Also wash all bedding, hats, etc. in hot water. Hope you're able to nip it in the bud.

By Bobbie on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:54 pm:

They have all natural treatments now that you can buy at any place that sells the supplies, just read the boxes. And it is not uncommon for the adult to lay a mess load of eggs and then leave and for the child to only have the egg sacks left. Really stinks I hope you got them all. Good luck tomorrow....

By Bethk on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:54 pm:

Dana a very good and effective way to get rid of lice and nits is to use mayo. It works really well and just about everyone has it in there fridge.

By Dana on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:32 am:

GOOD NEWS!

I had the school check DD. There was one nit I missed (and there could still be more) but she reaffirmed me on having caught it VERY EARLY.

Made me feel like such a good mom LOL.

Had my head checked w/ no signs . I checked DH this morning in the light. No signs.

I'm cleaning the entire house today. DD was sent home after check because of the single nit. But at least I don't need to panic. The nurse even said we are safe to travel to my dads this weekend. I was ready to cancel. She said with the oil treatment and picking I had already done, it should be in control. She just said to keep rechecking, and that I probably caught it BEFORE any eggs hatched. She also saw no signs of live bugs. When I told her I found around 40 eggs, she said it was possible to not find 100's...she said I was very lucky in catching it so quick.

So, DD is playing outside with oil in hair and a shower cap. She looks so funny. Last night was a quicky treatment we did before bed. AND I had not treated her bed before bedtime. So we are doing it again, just to be safe. I also saw no further eggs during the application of oil.

Sure hope we never see a buggy! I can handle a few eggs.

By Colette on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:53 am:

try getting some tea tree oil. dd's class had a massive outbreak and I went out and bought tea tree oil shampoo and just the oil itself. Everyday I put a couple of drops on my hands and rub it on her head. She was one of 5 kids that never got them in that class. I have never had to deal with them, thankfully, and I hope you got them all and they stay away!

By Robin on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 04:43 pm:

Colette, I was going to suggest the same thing. As soon as I heard there was an outbreak in school, I used this on kids. You can buy tea tree oil in a shampoo by Paul Mitchell or you can buy the actual oils (I bought mine at a beauty supply store). I put a drop or two in the kids' hair on days I don't shampoo and comb in through the scalp. I read about this in an article in the doctor's office so I guess it is legit.

By Texannie on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 06:43 pm:

Gosh, just reading this thread is making my head itch! LOL

By Dana on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 08:05 pm:

UGH!!!!!!!!!! I just spent ANOTHER 4 hours nit picking! The sun was shining just right and I found several more. So I had to start over again! Still absolutely no signs of a live louse. I'll die if there is just ONE with eggs on her head and then we end up w/ an entire colony. I have now logged in 10 hours of nit picking since yesterday at 3PM.

Talk about "head itching" I've been itching mine ever since I found that first nit. THIS IS AWFUL!

Here is my pitty party: today was my birthday, and I spent it doing lice laundry and nit picking

By Babysitbarb on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 11:12 am:

Hey Dana, I feel for you. I spent my Anniversary one time cleaning and picking lice from my daughters hair. I run a daycare and trust me we've been down this road a few times before. Im also a licensed Cosmetologists so I always thought oh this won't happen to me. The first time was 3 months after moving in to our brand new built home and on our Anniversary. The second time both my girls had it and and some of the babysitting kids, plus myself I had a few nits. The 3 time it was my youngest daughter only. She has loon very thick hair and it was a pain to get rid of them. I try to check often but, like everyone said even clean freaks like myself take a chance of getting them. They actually tend to like cleaner hair. My youngest daughters school just did a check last week and one of the girls in her grade had them and she also had them last year.They are a clean family so not sure were they have the bad luck from.

By Dana on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 08:43 pm:

Barb, do you know if the nits die too after treatment? I used the oil treatment, not the chemicals. I only found 2 left overs this morning in the very top (the last section checked, so very tired at that point) and no new ones since this morning. But if I did happen to miss a nit or two, will they still hatch?

I will be treating w/ oil again just incase there is a loose louse in the house. Heehee hee. I didn't intend for it to come out in rhyme.

And, my oh, my. That second bout of lice you were faced with sounds pretty scary. How did you ever survive!?

By Annie2 on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 08:58 pm:

We've been down this road, too. I think the nits can hatch otherwise why would you have to pick them out? I think it has to do with what stage they are in...I think.
It is a pain. I hope we don't go through it again this year. I feel for you.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 09:17 pm:

Taken from HeadLice.Org...



Nits (the eggs of the head louse) are small yellowish-white, oval-shaped eggs that are "to the side of a hair shaft glued" at an angle
Nits must be laid by live lice. You cannot "catch nits."
Once laid, it takes 7-10 days for a nit to hatch, and another 7-10 days for the female to mature and begin laying her own eggs.
Head lice are clear in color when hatched, then quickly develop a reddish-brown color after feeding.
Head lice are about the size of sesame seeds.
Head lice have six legs equipped with claws to grasp the hair.
Head lice are crawling insects. They cannot hop, jump, or fly.
Head lice do not thrive on pets.
Head lice are small, wingless insects which feed on human blood. They need human blood in order to survive.
Head lice live for approximately 30 days on a host and a female louse may lay up to 100 nits (eggs).
Head lice off of their human hosts will starve. The NPA suggests that, in most cases, a head louse will not survive for more than 24 hours off of its human host.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 12:11 am:

Nits DO hatch. When my daughter had them when she was 2, I saw a live bug crawl across her head. We were at the doctor already for an ear infection recheck and I had him look at her head. I had them too. (He also checked me.) She had gotten them from the babysitter. I assume I got them from her. We treated with Nix.

By Mylittleanimals on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 05:30 am:

Darn lice! I hate them! My daughter has had them atleast 8 times in the last 3 years and I tell ya, WHAT A PAIN! I know where they are coming from and I do not allow my daughter to go there anymore.

I have tried the mayo and vinegar thing and it did not help. My daughter sat with mayo in her hair for atleast 3 hours and when I pulled that cap off I STILL saw a louse run across her head! I also have tried this lice spray stuff, all natural, from CVS and that didnt work either. It was suppose to make it harder for the lice to attach. like the tea tree oil. The ONLY thing that has worked everytime was the chemicals and I always keep a fresh stock in the house.

Hopefully, with her not going to this friends house, the lice will stop, but they are in the same class as well, so who knows. This mother wont get it through her head either cuz she keeps trying to bring her daughter to my house EVERYDAY!!! some people...I dont know!

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 05:08 pm:

Why can't that mom get rid of them? We had them once and only once. Is that mom not treating her kid to get rid of them, or failing to do all the other cleaning involved? I think I wouldn't let her go there anymore, either.

By Bobbie on Sunday, January 18, 2004 - 10:56 pm:

Dawn, This isn't all that uncommon. Many people are just lazy about treating their children. It takes a lot of work to get them lice free and they do not want to spend the time. And if they do pick all the nits they don't clean the beds etc. We usually have a couple of kids that keep giving it back to the other kids. Not uncommon at all.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 02:40 pm:

Ewwww! I'm just glad I haven't run into those kinds of people!

By Dana on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 06:52 pm:

No kidding about "lots of work."

Poor DD is so upset with me. Any time we are in the sunlight, I am looking intensely at her hair. I have been washing her bed linens after each night, just in case. I am continuing the oil treatment for at least 2 more weeks. For all I know I could have two nits that hatch and can mate in the next couple days. And I keep reminding her not to hug anyone until we are certain they are all gone. This is so hard for her. She loves to give hugs when we visit (just visited my dad, met my uncle for the first time in 32 years! and saw adult friends that DD loves). No hugs were given

I can't wait til I feel safe again. Til then, I am washing, vacumming and cleaning hair all the time.

By Mylittleanimals on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 07:50 am:

I have no clue as to why she keeps getting them, but its my guess also that she is not doing all the cleaning. She has 5 kids, so they are probably going from kids to kids to kid. Its real annoying, but even more when she keeps coming here EVERYDAY to see if her daughter can stay over to play even though she already knows the answer!!