Nothing strikes fear and itchiness quite like the mention of the "L" word. 2012 was a pretty rough year for my family. I rushed into exercising a bit too quickly and frequently found myself injured. The kids also seemed particularly prone to colds this year, including the week that we all had the flu. That being said, I'd rather be injured with the flu than deal with lice again for quite some time.
My daughter, K, caught lice at her preschool. She's only been in school for 2 months! I couldn't believe that she'd caught it already! I was hoping that she'd at least be in elementary school by the time that we had to deal with them.
I try to be as practical, economical, and earth friendly as practical. I recycle and donate whatever I can to try to limit what I waste. For a week, I used every organic and home remedy that was possible to treat them. We tried various ways to smother the nasty buggers using different remedies. All of her plush toys are still double bagged and outside in the shed.
Every morning, I'd wash her blankets and pillow in the hottest water possible, vacuum every square inch of her room and mattress, and remove the shower cap cocktail, just to find more nits! I did nothing that week except for cleaning/disinfecting the house. This was my routine. Every day. All day. For 7 days. I reached the point of exhaustion/defeat and got a prescription from her pediatrician. I also had to switch pediatricians due to her previous one unwilling to help at all or see her. The Walmart pharmacist also recommended bed bug spray, which I happily sprayed all over the car, couches, and the carpeting to annihilate any that dared to remain in my house. I also bought vinyl zippered covers for all of the mattresses. She had a follow up 3 days later and was declared lice free!
I am really glad that I decided to go the prescribed insecticide route. No matter what I tried, each morning there was evidence of more nits/lice. The only other "organic" solution left was to shave her head, which I was nearly to the point of trying. Her hair grows very slowly. At 4 1/2 years old, her hair barely reached her shoulders. About a month ago, she had sneaked a pair of scissors in her room and cut a big chunk of her hair inches. I was going to wait until her hair was a little longer before I evened out her hair, but now her hair is even and a little above her neck. Sigh, it'll take about a year for her hair to reach that length again.
She's been lice free for 2 weeks and counting. Luckily, no one else caught it. I hope to not hear the dreaded "L" word again ever.
Thanks for reading!
Vanessa
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