Sunday 6 July 2008

Listerine and vinegar

I am getting bells to put round our necks. Because today, when the laundry, the chaos, the upset, the rain, is all not quite enough, we discover head lice. There they are, dancing about in Tiger's hair. In fact I am such a partying mother myself I do not even know we have guests until these lice start jumping out of Tiger's head at bathtime, shouting Hey! Look at me! I can do a double backflip into the swimming tub using this hair as a springboard!

When these vile little creatures start coming out of Tiger's hair at bathtime I am dumbfounded. I am speechless. At first I cannot believe what I am seeing. What has my daughter done with her head? Did she stick it down a rabbit hole? Did she walk through treetops and get caught up in a nest of things? What did she do? And then we realise. These must be what lice look like. And she does not even know these things are here. Jumping up screaming from the bathside, pointing in horror into the tub she's sitting in, is not exactly going to make her feel good about this moment. So instead I try the calm approach. I shriek to Squirrel and Shark, Get daddy! which I agree is responding a bit like someone just entered the front door swinging a machete, and not much better than shouting Oh My God We Are All Doomed!

Now, instead of the cosy, comfortable hour I expected after bathtime, supping red wine and reading blogs, I am scouring every internet mention of headlice ever made. I resolve upon a Listerine and Vinegar method first of all. And combing, combing, combing.

9 comments:

Michelle said...

It can't be lice. Home educated children aren't socialised. They are isolated with their families with no contact with other children at all, poor lambs, so you must be mistaken.

It's your age, Grit. The eyes aren't what they used to be.

ChrisB said...

When one of my grandchildren was infected a couple of years back, we found that putting plenty of conditioner in the hair and using the nit comb twice a day worked well. We did it outside and had an old marg container with water to drown them. It does take quite a long time (I can't remember the life cycle timing) You've got me itching now! Good luck with it.

Kitty said...

My daughter was in a class with a girl who had lots of headlice. I used white vinegar in the final rinse after hair-washing to keep them at bay: it seemed to work. Also used a tea tree shampoo, and plenty of conditioner.

Hope you get rid of the little critters soon. x

Brad said...

Oh Lordy. Could it have been the rented caravan?

Nasty little things.

Grit said...

thank you folks; we are winning. i have spent some 17 hours now in total on tiger's hair. when those beggars came to stay they did not reckon on a woman who has vengeance in her soul.

Unknown said...

Well, i can definitely tell you you are doing the right thing. I believed in chemicals, i really did but they didn't work. Tea Tree, conditioner and combing every 3 days for 3 weeks did work. Oh and a Nitty Gritty comb - worth every penny of the £10.

sharon said...

Yep, they're a pain in the proverbial. Perseverance and plenty of combing is the only 'cure'. Good luck.

Em said...

Nitty Gritty Comb.

That is what you need. Plus tons of conditioner.

If R so much as wafts past someone with lice she gets them. We've had them on and off for what seems like an eternity now, despite getting completely rid of them every time. A month or two later she'll get them again.

Honestly though, Nitty Gritty Comb is really really good. So good, I bought two, one to keep at my mums house - because I knew I'd loose the first one.

Grit said...

thank you for the nitty gritty tip.

and it is so great to share my moniker with a lice comb.