Lice Options

Specialties School

Published

So we're seeing an uptake in lice cases recently at my elementary school and parents are IRATE that they are spending so much money at the professional nit picking places. Honestly they seem more upset about the cost than about the lice itself. What other advice can I give them? I nit pick my daughters' heads myself but, obviously, I'm a pro by now. I think a lot of these parents just don't know exactly what they are looking for, are afraid they'll miss one or just don't want to spend the good 2 to 3 hours it takes to do a super thorough job. And I totally get that. I hate doing it too but I've had parents telling me they are spending nearly $1,000 getting their kids' heads treated!

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I had a mom call me and let me know that she had her child treated at one of these places. She didn't like my answer that i'd monitor the class per policy and wanted me to do a check of the class - she is convinced that she got it in the class as she doesn't have friends in school and doesn't do sleepovers and according to her child there were other kids scratching, yada yada... never mind the outside gymnastics classes or dance or karate or whatever the heck the kid is into. She pleaded her case to the teacher and then i got a visit today from the principal who was saying something about how I should have told her about this. Wait - what? enforcing lice policy is now something you want me to trouble you with?

Specializes in School Nurse.
Had a foster mom bring in children for their physicals and the littlest one scratched her scalp and flicked a lice off her head. Foster mom 100% believes the kids got the lice from the office when she brought her in the previous day. :)

Lice conspiracies follow you everywhere!!!

Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.

My families here are mostly Hispanic so a lot of them ask me about the plant Ruda (Rue), which is illegal to sell here in Texas but not illegal to have in your house. It seems it's normal practice in some Hispanic families (especially mine) and I found it actually works (We tried it ourselves before). So basically I tell them to do the OTC medication,then after that I tell them to use conditioner to brush out the nits, then do the shampoo again after 10 days from initial shampooing (Thanks OldDude). If they feel it's necessary to do the Rue plant, they can but I honestly feel just the shampoo can help. What we do is make a tea off it and wet our hair with it and put a plastic bag or a towel around our head for an hour, after an hour, wash your hair out with normal shampoo and your done.

My families here are mostly Hispanic so a lot of them ask me about the plant Ruda (Rue), which is illegal to sell here in Texas but not illegal to have in your house. It seems it's normal practice in some Hispanic families (especially mine) and I found it actually works (We tried it ourselves before). . .

I had to look that up. Sounds too scary for me to ever advise someone to use it.

Rue Uses, Benefits & Dosage - Drugs.com Herbal Database

Adverse Reactions

Rue extracts are mutagenic and furocoumarins have been associated with photosensitization. If ingested, rue oil may result in kidney damage and hepatic degeneration. Large doses can cause violent gastric pain, vomiting, and systemic complications, including death. Because of possible abortifacient effects, the plant should never be ingested by women of childbearing potential. Toxic hepatitis due to Ruta has been reported.

Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
Professional nit-picking places? What in the world?? I've never heard of such a thing!!

I'm not a fan of places like that. They're a for profit playing/relying on the paranoia.

Like others I've seen good results in the school with Sklice. What I have noticed though is that parents actually have to clean their house. Yes. There I said it. Environmental management. Gasp!

I've had a bad year with the little bugs, I am very bitter. I've learned that I can educate but I cannot force people to learn.

Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Like others I've seen good results in the school with Sklice. What I have noticed though is that parents actually have to clean their house. Yes. There I said it. Environmental management. Gasp!

I've had a bad year with the little bugs, I am very bitter. I've learned that I can educate but I cannot force people to learn.

You've heard the term "cleanliness is next to godliness," but this doesn't apply to lice proliferation. Clean heads or dirty heads or clean environments or dirty environments...head lice don't care.

But I would think that if I spent the last 3 hours combing my squirmy 5 year old's head that I'd wanna wash the pillow to make sure that the few that survived the last 10 hours without food will actually be gone and not crawl back in to lay more eggs. Combing the squirmy ones is worse than almost everything. Eggs don't move, I don't do well if I have to chase the host, haha.

Been told this year of stories of "went to a relative's house house and tossed back the covers to see the sheets move," or better yet, "sitting on a sofa and realizing the cushions aren't supposed to be fuzzy." *shiver*

Specializes in School Nursing, Hospice,Med-Surg.

I've had a bad year with the little bugs, I am very bitter. I've learned that I can educate but I cannot force people to learn.

Oh, yes. There's nothing that pisses my families off more than when I remind them that I've sent newsletters throughout the school year telling them to check their little precious' heads and please come by the clinic for my lice educational pamphlet if they'd like to learn more. They're not interested in learning. They're only interested in finding someone to blame for these effing lice on snowflake's head!

Clean heads or dirty heads or clean environments or dirty environments...head lice don't care.

I have heard that lice prefer clean heads

Specializes in school/military/OR/home health.
Oh, yes. There's nothing that pisses my families off more than when I remind them that I've sent newsletters throughout the school year telling them to check their little precious' heads and please come by the clinic for my lice educational pamphlet if they'd like to learn more. They're not interested in learning. They're only interested in finding someone to blame for these effing lice on snowflake's head!

I know, right? I got a nice long handwritten tirade about not telling parents about lice in the school and all I could do was shake my head...I have sent newsletters every month, and the last three have mentioned that there are lice, like in every elementary school across the country, and to please be checking your child's head. I also threw in there that although my own children are in the school, checking their heads weekly is all the prevention I do. They aren't paying any attention to my newsletters. So why would a letter about the handful of lice cases be any different?

Gah! (silent screaming)(wailing and gnashing of teeth)

Specializes in Cardiology, School Nursing, General.
I had to look that up. Sounds too scary for me to ever advise someone to use it.

Rue Uses, Benefits & Dosage - Drugs.com Herbal Database

It depends how much you use, but we don't ingest it we just soak our hair in it for a while.

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