So far, we have been lice lucky at our house, but I’m sure our time will come. In the meantime, every time that there is a “sighting” at school, we wait to enter our kids’ classroom while the rubber- gloved teachers root through the kids’ hair….. and the parents chat about nits and chemicals. Secretly, we are really just wondering which class (certainly not ours…) was the culprit. A story in last week’s NYTimes Well blog suggests we can throw away the harsh shampoos but keep the nit comb! The article referred to a 2004 study in the journal Pediatrics in which 133 children with hard-to-treat lice were treated with Cetaphil skin cleanser. Children’s hair was coated with Cetaphil, (less than $10 at local drug stores), blow dried until it hardened and washed out 8 hours later. The “shrink-wrap” effect suffocates the lice and, according to the study, the method has a 95% success rate when completed once a week for three weeks.
Some comments on NYTimes Well blog recommend following up the treatment with a thorough combing. Many noted similar results using olive oil, mayonnaise or Elmer’s glue instead of the Cetaphil, accompanied, of course, by a shower cap. Given those options, somehow Cetaphil seems the obvious choice!
Unfortunately, the way to remove lice from clothing and bedding is still the same – hot washing and drying are recommended for all washable items. Dry cleaning for those non-washables, and sealing anything otherwise unwashable in a plastic bag for two weeks for more suffocation. Arrgh!!!
If you can’t deal with thought of lice, there is help (just like for everything in NY). There is the Lice Lady.
“Lice Lady of Brooklyn” is not what I would choose as my nickname, but Abigail Rosenfeld has earned it. She has been treating the ice laden youths of Brooklyn for over 20 years. She even travels throughout the tristate area to treat infested heads. Her treatment is a combination of a special nit comb, conditioner, baking soda and her experience. She charges $25 for a home visit and you pay for travel time. Her number is 718-435-2592.