Hey guys,
I've been lurking on this board for a few months now and have made a couple of posts in the past. I had been growing my hair out for 18 months already and was forced to get it cut recently due to headlice infestation. I decided I wouldn't hassle with months of chemical warfare and heaving combing that ends up tearing half of my hair out and decided to get it buzzed bald. So for my second attempt I will be growing it from scratch and will use the wash twice a week without and no trimming method from my last attempt. Do you guys think I made a good decision or that I should of kept my hair and killed the lice with shampoo treatment.
PS: I do have a photo I took right after my haircut but I don't have access to my camera for the next week. I will post the pic in a future update.
Blimey Mitch, That's a difficult one. I'm not sure what I would have done in the circumstances, perhaps tried a bit of the chemical approach first? No Sure. Anyhow, I think you made a very brave decision, and glad you haven't given up as as a longhair. Good luck with re-growing and keep us posted.
It's too late now, but save this info for next time.
There is a lice treatment called "LiceMD", which contains no pesticides, and is very gentle on your hair. It also conditions your hair, making it easy to work a fine-tooth comb though it. My wife and I used it when our grandkids were found with head lice, and they had stayed at our house for a few days.
You can find it at most drug stores.
That would depend on how attached you are to your hair. Some people would only part with their hair if they absolutely had to, suffering through chemical treatments, hassels, and pain to keep it. But -- sometimes a clean start can be a real blessing, in hair growing or any other area of life! Just do whatever your heart tells you to do, and don't waste time or energy second guessing yourself. :)
I am going to be quite blunt with this answer
BUT you are an eejit- hair lice can only be removed by constant combing (every day) with a comb to take out the 'babies' - and then you have to squish them, make sure they are dead with the back of the comb (they will crunch) - eggs stick to your hair and the adults which grow at 1-3 days will only lay eggs constantly in your hair .. chemical shampoos will not remove anything - it is an ongpoing process..
If you have kids or if there is someone close to you who is in contact with anyone who may be infected.. let me think.. DUH!!
You Will Be Re-Infected!!!
You cannot remove eggs with shampoo, they glue to the hair shaft.. you CAN remove the adults and the babies.. and, hence, stop re-infection.. combing & crunching is the only answer.. not shaving your f*ck*g head.. so stop being lazy and get the comb out - and do it every night for weeks, then (if you are clear) do it again 1/2 times a week to check.. because it is coming from Lazyness and/or Someone you know!
Lice etc.. come come re-infection NOT from having long hair, dirty hair, greasy hair or anything else.. and once they are in you have got to keep re-checking - even shaved, they live off the scalp!
How many times have I said this on this board???
blah...
I shaved my head because of I pride myself of being against chemical treatments and keeping my hair as natural as possible. Those horrible nit combs only end up tearing most of my hair out and leaving it in a horrible mess. Shaving your head gets rid of the lice 100% though. Since the eggs hang on to the hair shafts, with no hair left you would have taken care of the eggs. After shaving, I just washed my scalp to get rid of the existing lice. My other motivation for shaving bald was to have a fresh start at growing my hair.
Sounds like I had a bit of a rant there - sorry!!
To get back to it;
"I shaved my head because of I pride myself of being against chemical treatments and keeping my hair as natural as possible"
Combs are not chemical treatment and they are the ONLY way to remove lice.
"Those horrible nit combs only end up tearing most of my hair out and leaving it in a horrible mess"
Use a conditioner and comb or brush your hair as smoothly as possible before using the nit comb.
"Shaving your head gets rid of the lice 100% though. Since the eggs hang on to the hair shafts, with no hair left you would have taken care of the eggs. After shaving, I just washed my scalp to get rid of the existing lice"
Yes, true - but where is the re-infection? If you regrow they will come back if you are in contact with anyone who has it, kids, kids at school, other adults.
"My other motivation for shaving bald was to have a fresh start at growing my hair"
Fine, but having hair also means taking care of it - and that means watching out for infections.
You were/are (?) obviously in contact with someone who was infected and you will have to re-deal with this. Combing it out, and I mean scraping the scalp and hair shafts with a comb is the only way to get rid of the problem.. day after day.. time after time. If you want hair, no matter how long, you will have to deal with this at some point, shaving aint gonni work and you're daft to think it will.
Re-infection is caused by people who do not know how to get rid of the problem or those who dont pay attention to it. They are the ones who infect others. And head lice are designed to survive.
Whilst I can understand the temptation to buzz, I think that you were wrong. What would a woman have done - just washed her hair. Modern shampoos for lice are, I believe, very effective and so such a drastic step is not needed in the twenty first century
Thanks for all the feedback. Something I should have mentioned though is that I take take an all natural approach to growing my hair. I refuse using chemicals on my hair including shampoo entirely, instead opting for coconut oil and other plant oils. For this reason I had decided to shave my head instead of treating the lice, and now I am just wondering, for the future does anyone know of any non chemical treatments for head lice. I should have asked earlier, I know, but the damage has been done.
Cheers, and keep growing
Mitch