Parents Lice at the gym ugh

[Rockygym]

Anyone have an outbreak of the nasty little creatures at your gym? Any experiences with sources/ways to get rid? What about the foam pits, can this be the source? Sorry to post unpleasantries but I am at my wits end after 3-4 episodes over the past several months.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Aaarrrgghh! I'm itching all over now, thankyouverymuch!
No advice, sorry, but I feel for you. I hope you get it figured out!!!

 

[Flyaway]

I swear by the Cetaphil method. No chemicals and it works. Just google it for all the specifics. I have lots of girls so I'm well versed sadly. So sorry, it is literally the worst.

Not sure about how to handle the source. What's the gym currently doing to combat it?

 

[Azgymmiemom]

We've treated our gym pit etc before in the past when we've suspected it. I send my kid to the gym with the ladybugs spray. She uses it everyday. So far, so good...no lice for her. It's a huge pain in the rear, but whenever you have kids, I guess the risk is there... Especially for the youngers who tend to hug and put their heads together more...

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Lice do not survive long without a couple things, a human head and blood supply, yes they only survive on humans. So 24-48 hours without a host, you have dead lice.

The source is not the gym but a human in the gym, not foam pits. Sharing combs/brushes. Piling warm up clothes together, those would more likely be a source.

If the gym is closed for 48 hours any lone critters/eggs would be dead.

For the record fleas are harder to defeat, they have multiple hosts and live longer without them.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

http://www.headlice.org/faq/questions.htm

 

[LilyChow7]

Have not had this issue at the gym but still remember the days of head lice checks in primary school. Don't think I permanently got rid of them to I left for high school. [emoji23][emoji23]

 

[munchkin3]

Big problem in the summer!!!! We had this last year AND it is resistant to most store bought lice removal systems......
My DD now uses the argan oil with some tea tree oil, and it works like a charm. Lice hate tea tree oil, and they don't like dirty hair......we also use a ton Of hairspray which also keep them away.....

As far as getting rid of them? The best treatment I have found so far is coconut oil......slather it in and put a shower cap on for a few hours......the oil suffocates the lice, but be prepared to have the bugs run down your face!!!!!!YUCK!!!!!!

After the horror show is over, her hair will be beautiful!

 

[notthatmom]

Lice does not live on things like furniture, carpets, the foam in the pit, etc. They live for about 60 seconds after they are removed from a human head.

The "Rid" products do not work anymore...mint spray or tea tree oil work amazingly. Use a metal lice comb, they work much better than the plastic ones.

We had about a 6 month period where my girls got lice over and over again, so I'm somewhat of an "expert" at this point

Also, lice LOVE clean hair, so don't blame yourself for thinking you have "dirty" kids

 

[gymdoc]

ODD has thick wavy hair, a veritable mansion for lice so we have been through it a few times. Eggs take 8-10 days to hatch so you should treat pillows, hats, helmets, scarves, clothes, bedding, towels, and stuffed animals to get rid of the eggs. Machine-wash appropriate items in hot water and tumble-dry in a hot dryer for 20 minutes. If an item can't be washed, seal it in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. I guess that could apply to the pit as well, but I have never been at a gym where they shut down the pit for that long and we've not had continual lice issues.

For the super resistant kind that don't respond to the above home remedies, ask your doctor for a medication called Sklice. It is expensive but amazing

 

[Deleted member 18037]

This directly from the Lice Removal folks who charge 250+ dollars per head to nit pick (which is the best way to get rid of the critters).

Dirty, clean, wavy, straight, Caucasian, Black, Asian, Hispanic hair doesn't matter, if if is long enough to maintain heat and they can grab they will live there. They do not discriminate.
If it's your turn, it's your turn.

Wash and dry linens high heat 20-30 minutes.

Those suckers don't, fly or jump, they pretty much need direct contact with a head to take up residence.

To remove an active case. Conditioner (can even be from the dollar store) a good nit comb and paper towels, preferly white so you can see the bits and critters as you wipe comb. Slather on conditioner, to make combing easier. Take small sections of hair, with the really good nit comb, comb each section root to end, 4 times, right, left, front back of section. Wipe comb frequently. Do this once, then about 4-5 days later,. If necessary repeat.

No need to treat everything and anything for weeks. Bedding, towels wash and dry high heat. A kids stuffies, air tight bag 72 hours,

When my kid had a case we took, each car seat out of car one at a time for a few days.

Lice.Do.Not.Survive. Long.Off.Human hair/head. They must have a human head so no need to treat tons of stuff for weeks on end. 72 hours of isolation would be enough.

Preventively. Tea tree oil. My girl uses Fairy Tale products, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel (for bun making). Leave in detangler spray, before school/gym.

 

[GymMom4]

Yikes. Just reading this thread is making me feel itchy.

 

[l.c.o]

The town we used to live in got to a point where it pretty much was infested...

I buzzed DS's hair off, reduced washing DD's hair to just 1-2 times per week (with Fairy Tales shampoo), kept her long hair braided, and sprayed it, her backpack, clothes, etc with Fairy Tales' lice repellant daily.

I may have been a bit paranoid.

Kids in her gym did get it, but it seemed that EVERYONE EVERYWHERE got it. We've been extremely lucky to avoid it so far, knock wood.

Years later, it still flares up in the same schools, etc.

From what I've read, others are right that lice doesn't live long without a host... And even frequent vacuuming can help in a gym/classroom, etc. I'd bet this isn't only a problem in the gym - it's likely more widespread.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Been there, done that! Also, believe it or not but mayonnaise and plastic wrap actually kill lice as well. That is what I used on our entire family after a gym outbreak spread to our house. Thankfully I never got it, but I did put a jar of mayo on my head and wrap it in plastic wrap for about 6 hours. It does work if you do it correctly, but you may never want to smell mayo again after that... however; you hair will be silky soft when you are done. I should add that my kids did have lice, and it did work.

 

[gymdog]

Lice do not survive long without a couple things, a human head and blood supply, yes they only survive on humans. So 24-48 hours without a host, you have dead lice.

The source is not the gym but a human in the gym, not foam pits. Sharing combs/brushes. Piling warm up clothes together, those would more likely be a source.

If the gym is closed for 48 hours any lone critters/eggs would be dead.

For the record fleas are harder to defeat, they have multiple hosts and live longer without them.

Yeah I agree...it is not likely she is getting them from the surfaces in the gym but rather from other children. I would suggest spraying her hair with something that has tea tree oil or similar and then braiding the ponytail so it's tight to the scalp. Also try to encourage her not to share anything for hair or put her head close to other heads.

 

[dani4]

I second Fairy Tales shampoo and conditioner. You can get it on Amazon. My kids got lice FOUR TIMES in a 7 month period, but ever since using the shampoo we haven't had a single lice incident, and it has been nearly a year. Also, you don't need to use it every day - just once a week at minimum seems to do the trick.

BTW I have researched lice pretty obsessively and it's almost impossible to get lice from anything other than a human head. Not only do they not live long away from food, but they are about 99% likely to be damaged and unable to reproduce if they become separated from a head. Unless of course they crawl from one head to another, that's how they spread. No one has been able to prove that they can spread through a hat, hairbrush, pillowcase, etc. That's all rumor. I have read the journal articles, I have seen the pictures of the little buggers reproducing, and I am telling you, you do NOT want to know!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

^^^^^ yep to Fairy Tales. My girl got lice once ( her one and only camp sleepover) she had just started showering on her own. She neglected to tell me she was out of the Fairy tales shampoo and conditioner and just used her older brothers stuff instead. Since back Fairy Tales no more lice. No more camp sleepovers either.

And of course as the anti lice folks said, we have just been lucky.

 

[mommyof1]

When my kid was in preschool and lice were going around, the kids were told to stop hugging each other. We also used and liked Fairy Tales.

 

[notthatmom]

When my kid was in preschool and lice were going around, the kids were told to stop hugging each other. We also used and liked Fairy Tales.

Also, kids are encouraged to not take selfies together. Swear to god, it's part of the reason for an increase in lice outbreaks.

 

[dani4]

I read that it's when the little ones whisper to each other.