New hair-dryer kills lice

[Jolena]

SALT LAKE CITY - Head lice — those nasty nuisances for schoolchildren and parents — were blown away in half an hour by a new blow dryer-like device its inventors call the “LouseBuster,” university researchers report.

The device, which kills bugs and eggs by drying them out, might one day offer an alternative to the powerful delousing shampoos and literal nit-picking currently necessary for dealing with this widespread problem.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15579134/


Holy shit, this is cool. Having had children who were sent home four times last school year due to lice in the classroom and becoming infested, I completely hope that this happens in the next 2 years. It costs a great deal of money to treat the entire household for lice and they miss a lot of school. Not to mention how easy it is to become reinfested if you miss just a few of those nasty bugs or their eggs when treating it by hand.

[Beguiler]

No kidding, when I was little we lived in a third-world country where the treatment for lice was getting a crew cut and scrubbing your head with kerosene (sp). Ugh.

Of course, you'd have to have electricity to run the blow-dryer thingy...

[Aaysia]

No kidding, when I was little we lived in a third-world country where the treatment for lice was getting a crew cut and scrubbing your head with kerosene (sp). Ugh.

:weird:


agreed with the coolness of the product though. I hated that crap when I lived with my cousins when we were younger. Plus the smell of wtf-ever my mom used to use on me was nasty.

[Celephais]

Here is a picture of what the hairdryer looks like
http://sjl-static11.sjl.youtube.com/vi/wotROgqbhUU/3.jpg

[Anailea]

For those who are interested, the LiceGuard Robi Comb works well. Use it every day for two weeks and it will get rid of your problem. No chemicals involved. I know these combs are available at Walmart and Walgreens.

[Ilvane]

That sounds great, that dryer. I know my nephew had it and got sent home and he just started kindergarten this year.

Ick, ick!

[TheEschaton]

I've never gotten lice, nor did I think it was particularly hard to prevent. What's the deal?

-TheE-

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

I've never gotten lice, nor did I think it was particularly hard to prevent. What's the deal?

-TheE-

In some areas it's nearly impossible to get it, in other areas, not so much.

Basically, one kid with lice just has to put his head/hair on something, the next kids hair/head does the same thing, and you've got it spread.

Anything from hats/jackets with hoods/carpet/blankets/pillows/etc all can spread lice and quite easily.

[ElanthianSiren]

I never got lice, though my entire elementry school was infested with it growing up (talking 5 kids left out of 20). The trick is: have 1 kid, don't snuggle with other kids. In fact, maintain a strict don't touch me policy.

-M
very rarely the huggy kinda friend.

[Anailea]

Other ways to not get lice include:

put tea tree oil in shampoo
use hair products daily: mousse, hairspray, hair gel
chemical alter your hair: color or perm
don't share brushes, combs, etc.

[Jazuela]

One warning about the tea tree oil though: If you add it (instead of buying a product already containing it), make SURE you shake the mixture very well immediately after the addition. Tea tree can melt plastic if it's put in direct contact with it after awhile, but diluted you should have no problem. Another minor matter, is to test it with a single shampooing of the mixture before adding it to the shampoo bottle to make sure the smell of the shampoo and the smell of the tea tree doesn't result in some nasty-ass smelling shit no one wants to use. Tea tree smells like terpentine when it's not mixed with other scents (it's a distant relative to the tree that produces terpentine and contains similar chemical components, which explains the smell and the plastic-melting abilities). Unlike terpentine, it is considered very safe, and even beneficial, for the skin. Allergies are extremely rare and produce only minor rashes that go away within a few hours after washing the oil off the skin.

[Jolena]

Heh, we (adults) now use tea tree shampoo bought from the local hair salon, and a specific shampoo for my children (who are mixed) that helps oil their scalps. The lice can't connect to the slick surface of their hair folicles and thankfully, the product doesn't make their hair 'oily' like jerry curl style. But last year? Ugh. My littlest one started pre-K and my middle one was in 1st grade. They both came home with it and it just transferred to the third kid. It was a horribly expensive and lengthy process. Thankfully, so far this year, nothing!

[Artha]

I got lice way back in the day with blue hair and washing daily. So at least 2 of those 4 don't work every time.

I just shaved my head though, way easier than nitpicking/shampoo.

[Ignot]

Im with you, i got lice when i was younger and tried the shampoo and the comb thing all the time, eventually i just shaved my head, to bad women can't do that.

[Snapp]

This thread makes my head itch. Glad I've never had to deal with lice.

[Ignot]

Now to start the crab thread....

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Im with you, i got lice when i was younger and tried the shampoo and the comb thing all the time, eventually i just shaved my head, to bad women can't do that.

That reminds me of this girl in my first grade class waaaaay back when who got lice and had hair down to her lower back. It was so pretty and I remember being so jealous of it (I had short hair). Then she was gone for like a week, and when she came back she was crying and refusing to come into the classroom because her mother had cut off a majority of her hair in an effort to make cleaning out the lice easier. I remember I felt so bad for her :(