Lice Wars and Helpful Info.

Last night all three of us girls with long hair slept with our heads doused in olive oil and wrapped in old t-shirts. After shampooing this AM, our luscious locks are soft and silky! After researching online, we found a great website that demonstrates how to take care of your lice problem. It outlines a 5-step battle plan. Here's the website (although I hope you will never need it!):

http://headliceinfo.com/freemovies/flash/

The most thorough explanation is contained in the Head Lice to Dead Lice video. Apparently, those little buggers are becoming resistant to the pediculicides (big word for lice treatments that contain an insecticide such as Rid or Nix), so you cannot totally depend on them to "do the trick". I have not seen any nits on the girls for days, but it only takes one! Thank God, if I did miss one and it hatches, the baby cannot lay eggs for a week. That is why you have to treat again within a 7-10 day period. If you do the olive oil every 4 days for 3 weeks, you should be rid of those nasty things without exposing your kids to the harsh chemicals contained in the pediculicides. After my mom came down with a rare mast cell disease called systemic mastocytosis (which eventually killed her) after our house was treated for termites, I have been extra concerned about the use of insecticides. That was back in the '80s before the ban of chlordane, so that may be the chemical that caused her body to go crazy with mast cell production. Some say Cetaphil works well, too, if you prefer not to smell like a salad! We did that too! Okay, I know I am a little neurotic about all of this, but you can't die of too much Cetaphil or extra virgin olive oil, right?

So in 4 days we will do the olive oil thing (what a mess!) again and then again in another 4 days. It may be overkill, but hey, as long as they die, I am fine with overkill!!!!! And our hair will look terrific! =D