Subject: Lice

From: [email-masked] (Suze Hammond)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 20:26:00 -0800

Iv> From: [email-masked] (Ivy)

 Iv> I too have a question on head lice. Can any adult get it? I have been 
 Iv> enduring an itchy head for a few months now, although I've checked my
 Iv> head   and don't see any of the signs of lice. Then again, maybe it's
 Iv> been so   long that I just don't know what to look for. What are the
 Iv> signs?  

If you'd had them that long, you'd probably have seen an actual louse by
now, unless you don't see small things well. Comb out your hair over your
sink with a fairly fine comb, and watch for whitish bugs about 1/16 to 1/8
inch long. Also look for them on the comb at intervals.

 Iv> Something else i suspected was that our crappy shower head with zero  
 Iv> pressure wasn't rinsing my head clean enough. This was sort-of
 Iv> confirmed   when I went home for the holidays and found that a good
 Iv> rinse under a firm   water flow left my scalp feeling good, not itchy
 Iv> at all.  

Probably you don't have them. However, if you love really hot showers, you
might have killed enough of them to make a temporary difference. (My
youngest could not be made to stop hugging her friends and any kids she
babysat as a child, and brought home an incredible number of cases, a
couple of which she managed to give us before I caught on. Once my
boyfriend got them and had no trouble getting rid of them simply because
he loves showers that seem like being boiled alive to me. Lice die in over
140 degree F. water.)

 Iv> Is there any other reason for having an itchy scalp? Other info:
 Iv> sometimes   when I get out of the shower, it actually feels like it's
 Iv> hurting when I   comb it gently. I'm really nice to my hair, almost no
 Iv> blow dring, and   plenty of conditioner. I wash it every-other day, so
 Iv> it doesn't dry out.  Any advice would be appreciated. 

 Iv> Thanks!

Lots of things can cause itchy scalp, including the shampoo formula you
are using. Did you take your own shampoo, or borrow some?

BTW, anything that will kill ticks on dogs and cats will kill lice on them
or people, it's just that veterinary products are not tested for human
use. However, I once used flea spray when I got some from said kid, and it
worked just fine. YMMV. I assume diatomacious earth would work if you could
keep it on your head often/long enough. Lice have much softer bodies than
fleas. Don't inhale it!

 Iv> -Ivy- 

... Suze

---

From: [email-masked] (Ivy)
Date: 13 Jan 1995 07:27:24 GMT

> inch long. Also look for them on the comb at intervals. 

Been there, done that.:) From what you're saying, I don't have them, yet I  
can't think of anything else. 

> are using. Did you take your own shampoo, or borrow some?

Nope. *sigh* I thought of this too, and I've been using all kinds of  
different shampoos and conditioners since it started.

Tonight when I took my hot bath, I rinsed my hair *extra* well, and it  
feels fine. Maybe that's all it was. I also have three hair wraps, and  
when I get them my hair around it starts to itch and feel funny from the  
pulling. 

Thanks for the advice!

-Ivy- 
Born Again Goddess Worshipping All-American Girl.