I would take her to your doctor for your peace of mind. I've gone through it twice. It's expensive! A bottle of Nix for each person in the house. A can of spray to spray all the furniture (beds, couch, rugs, etc) a box of laundry soap to wash all the linens, throw pillows and stuffed animals. Then a few days later, another bottle of Nix per person to make sure we got them all. (I scratch just thinking about it! LOL) If you've combed her hair out and bought all new combs and brushes (you did replace them, right?) and washed everything, odds are you're seeing things. A little tea tree oil in a bottle of regular shampoo will help keep them away. About a dozen drops per bottle and shake the bottle well each time you use it. Or you can empty a purse sized bottle of hairspray and replace it with water and about a dozen drops of tea tree oil. Before she leaves for school, spray her hair a LITTLE and send her off. Lice hate tea tree oil.

I am sure most of us understand... I hope you are not dreaming about the gross little things yet!
Will it be a problem financially for you to have a doc look at her? That will provide either piece of mind or tell you that you need to attack them even more.
I am sure you have done everything in the room- her sheets, pillos, blankets, curtains- did you steam the carpet if any with a product for carpets? How about stuffed toys? Are you sure it is lice? How about the dog? Cat? Are they scratching- if so it is something else. The furniture that is upholstered? Hopefully you are just seeing dandruff and won't have to go to the extreme of the household furniture and carpeting- that's a bit unusual. Do you know where she got them? Could it be a friend that she spends time with, and who might still be passing them to her?
Lastly, what have you used to get rid of them?
Can you imagine in the early centuries that they were a common thing??!!

I have:
used the rid products, and the environment sprays, constant washing (no brushes in use anymore just combs we wash),
I throw away ponytail holders after one use,
I have chopped her hair off inch by inch (couldn't convince her of a crewcut, darn it)
Stuffed animals have been bagged up in plastic bags since early december
Our two cats are itch and flea free
We wash towels after one use
We wash or spray coats after one use
No hats (despite FRIGGING cold weather, I just can't risk it)
Switched to an internet product recommended by a teacher friend that has tea tree oil (it helped more than RID)
Daily squirt of tea tree oil on everyone's head
I have been coloring my hair weekly with Nice n Easy because I heard it's a good preventative - I may have no hair left when it's all said and done LOL and I have cut a good 6 inches off my hair
Wash sheets and towels more often than you know
Wore out one dryer and had to buy a new one
Gone thru more detergent than you know.
Went thru a few bottles of wine over the last few weeks to calm mommy's nerves (too bad valium not as easy to get any more LOL)
My daughter sleeps with a doll I fashioned out of a bath towel, that I wash as often as I can. She has named him Squishy, and he's her new friend :-)

anyway, like i said, I really feel like at this point I just have an overactive imagination.

The really hard part is, she never itched, even with the infestation, which is unheard of, but maybe with our thick curly hair, they couldn't get a good enough hold on her head. If she itched, it would be easier to diagnose.

I feel your pain! You have probably banished the little buggers by now, but the image in your mind is never going to go away, nor the fear of them!
My 3 boys had them for one whole summer. We (me too) got them, passed them to the 5 boys next door, who in turn passed them back to us, and back and forth most of the summer. Then to add to the problem, my boys got chicken pox, try finding nits in pox marks! Everytime I saw a kid itch it was straight to the sink for "bug checks"! Thank goodness we were great friends with the next door neighbors!
It sounds like you have done all you can do. Let it go! Relax! You'll know if they return :-(
Kathy G in MI

I finally ended up getting the prescription shampoo from the doctor. That knocked them right out. Of course, also washed everything. I would take her to the doctor.

I feel your pain - Thank you God we haven't had to deal with them in years, but when my girl was smaller it was a nightmare much like what you've described.
I found the best solution was to slather her head with vaseline and leave it on for a whole day - i'd do it over a weekend. The next day I would wash her hair with clarifying shampoo, it would take 5, 6, 7 washes to get all the vaseline out but it did come out.
Then do all the bedding etc. After years of buying the store brand products and finding they didn't really solve the problem, I found Vaseline was the best solution as it smothers the little buggers.
Hairspray is a good deterrent as well, you might try lightly spraying your daughter's hair for the next little while until you are sure they are under control.
Hopefully you will find you have gotten rid of the little pests; I wouldn't hesitate to have the doctor check on her if you'll sleep better.
Suzan J

Yes, once. My youngest son got them from school. Nix is what our doctor told us to use. A bottle for each one in the family. There were 5 of us and it was expensive, I think it was $10 each. I should have not treated all of us, my son was the only one who had them but I wanted to make sure the rest of us would not get them. I was washing bedding in hot water all day and on top of that I had to bake a birthday cake for my daughter.

Having worked in public health for 20 years that was one of the main things we saw as each school year began. Parents would bring their children in for headchecks and be cleared before returning to school.

Due to toxicity of using too much of the headlice shampoos there are other methods to use. One year we gave olive oil to parents, used similiar to the the vaseline stated above. The shampoos are extremely expensive and the people we dealt with, were unable to buy them.

Another was using mayonnaise to smother them. We had an electronic comb that when combed thru the hair would zap the little boogers. The important thing is getting rid of the nits before they hatch and you start all over again.

Try googling head lice and there is an abundance of information. The following is a very good site with questions and answers and picture showing the difference between nits and dandruff and dry scalp.

Here is a link that might be useful: head lice

Forgot to mention that lice seem to be becoming immune to the shampoos that have been used for ages. Some places are coming up with more natural, safer types of shampoos, but don't know how effective they may be.

you may have washed her hair so much you've dried out her scalp...and for health's sake stop dying your hair! that can cause more problems down the line than the lice! was there an infestation at the school? did you call and report/check with them? do you have a school nurse on staff? she is probably as qualified as the peds dr...

One thing I noticed that you haven't treated is your car seats...the car is often overlooked... Is she in school?? You could have the school nurse check for you..She knows what to look for. if she isn't in school, then go to the dr for your piece of mind..Remember LICE EGGS stick to the hair shaft..so if you can flick or blow it out of the hair it isn't eggs.

My oldest got them when I was preg with my youngest and I even ended up with them. It was horrible and then my oldest got them again several years later..so we have had several rounds with those little buggies.

littlebit

We fought them one year. Turned out her good friend had them, did not know it, and kept infecting her.

Rid is very hard on the scalp. You are probably seeing flakes. The prescription shampoo is not as hard on the scalp and did a better job for me. I remember the Rid melted my nail polish!!!!!

Another trick some moms used--nits live about one inch from the scalp. They especially like the area behind and above the ears. The need to have the temperature just right, so closer to the scalp is too hot.

The moms used a hair curler, heated it on high, sectioned their daughters' hair into thin strips, and ran the hair curler over that area right next to the scalp. Put a comb between the scalp and the electric curler so that you don't accidentally burn the scalp.

The boys got short buzz haircuts. A buzz is cut shorter than one inch and so the nits did not have a comfortable place to live.

I know the exhaustion. Try the prescription shampoo. It does a better job and is not hard on the skin.

First, get a pair of magnifiers that fit over your glasses and look closly at the hair near the scalp and the scalp. Pass a fine toothed comb through her hair and examine the residue with the magnifier.

A model of magnifier that I use for faceting work is "OptiVisor". The magnifying lens are in a hood fastened to headband. The lens can be pulled down over glasses. I found it a convenient device. It has replaceable lens of various powers made of glass. I recommend the No. 7 for general purpose work.

There are other devices that clip onto regular glasses that have equal magnification.

Places where you might find such equipment is hobby stores, equipment suppies for tool and die makers, rock and gem shops (lapidary), catalogs, etc. One manufacturer is Donegan Optical Company, Inc., 15549 West 108th Street, Lenexa, Kansas 66219

By all means, consult with a doctor. He may wish to use special procedures in handling the patient so as not to infect his office and other clients.

It is possible that she is getting re-infected by her school mates and playmates, and the outbreak will not stop until the entire class and playmates has been cleared of the infestation.

I don't have any advice on lice but just wanted to say Hi. I have been wondering how you are doing.

Anne

I don't have any advice to add to what's already been given, just my experience with lice. My 4 adult kids are now 29-38 & we got through their growing up without a single case of lice (even tho we lived in cold NE OH & the kids were always sharing caps with other kids, some lice-infested. . . .) But, 2 yrs. ago, my 27 yr. old DD got lice (she's a Psychologist who works with Autistic kids) & was separated from her husband, soooooo, she comes home to Mom to treat her looooong hair. It took HOURS! I had to use a magnifying glass. And that's what Moms do. And I did a repeat of it all 2 weeks later. And washed all the bedding, etc. both times. Happy to say she's been lice-free since. . . .

Back in Dec. I called the doctor to get the prescription, and they gave me something used for scabies. Didn't work.
Then I called her back, she was annoyed with me for calling for what she considered a non-emergency (ha) and said there were no other prescriptions, so she advised vaseline.
(at this time we were still seeing buggers and nits). The vaseline was HORRIBLE but seemed to suffocate the buggers.
anyway, have talked to doctor throughout but haven't actually been.

I think I am at a point where I'm imagining things.

And as a mom, I feel often as if I am missing something obvious. Like I have failed.

Oh and also yes, we have sprayed the cars daily. We spray the seats and carpet, then shut the doors and let it sit overnight.

I swear, I bought every bottle of spray the walgreens by me has.

So I think I will call the doctor for an in-person visit today, and put my mind at ease.

And if they are truly gone, I already told my boss, I plan to take a day off, just for me. Especially since my entire vacation was spent doing shampoos and daily combouts, and washing clothes like a lunatic.

Hi, to you, too, Ann!! Hope you are doing well!

Lice are awful! You must not feel bad about them though. You might be seeing the dead empty nit sacks.

Hair color and hair cuts DON'T HELP! Unless you go bald - the nits live close to the root of the hair.

This worked really well at our house to get rid of the nits - and it doesn't dry the scalp, so no flakes!

1 Use the cheapest conditioner you can find. Suave worked good for us - and for some reason the Coconut flavor was the best.

2 Saturate the hair with the conditioner and let it set for a few minutes. Work it in really well and comb through with a wide tooth comb to get out any tangles.

3 Now, use the lice comb (you should have gotten one in the RID kit) - you must use the fine tooth nit comb to comb out the hair.

4 Section out the hair with clips. Start at the top and go through the hair from the root to the end slowly. Wipe the condioner off on a stack of paper towels. You will see any live kritters and nits that you comb out. Do the entire scalp. If you find a lot in an area - keep going through it.

5 Wash the hair. I liked to blow dry it then, and then use a hot flat iron, going as close to the roots as possible, but don't leave the flat iron on the hair long - just a quick zip down the section.

I did this every night for about 4 days. We were 100% clear.

I also washed bedding and sprayed the cars, etc.

The best way to see them is in the sunshine, or a really bright light. If you can sit by a window with good sunlight, that will help you see them. Grab a magnifying glass to see what is going on. I used a pocket scope that my DH uses to find aphids when he scouts the crops - boy that worked good. It is basically a jewelers loup.

As far as hats - we need them in this cold climate. I had my kids put their hats inside their coat sleeves at school to prevent any cross contamination.

I would talk to the teacher - your DD may be getting reinfested from someone else.

Lice are getting very resistant to shampoos - not worth putting the toxic stuff on when it doesn't work anyway.

Thanks! I have called the doctor and have a consult this afternoon to put my mind at ease.

I, too, did the hairdryer route. In my mind, I thought well if washing clothes in hot water, and drying for 20 minutes in dryer kills them in clothes, let's try it.

So for a week, she took a shower with hotest water pssible, then we did a 30 minute blowdry, til she couldn't stand it any more LOL POOR KID.

She's 11 now, and I have decided that once we get the "all-clear", I will go ahead and get her a cell phone or the i-touch she's been wanting. She's shown the patience of Job.

(and did I mention, that she also got her first two visits from Aunt Flo during all this? - yet another thing hubby couldn't really help with or relate to)

I'm just sitting here shaking my head. Good GRIEF! I hope we never get the danged things! Wow!

Trekaren, I am just as freaked out about things like this too. LOL! The only thing you left out was having the house tented. :) You're definitely in my prayers, LOL!

Blessings,
Haley

Thank goodness some how we missed all that and cutting hair for 20 years...I can feel your pain....people would come in and say well they have lice so we want to cut their hair off....we can't cut hair that is infested with lice....so off they go and then we would have to sanitize the whole shop...I am glad you are taking her to the dr. for your piece of mind....I am sure after all you have done you have gotten rid of them....
So when you ge tthe all clear/clean enjoy your YOU day and get another bottle of wine.......
Those things...are horrible...stacy

The doctor gave me the all-clear! She said it's just dry winter flaky skin at this point. I still will keep the stuffed animals away for a while and continue to keep an eye out.

Stacy, yep I have been in touch with my hairdresser the whole time and she told me I could cut it myself, but the first thing I did was call her and make an appointment to get DD's hair trimmed RIGHT LOL

My wonderful beautiful daughter said, "Don't worry mom. Tammy will tell you that you did a great job with my haircut."

I am a licensed cosmetologist even though i don't practice anymore but am in contact with several nitpickers which are profession women who get ride of lice for a living.. they come into your home or you go their salon and in 2-4 hours your problem is over. No combing every day for 2 weeks to keep checking for nits etc.. my sisters kids got lice and it was bad..they had all 3 cycles of them growing in their hair..adults, nits, and eggs, and they kept coming back. My sister called my nitpicker friends and they said forget about nix or any of theose treatments because not only are they poison, but they only work for some live bugs..will not kill all of them, and they don't do anything about the nits and eggs. They said to do the cetaphil treatment which is at the following address http://www.ehow.com/how_2123367_treat-head-lice-cetaphil.html.. then sent her over an awesome lice comb and directed her to part the hair section by section starting at the bottom and to go through every hair in each section and that they would be lice free in a few hours and they were. The comb did not miss anything. Then she told her from now on to use the fairytales line of hair products for kids.They also sell the comb used by the nitpickers, and have a product called lice goodbye. The nitpickers have not tried it yet because the cetaphil works so good, but said some schools had started to use it and thought it was excellent. So after my sisters ordeal, i now check my kids once a week because if you can catch it early things will be so much easier. I have a kit in my bathroom which contains cetaphil, the lice comb, and my kids use the fairytales shampoo, conditioner, and leave in sprays daily... it is a little expensive,but gives me peace of mind.. and if you sign up for the newsletter you get a coupon in your email every month for free shipping or 10% off, and then each time you order you accumulate points which takes money off your next order. You can also look for which salons in your area sell it...i swear i have no affiliation in any way with the company..just highly recommend the products

Here is a link that might be useful: Fairy Tales

I will keep that in mind. Interesting, I have googled lice to death in the last 6 weeks and haven't run across them. But today's google I saw the site. Google is weird that way, sometimes.The internet product I used is linked below. It's a mix of tea tree oil, and other ingredients.

It is very oily, I can tell you. But shampoos out better than the #@!$!$#@! vaseline did LOL

My cousin who is a doctor, said the lice got so bad in his area of Florida one year, that salons opened lice-eradicating units, who just spent the time doing the treatments and comb-outs. I sure would have paid for it!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: The product I used that seemed to be the final solution

I tried the Cetaphil treatment and followed it to the letter. I didn't think it really worked.

The conditoner, nit combing it out, and nit picking was the only thing that worked for me.

Every time I Frontline my dog - I think, dang - too bad they can't use this on kids ... LOL!!!

My girls would bring home a note from the school when there was a case of them at school, giving you a heads up. Now my head is itching.
Leslie

i just wanted to mention that be extra vigilant to check your kids after they go to the movies, and trying on halloween masks etc at the store or winter hats/coats/bike helmets etc,,stuff you don't think of. Also i noticed at sports practices like gymnastics kids hair touch the same mats when tumbling. At basketball practive the kids all throw their coats together in a pile on the floor, and they use community jerseys which they switch throughout games, drives me crazy. I still have a hard time going to the movies, because after checking my son one time when he came home from one, i did find a bug in his hair. I took it out and checked his head for eggs and nits and he had none yet, so we were fine..i just vaccumed out the car and he hadn't been anywhere in the house yet..so was sure glad i did that..saved me alot of grief.