Dear Anne
I've had headlice too many times to mention in the last year, ever since a new friend moved nearby. A while ago I blasted the blighters with Full Marks (successfully), only to be reinfected some weeks later. What should I do? I can't afford more treatment and the repellant smells like toilet cleaner so I am not eager to use it. I am also unsure of its effectiveness. I have waist length hair which with over-washing becomes unmanageable so combing it is tiresome. Please help. Claire
Dear Claire
Head-lice are a pain, aren't they? Knowing that they prefer clean hair isn't much consolation either. And I agree that most treatments smell fairly awful, at least for a while. So what can you do about this?
As you're aware that re-infestation is a danger, isn't it worth talking to your new friend about this? Then you could jointly decide to tackle the problem once and for all, so that you stand no danger of passing the little blighters back and forth. Everyone in the house needs to be treated at the same time. When you do have a treatment, you'll wash all bed-linen and towels, and with long hair it's worth washing blouses, dresses and jumpers too. You can put your vacuum cleaner on full power and zap your mattress, headboard, chairs and sofa with it. You can ask your chemist which treatment he recommends.
Many of them say a second treatment around 7-10 days later is a good idea so that you catch any that were still eggs under your skin. While you're at the chemist's, you can buy yourself a really rich conditioner such as a henna-based one so that you can get the comb through. And if that's not enough, you may have to cut your hair short in a beautiful new style that is more comb-friendly.
Sorry there's no easy solution for long-haired people. But you'll get there! Good luck!
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