Parents urged to avoid lindane-based lice shampoo

[Praxius]

For Parent's Awareness:

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1044115.html

TORONTO (CP) — Parents of children battling head lice are being urged to avoid over-the-counter treatments that contain a pesticide outlawed for agricultural use in dozen of countries — including Canada — because of its adverse effects on humans and the water supply.

While a number of lice shampoos don’t contain lindane, store shelves across the country are still stocked with brands that employ the controversial chemical.

Lindane-based pharmaceuticals may represent the extreme when it comes to killing lice, but environmental activists say parents are often so disturbed by the thought of their kids harbouring bugs, and the stigma of becoming infected, that they adopt an "eradicate at any cost" stance.

"I don’t really think that people comprehend alternative substances are effective and we’re more or less dousing our children in pesticides" when using lindane, said Kevin Mercer of the group Riversides, which advocates on water quality issues.

"Using lindane to kill head lice is like using a sledgehammer to kill an ant."

 

[karrie]

I've always heard of good success with the 24hr vaseline treatment (slather with vaseline, cover in shower cap, leave). It smothers them supposedly.

 

[karrie]

according to this site, even better is olive oil.

 

[MHz]

I never could never get over the concept of putting a strong pesticide onto anybodies head, a child especially.
Those are two good alternatives (keeps the little buggers from being able to roam)but a nice sturdy metal lice comb is also needed. You only get the fat ones and it won't strip the eggs off the hair. The way you get them is to use that comb daily for two weeks, even longer doesn't hurt. That is the same time most lice shampoo products suggest before the second application is to be applied (if memory serves me right). Some kind of oil would make good sense. The times I have had to use it on the kids I kept a bit of rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush right there and as soon as I spotted one I would dip the comb in the alcohol and brush them into the pool. I don't recall any of them swimming for very long.

 

[Outta here]

Tea-tree oil. Pour the normal amount of shampoo into your palm, add several drops of tea tree oil, for a couple days and you're done. Well, you still have to comb them out and repeat in a couple weeks - apparently not much penetrates the eggs so you have to wait for a full hatching cycle to be completely sure you're done. You can add it to the wash cycle for the bedding too... it's another completely harmless, natural alternative. Stinks a bit but might be a bit easier than trying to wash olive oil or Vaseline out of the hair.

 

[karrie]

Tea-tree oil. Pour the normal amount of shampoo into your palm, add several drops of tea tree oil, for a couple days and you're done. Well, you still have to comb them out and repeat in a couple weeks - apparently not much penetrates the eggs so you have to wait for a full hatching cycle to be completely sure you're done. You can add it to the wash cycle for the bedding too... it's another completely harmless, natural alternative. Stinks a bit but might be a bit easier than trying to wash olive oil or Vaseline out of the hair.

I already use teatree on my family for a host of other things, so, that's handy to know.

(athlete's foot, warts, cradle cap, dandruff, acne, ringworm, canker sores [evil, but it helps], infected piercings... the list goes on and on)

 

[MHz]

I kind of like the Vaseline treatment idea, wear it between combings so it catches them as they hatch and your hair is wind-proof at the same time.

 

[karrie]

I kind of like the Vaseline treatment idea, wear it between combings so it catches them as they hatch and your hair is wind-proof at the same time.

I think a nice heavy olive oil would do too, no? Isn't that where the old stereotypical Italian hairdos came from? lol.

 

[MHz]

I suppose, I use it for some cooking, probably better to use it straight from the bottle than the frying pan though, don't want the neighbor-hood cats following me around. :angry3:
I assume that means a substitute for hair-gel. I don't imagine the amount of hair-spray they used on some of those really tall ones was very kind to the body either. I came across one kid in a movie-theater bathroom using that on his popcorn 8O I 'accidentally' knocked the whole bag to the floor on my way out. I often wonder if he picked it all up.
I love coming across 'natural remedies', cure things for pennies usually too.

 

[Outta here]

hairspray on his popcorn?

huh? :scratch:

:sign11:

 

[MHz]

I think it's something like sniffing gasoline, it was a long time ago but I'm pretty sure it was that.

 

[Nuggler]

While a number of lice shampoos don’t contain lindane, store shelves across the country are still stocked with brands that employ the controversial chemical.

Lindane-based pharmaceuticals may represent the extreme when it comes to killing lice, but environmental activists say parents are often so disturbed by the thought of their kids harbouring bugs, and the stigma of becoming infected, that they adopt an "eradicate at any cost" stance."""
____________________________________

Does it work on crabs??

:munky2:just askin