What other moms did. Sarah Climenhaga of Toronto took a combination approach when her whole family contracted lice. “The baby's hair was so fine we could easily comb out the few lice that she had,” says Sarah. “I didn't want to use chemicals, so my four-year-old son and I used a large amount of regular conditioner and let it sit for 30 minutes. It seemed to work, but in the end we both decided to get really short haircuts so we could absolutely know the lice were gone!” Sarah's husband used a lice shampoo. They are all lice free. Barbara Gaudette of Ignace, Ontario used over-the-counter lice shampoo four times (for two outbreaks) on her 11-year-old daughter, combined with thorough combing and housecleaning, without success. Her pharmacist suggested a new non-pesticide lotion product that contains isopropyl myristate (brand name Resultz), which kills lice by dissolving their waxy outer covering, and that did the trick. It's currently available in Canada but not yet in the United States.

Check out kids' books like Yikes—Lice! by Donna Caffey or Scritch Scratch by Miriam Moss to help your children understand too.