We have a bad problem with fleas and I do believe that fleas can infest human hair. Also, my 5 year old has fleas crawling and little brownish red speck like thingies in the root area of her head. What remedies will work best and fastest? I wasted so much money, energy and I am at my wits end!
Rhonda from Pennsylvannia
Many years ago, 2 of my children got head lice at the baby sitters, they were 2 and 4. At ther time my sister was in beauticion school and told me to color their hair, they were both blonde so I got some permanent hair color, matching their hair color, Clairol or Revlon and colored their hair and it took care of the problem. Of course, I washed all bedding and anything that they had played with. (09/13/2006)
By Anna from Maine
We have dogs and cats, and boys. We were infested with fleas once. The house bombs only made them 'super fleas'. They jumped higher and bit harder! We found that regular table salt works. Sprinkle it on the carpet, leave it for a couple of hours and them vacuum. It dehydrates them. We did it a couple of times to make sure we got all of them. We never got them in our hair, but I am sure anything that would dehydrate them would work. (09/14/2006)
By Blessedmomof5boys
Try putting rubbing alcohol 91% in a spray bottle. Spray hair but do protect the eyes. Put a shower cap over hair and let sit for 10 min. Let dry comb out. Shampoo and condition. Works great on lice too. (09/15/2006)
By dee
Our cat used to come in the house, and we ended up infested with fleas (luckily, not in our hair, although we were getting bitten on exposed skin). I bought some of those sticky roach traps (flat, not the box kind, and not the kind with the thick glue, just like a really tacky tape board), some night lights that automatically came on at night (got them at Wal-Mart). I put 1-2 night lights in each room and thumb-tacked a roach trap on the wall just above each night light. At night, I would turn off ALL the lights in the house. It was amazing how many fleas were on the boards in the mornings. My sister had told me about the soap and water trick, but having 2 boys and a husband, too many opportunities for kicked over water in the house, so I tried the sticky boards.
By Cherre
Glad to know that we are not only ones that we had fleas on our hair! Ive been itching like crazy and on my body as well. I had to keep repeatly checking on my body and I've killed several baby fleas and adult fleas that were on me! Very aggravated and frustrating! Oh yes, it is BAD to get rid of all fleas to be fleas-free! What a battle! We have been cleaning like crazy around the house to KILL all of fleas as we could and there is still some fleas, much less but it keeps coming back.
By Heather
We are severely infested. The house we are renting had them when we moved in unbeknownst to us. That was last fall. this summer they got really bad and now they have attacked us. We are using the salt in the carpet and freezing the house. Bought a flea comb and use it on our hair. Plus the head and shoulders and dawn. We are gonna try the sticky boards too. So tired of them. (10/12/2006)
By
Is there like a tablet or something I could get at a chemists that would repel fleas? I know I should just go to my doctor, but I dont want to go to her saying I have fleas. (10/20/2006)
Why on earth do people keep suggesting that it's not fleas, it MUST be lice? I'm sure we all know the difference once we've come to the conclusion (after weeks or longer of trying to get rid of the 'lice' at the demand of schools or daycares) that there are NO LICE there at all, and the itching is coming from flea bites.
I have been battling what was assumed to be lice in mine and my daughter's very lengthy hair for the last 2 months. I never found any of the little critters (lice) with the stupid comb provided. Anyone I had check us when itchiness drove us bananas found nothing, but the itching continued, and it forced me to spend hundreds of dollars on treatments. Then I saw a little bug jump off my daughters head the other day. Lice don't jump people. Fleas jump, and they're not even the same color.
So please, to all those who continue to suggest they're sure the problem is lice and not fleas, stop assuming those of us who are saying this is a flea problem are not smart enough to recognize the difference. (10/22/2006)
By SO FRUSTRATED
You cannot get rid of fleas without using pesticides because unless you get the eggs, and break the reproduction cycle of the bugs, they will continue to plague your house. Everything in your house must be bombed and/or sprayed. Your pets need to be treated, too. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations for this level of infestation.
Most importantly take your child to the doctor today. You can't let your child suffer another day from this. There aren't any homemade remedies that get rid of fleas. Take care of your kid now. Fleas carry diseases. If you can't afford a doctor, go the the emergency room now. Don't wait for any more replies here. (10/23/2006)
By Cynthia
Well,the problem subsided until warmer weather,again. Then they probably will return with the warmth. I did get the fleas down to a minimal, again before the colder temperatures. I know that I didn't completely cure the problem! They will return. Is there anything I can do now that will finish killing them off before the warmth kicks in again? (10/23/2006)
By Rhonda in PA
I hate fleas. Sadly a lot of people don't have the money for an exterminator. It's not even guaranteed to work either. We moved into my boyfriend's dad's house that is infested with fleas. Not too bad, but they're still there. His cat goes in and out so naturally when I brought in my 3 cats, they got them. I feel so bad for them. I've even found a few in my hair, but of course my hair is very long. I cut it last week and bathed all the animals and tomorrow we're bombing the house. You would think they would die due to the weather getting cooler. I guess not. Also my mom asked the exterminator that does her hotel and he suggested sevin dust. You can use it on your animals once a week until the fleas are gone. You have to dust your yard too. You also have to dust all over your house, even furniture. Leave it for about 2 hours then clean it up. You can permantly sprinkle it behind dressers, entertainment center, refridgerators, under beds. Anything heavy that kids can't get in to. Please let me know if anything else works and pray that I get rid of them. They suck. (10/26/2006)
By tiffany
Help, I think I have fleas in my hair. I have got bites and have sprayed house, but seems to be no good. Husband has none but I have since found a few more and whether I am becoming obsessed or not I don't know, but feel like I have them all over my head and body. Help please. (10/28/2006)
By HG
I have fleas in my hair, because of my dog. I really want to get rid of it. Please tell me how!!!!! (11/06/2006)
By ITCHINGLIKECRAZY
I can relate to the complaints made here. My fiance and I recently moved into a duplex owned by his father. The previous tenant had a cat and it must have had fleas because our place seems to be infested with them. I am getting eaten alive and my fiance has not had a single bite. I did not think it was fleas at first becuase all the carpets were steam-cleaned before we moved in. But I have since seen several of them. We do not have any pets so apparently they are feasting off of me and me alone. I have read numerous different Web sites suggesting everything from Borax to salt to oils etc. Everything I have read about the foggers or "bombs" suggests not to use them because the fleas will burrow farther into the carpet and furniture, wait until later to come out, and the eggs are not affected by the bombs. We are trying powder and aerosol spray. Vacuum the carpet and furniture before you do this because I guess this will awaken the the eggs and cause more of the fleas to come out. I definitely believe this because I vacuumed the couch two days ago and sat on it for an hour afterward. I had a dozen new bites in that time and saw several fleas while I was sitting there. I don't know what to do about our clothes. I can't wash mine in hot water; they will shrink. And I'm worried if I spray them it will irritate my skin. Any suggestions? I might try the eucalyptus oil suggested by others. Also, I'm worried that they might be living in my hair. Got to work today and saw a flea on my shirt. Apparently they're branching out and have decided that evening feedings are not enough. Although I haven't had any bites on my head, only my neck. If they do lessen during the winter, then we need to get out of this place before summer; it's already November and it's pretty bad. How could this woman not know her cat had fleas? And how could she not let my fiance's dad know he needed to do something about them before we moved in! Will let everyone know if the powder and spray works for us. If they don't, we are calling a pest control specialist! (11/10/2006)
By Marcy
I found a great remedy I used on my cat and myself and we were clean! Mix Dawn diswashing soap with lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and flea shampoo, after I used Dove hair color treatment conditioner and shampoo with super dry hair shamoo and the fleas were gone! (11/16/2006)
By Nick
Lemon juice does NOT work! If you are cleaning and removing the permanent host (pets), the flea population will eventually die out. And by removing the pets as a possible host, I don't mean get rid of the pets or stick them outside 24-7. Try using a vet approved product with a residual effect, maybe even 2 products in combination to prevent any resistance. And maybe a microscopic exam of the 'BUG' would be helpful to prove it is in fact fleas. No use spending more money treating something that we haven't positively identified. (12/01/2006)
By Ethicsmonitor
I was infested with carpet beetles all over the house and me. They like clothes, fabric, hair, lint, etc. I was depleted financially trying, at first, to figure out what they were then trying to get rid of them. I couldn't afford the Kleen-Free Enzyme so started looking for something similar. I started using Equate Multi-Purpose Solution which is for cleaning contact lens (Wal-Mart). It "removes protein when used daily" which is what insects are mostly made up of and also removes micro-organisms. It works just like the Kleen-Free Enzyme solution because it is enzyme solution also. It also cleans and disinfects. I put it in a spray bottle and use it everywhere. You can spray it on walls, floors, carpets, countertops, furniture, mattresses, blankets, use it in laundry (also use 20-Mule Borax in laundry), spray it on your skin, clothes, use along with shampoo, soap, lotion, etc. I dampen a cloth with it and rub down my cat's fur (don't bathe pets in it - try Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, Advantage, Frontline). I always keep some Equate on-hand in a spray bottle. Also invest in a mattress cover, boxspring cover, and pillow covers with some tape that covers the zippers. Check out www.thebestcontrol.com. Hope this helps. (01/05/2007)
By VC
I have 6 healthy dogs and two cats and have not seen a flea in years. All I use to do was put a few drops of gum spirits of turpentine in my mop water and I would always throw out my vacuum cleaner bag everytime I used it, put in zip lock baggie or somthing they cannot get out of, burn it if possible. If you have carpet, diatmacious earth works and is organic. A few drops of turp in your shampoo probably won't hurt you either, I mix it with alcohol and spray on my boots and pant legs when I go into tick infested woods. I try to keep my pets away from other dogs and cats too. Make sure it is real gum spirits of turpintine. Citronella and peppermint oil mix with alcohol is a good repellent and also helps keep bugs off plants and deer and rabbits and mice don't like it either, works for spiders too, spray under furniture and edges of the ceiling or where ever you see webs. (01/15/2007)
By Mattie
This is the ONLY thing that will work: Buy some DeFlea CONCENTRATED shampoo (MUST be "concentrated", not the standard version.) Do NOT dilute it with water. Stand over the kitchen sink (or wherever) and pour it into your hair then put some in a spritzer bottle, strip down in the bathroom, and spritz your body down. Wait 15 minutes, then wash it out of your hair and off your body. Do this until they are gone, which will not take long!
Note: be sure what you have is only an EXTERNAL parasite, such as "fleas", since some folks are finding they have "collembola", not fleas, and collembola also invade your internal parts (that's a whole different story!). I had fleas, and almost went nuts trying to rid myself of them. Trust me, the DeFlea Concentrated Shampoo (undiluted) will do the trick but you may have a hard time finding it. (02/01/2007)
By JC
I'm hoping this nasty event in my life is just fleas in my hair! We have a 2 year old dog who is so seriously flea free, I'm 100% positive about that. I'm aware that, as she is very social, we will have the odd but short-lived flea.
3 weeks ago, my head itched and itched so I treated my self for head lice. I checked our 2 primary school boys and hubby but found nothing. 2 days after head lice treatment (a natural eucalyptus based product), I started itching again so I treated myself with a KP chemical product. The day after, I developed itchy lumps all over my head and behind my ears. I plastered my longer than shoulder length hair with shaving cream and wrapped it in cling wrap for 3 hours. Still kept getting bumps, some would disappear. I developed a nasty reaction that resulted in my whole scalp swelling which spread over 24 hours to my brow, mid-ear level then down my face to my cheekbones. Off to the doctor! I class myself as a good-looking sort of Aussie Sheila so I was EXTREMELY embarrassed!
Doc put me on steroids for just over a week and advised I take anti-histamines. At the check-up 2 days later, the swelling had subsided and another 3 days later I was looking normal again. I won't go into how I felt on the steroids - but I advise against them unless absolutely necessary. I should mention that here in Oz there are different types of mozzies, and I must be allergic to one breed as I react badly about once a year to a bite and take anti-histamines for that.
Once weaned off the steroids I thought I had a few mozzie bites, every day I had a bite here and there but only on the scalp and face region. Some reacted and some didn't. My logic kept telling me that mozzies don't get in your hair but I could think of no other reason! Until yesterday! I wore a strappy top over my bikini top and at the end of the day noticed 6 little lumps where the bikini top strap goes down my front shoulder, in a perfect line, and I had 3 little lumps on my forehead. I immediately thought fleas! ARGHHHH! It makes more sense now, if it is fleas then at least I can do something about the potentially identified problem. The bumps on my shoulder have gone today but I woke with a nice swelling on my left temple.
Thinking back, I've dyed my hair for 2 decades but I went to my natural colour about 5 weeks ago. I also stopped styling my hair with the hairdryer. I guess most chemical residue would have gone when the problem started. I'm sat here now with colour on my hair, salt on the floors, the dryer has been on all day even though it's a beaut day outside, and I will be styling my hair with the hairdryer!
One thing I see is very interesting after reading all these posts, it seems like it's us females who get attacked the most (could be why the fleas left me alone while I was on steroids?). Maybe if we doused ourselves in a testosterone product, they'd LEAVE US ALONE!
A note on the dog, we go to the beach every morning and she swims. I hear fleas don't like salt so when she picks one up, there is only me that looks like the best dinner table for the fleas. If the flea is egg-bearing, then they're in the house too!
To the posts who said fleas don't like humans or live in human hair, you are wrong (LOL). Good luck in your eradication everyone! (02/18/2007)
I am so sick sick of the darn fleas i just want to shoot my self. As i speak my mother who is a saint for doing this is picking flea eggs out of my hair. I've been trying to tell her to take me to the doctor but she doesn't think it will work. i am so glad i'm not alone. but now after reading all this stuff she might be convinced.. oh ya i want to the hair dresser and she thought the flea eggs were lice. but i didn't bother telling her that it was flea eggs she wouldn't have believed me. And all those ppl who think this doesn't exist are 100% wrong :( PLEASE HELP ! i have wanted to share this with someone else for a long time! i got the stupid fleas from my cute kitten but when i found this out i wanted to kill him. (04/18/2007)
By someone who is P.Od
This link I found today and has been so helpful. I've been treating my whole family for lice over the past week but nothing has helped. I have a dog and we flea treat her once a week just in case and we have never found anything. Today I got suspicious especially since my head won't stop itching and came online for help and what a lot of help. I've treated myself with flea shampoo and yes, big difference already (no more itching) and about 10 fleas came out of my hair on the lice comb. Dog has been retreated (and guess what, she had fleas, the same as the ones that cam out of my hair!) and children and hubby are on tonight when they get home. and I'm flea bombing the house. Thanks to all of you. I knew I wasn't going mad (or psycho)! (05/03/2007)
By Sandhya
I know, just a little bit ago when my daughter begged me for a cat, this cat caught fleas and we tried to treat it and we didn't have the money to flea dip it at the time. We continued flea bathing it and brushing it, but no results. After a while, me and my daughter started to get itchy and soon she was telling me that she thought she had fleas because she was picking little brown things out of her hair. I searched her hair and combed it, nothing. After a while, I started picking them out too and by this time I was certain that I and my daughter had fleas, so I bought this shampoo called R&C lice shampoo, and it worked like a charm but we did not exterminate the problem forever. Now the fleas are back and it would be lovely if anyone knew a sure way of not only getting them out of I and my daughter's head, but my house too. (05/19/2007)
By Amelia
Fleas do not live on humans. Although they will use them as a means of travel from your yard into your house, they do not live on you. They will certainly bite you though. They only way to rid your house of infestation is to treat everything. Your yard must be treated, your house, and your pet if you have one. They don't just get into your house from an animal. They will travel into the house on you, especially if you are wearing white. You can also have a pest that carries living under or around your house. When you do treat, you have to treat all areas outside and inside. That means clean, clean, clean. You must move furniture so that you can clean under it and treat it. Mop your floors as well because the eggs and pupa (which are almost invisable) can live on the tile or wood. The pupae is the worst stage because you cannot kill it. They live in a cacoon until they are ready to come out and feed. They can live in this cacoon for up to a year. Vacuuming can excite them to hatch. You should not lock your pet in a certain area. Let them roam because this will make the pupae come out of their cacoons. Once all the pupae have come out, the cycle is broken. It should take about three weeks of treating and cleaning to rid the infestation. Make sure to get close to the molding as well. Tile and wood must be treated too. You can prevent reinfestation by proper vacuuming and cleaning as well as continually treating your pets and outdoors. Especially when spring is approaching. Although they are year round pests, they come out more in spring and then they are worse in the summer months due to humidity. (05/31/2007)
By Kelly
My neighbor had several animals, including cats. When she moved, guess what moved into my apartment? Fleas. I spent an entire year trying to rid myself, mattress, clothing, carpet, you name it. I became a research expert on fleas after my hair started falling out. I discovered that this is a common problem in many third world countries. In India, they use neem oil to moisturize their hair, skin and nails. Neem oil not only kills fleas, but causes their hard to kill eggs to reproduce fleas that are unable to bite over time. Neem oil smells like a garlic mixture and is dark green, but very beneficial to the skin, nails, and hair. You can buy it online for about $35 for a 32 oz. bottle. You poor a small amount in a spray bottle and dilute it with hot water and spray your car, floors, and bedding with it so you can finally sleep at night. The smell is not attractive, but let me tell you it works. My co-worker used it during a barbecue and pool party, after discovering massive insects in her backyard. As for your hair, I put it in on full strength and sleep with a conditioning cap wrapped in a towel to prevent a mess at night. Then shampoo in the morning. Then rinse with diluted apple cidar vinegar. I also put a capful of apple cidar vinegar in a glass of water or cup of tea twice a day. Once in the morning with breakfast and once at night with dinner. After you drink it, you will feel heightened flea activity before they start jumping off your hair because they dislike the acidity. I can also attest that drinking the apple cidar vinegar combined with the neem oil help stop fleas from biting you during the day while you are at work so you don't scratch and pick at your scalp all day. As soon as I get home, I spray the neem oil again near my bed, carpets, etc. Use the neem oil religiously twice a day: morning and night for a month and you should be good to go. Continue to drink a capful of the apple cider vinegar to prevent any fleas that held on during the process from biting you. (06/01/2007)
By DW
Fleas do live on humans, people don't know what they are talking about when they state that they don't. A drug called Ivermectin will help you to get rid of them, but you will need supervision from a doctor for this. You might find your vet more helpful for advice than a medical doctor. I would also have, whatever you comb out of your hair, tested at a vet's lab. They deal with this parasite all the time and will be able to recognize it for what it is. (06/18/2007)
By JS
First thing is to treat pet with Frontline or Stronghold, followed by sprinkling salt round the house, then use the fogger bombs to kill any fleas living in furniture or on carpets. I found straightening my hair kills them off for a while and also groom pet to comb fleas out, remember to kill the fleas as you find them by sqeezing between the nail or putting in a bowl of washing up liquid!! Then hoover hoover hoover! Horrible things! They don't even serve a purpose! (07/02/2007)
By irritated
Man! I have been itching for two frickin' months, all along convinced I had head lice and that everyone was crazy that said no. My dogs have been infested so I bought Hartz 2 in 1 flea and tick spray for dogs. Tried it and it worked. Try it! (07/16/2007)
By moonchild
Wow, thanks guys! This stuff really helps. I've been asking and searching and no one had any answers. I could just feel the little bastards crawling on me at night. The heat from the blow dryer I found to work a little. Skin So Soft by Avon is another remedy, it can also be used as an insect repelent while keeping your skin really smooth and flea free. Thanks, guys! (07/19/2007)
By celina
Fleas do not use humans as a host. A parasite is something which lives off something else; worms, fleas and boyfirends are included. However, certain parasites live on certain hosts. Fleas do not live on humans, but they are attracted to the heat of the skin and, once they've found the heat source, they WILL BITE. They don't know if you are human or dog. They will get off but be attracted again to the heat source and bite again. In that, they appear to be living off you but really are not, you are just getting the symptoms while they look for something else.
Unfortunatly, advertising here is an issue. Shop purchased treatments do not contain the suitable killing agents required to kill fleas, they are not licensed to do so. Instead their items claim to get rid of fleas from your pet. WHich they do. However, they do this by repelling the flea family. This causes two problems, one is that all the fleas quickly evacuate pet fur, the other is the fleas that are maturing within the carpets, etc. are then not too keen to get on the pet because they are repelled by the ingredients. They are now refugees of your home, and they are hungry and you are warm.
People generally notice fleas more when a pet has been removed from the home due to pet death or a holiday where they have been sent to kennels etc or when they have used something like a flea collar or shop bought treatment.
I recommend Frontline or Stronghold Drop On, which kills the fleas when they climb onboard. It doesn't contain a repellant as far as I know so they are still happy to ride along with your pet. It does take a week or so to be seen to work but it's worth it. There are pill forms which are like putting the fleas on the birth control pill when they feed but I prefer the fatal method. (07/21/2007)
By mariesivyour
I beg to differ with a lot of you that say fleas don't like humans. My son was infested with fleas I couldn't believe it. I took the hair to my vet and that was exactly what it was (fleas). My son is African American and boy did they love his hair, he had an Afro and they were nesting in it. It was the grossest thing I have ever seen. I have had head lice before but this didn't even compare. (07/22/2007)
By Nichola
Hi everyone, I have had fleas for a long time and I finally went to the dermatologist and she said that I was crazy but she gave me this stuff called ovide. It's like a lotion liquid thing and it smells really bad but it works like really really well. It works it gets rid of flea eggs even though it's for lice, it still works. So don't be embarrassed to go to a doctor! : ) (07/29/2007)
By somone who is P.OD
To the person that posted on 7/21 that fleas don't live on human hair, is invited to come and stay at my house, you will see how they love human hair, me, my son and my mom all have them, and to top if off, the animals (two cats and a dog) do not have them! It is very frustrating. I have tried every cat and dog shampoo that I can buy. So far the only thing that kinda helps is the apple cidar vinegar. I just bought some Neem oil as previously mentioned and hoping that helps. Thanks to everyone and their suggestions. (07/31/2007)
By Terri
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