Lice Outbreak!

Ewww....I know. On Wednesday of this week 19 kids got sent home from Anna's school with head lice. That didn't include the 8 kids in our neighborhood who didn't go to school that day for the same reason. I can only imagine that that number has gone up considerably. We don't have it yet...but Anna's close friends do and so I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I kept Anna home from school yesterday...just because I'm so afraid of getting the bug. I have since done some research and have learned a few tricks to keeping her clear. 1. Apparently Lice do not like Tea tree oil. It's sort of a repellent. I purchased some organic tea tree shampoo and conditioner and all of us girls will be using it on a daily basis for the next few months. I'm also considering buying some tea tree essential oil to swab behind their ears and nape of neck. 2. I also heard that lice have a harder time penetrating hair that has a lot of product in it. So this morning for school I got Anna's hair wet, slicked it back into two buns and saturated her hair with hairspray! She may as well be wearing a helmet...it was definitely hard. 3. I gave her a thorough chat about not sharing hats, brushes, hair things, backpacks or being too close to someone's head. Hopefully we'll be able to get through this alive. I'm looking for any other tips to help keep us free and clear of any lice...anyone hear of anything else?