Lice from the sheitalmacher?

Israeli_C

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:07 am

It has happened twice already that I sent my sheital to be washed and set and soon after getting it back I've found lice in my own hair. Could the two be connected? Is this a normal occurrence? I'm really grossed out and it's putting me off wearing a sheital at all...

FranticFrummie

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:33 am

Ewww! I would definitely complain, and switch sheitelmachers at the same time.

That is NOT normal. It means that she's not cleaning her combs, brushes, and rollers properly between sheitels.

Rappel

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:38 am

Oh, ick!!!

I wouldn't necessarily blame the sheital macher, since once you have kids in gan it's an ongoing cycle of frustration. However... That same cycle would really put me off wearing a wig, unless I could throw it in the dryer on high heat or something.

Israeli_C

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:44 am

Rappel wrote:

That's the thing, the minute I noticed I checked all of the kids hair (the little they have! They're blonde and the oldest barely has shoulder length!) and they were completely nit and lice free. I'm so disgusted that I put both my wigs in quarantine for the foreseeable future. I only really wear them for shalom bayit reasons, but this is where I draw the line!

Israeli_C

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:46 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Ewww! I would definitely complain, and switch sheitelmachers at the same time.

That is NOT normal. It means that she's not cleaning her combs, brushes, and rollers properly between sheitels.

Glad that this isn't the usual situation! I'll ring them to explain what happened and bring their attention to it. They're a small salon in Bnei Brak, and they sell good wigs but paying 100 NIS to get infested isn't happening!

Rappel

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:49 am

Israeli_C wrote:

Hey, you know where I stand Smile

mitpachot are way more comfortable in the summer, anyway.

After a month, maybe you can pull the wigs out of the plastic bag. The buggies should be hatched and dead by then, and your wigs will be there for you if you ever want them.

Israeli_C

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:54 am

Rappel wrote:

Hey, you know where I stand Smile

Totally, I much prefer having hair up and off my neck in the humid heat. I think I'll do that. It's not like I've any special occasions coming up that I'll need them anyway. People know that if they send a wedding invite, DH goes and I am on babysitting duty (have yet to find a babysitter who would ever agree to mind everyone!)

JoyInTheMorning

Sun, Jun 23 2019, 12:08 pm

It's odd that lice would wind up in a sheitel. Lice don't live very long without being on a human scalp. I've heard estimates of a day or two, and some even say a few hours. So it's unlikely for the lice to last in a sheitel that long. Also, why would they go to a sheitel? They're attracted by the warmth of a human scalp, not by pretty hair.

Check your kids more carefully, even if they have short hair. When we had a lice infestation in my family, I was shocked by how many lice were in my son's short hair. They were mostly around the ears and in the neck area.

You should also make sure that you have thoroughly treated yourself so that you're not getting reinfested as nits hatch. You need to do a thorough combing of your hair every two days for several weeks. To do the combing, you need to dampen your hair, saturate it with olive oil or conditioner, take a lice comb, and go through every bit of hair. It took me two hours to do a head of long hair, around one hour to do a head of short hair, if I remember correctly. Maybe longer. It was awful. But better to do it properly for two weeks than to have to do it again and again.