NITS- How do you get rid of them...

[echo]

Oh dear- two applications of 'Lyclear rinse' has not done the trick- My youngst is 15 months, any ideas of how to totally get rid of them?? Most of them have gone, but a few live ones remain!

[Fuschia]

'Full marks'

It's not an insecticide but it dessicates the lice. Two doses a week apart work really well. Is quite expensive though.

Argos electric nit comb is quite effective too.

[echo]

thanks fushia, I will try your recomendations

[Medusa]

The problem with lotions is that lice are so endemic in local schools that children get re-infested and you have to repeat the process...which contributes to the breeding of *SUPERLICE*.

Personally, I'd recommend combing every three/four days with this:

http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/wcsstore7.00.00.297/ExtendedSitesCatalogAssetStore/images/products/large/2946366.jpg

[Fuschia]

Nit combs just don't work easily with long curly hair though... The benefit of the full marks stuff is lice can't become immune to is (as they are to many of the insecticides)

http://www.headlice.co.uk/products/solution.aspx

[alice32]

My son had nits for ages. Tried a few of the nit shampoos, but the only thing that got rid of them for good was putting masses of conditioner on his hair and combing it through with nit comb. You comb out all the live ones and after a week or two, they die out. Might be tricky to get a 15 month old to sit still through that process though...

[Sanne Panne]

To help prevent reinfestation, tea tree oil is supposed to work. We heard about a case of headlice in our 3yo's nursery and we're using the oil (few drops rubbed between my hands, then rubbed onto her hair and the "neck" of her coat) to hopefully prevent getting it. I know one day we'll get them, there's no guaranteed avoiding but so far, so good.

Good to know about Full Marks and the electric comb. May even get those so we can act quickly if she does bring them home!

[bluesuperted]

I sadly am very prone to nits as have very soft, straight, fine (clean!) hair and my mum and sister are also prone with the same hair.

I got it several times during my teens and following reading an advice column in Heat of all places, I spoke to the people who provide a natural oil called 'Nitmix' as IMO none of the lotions and potions are effective unless you get every single last nit and egg - any oil or conditioner should work as long as EVERY nit is eradicated!!! This particular oil mix has lavender in it from memory and is off-putting to nits as well as smelling much nicer and being far less toxic than the over the counter remedies.

http://www.nitmix.com/acatalog/nitmix.html

I hope they are still in business and am sure I will be using their products with my son's fine, straight, soft hair soon enough! The guy I spoke to was super helpful and really understood about the nit epidemic - really recommend giving him a call if he's still operating the business!

[pripolla]

Just be careful with the tea tree oil if your child suffers from asthma, as it can trigger an attack.

[Bellenden Jo]

Tons of conditioner and a nitty gritty nit comb, they are the best. They get the live ones and the eggs out. Very satisfying!

[BB100]

Try and get the treatments that you leave on for 12 hours - full marks do one. It might be awkward but they are much better than the ten minute treatments. Lots of combing whilst it's on is a must too.

I bought teatree shampoo and conditioner as well to keep them at bay.

[Fuschia]

Honestly, I have been through all if these things... And the new 10 mins full marks beats them hands down

We had tried overnight shampoo, various herbal

Liquids, tea tree. Daily combing with conditioner

Every shampoo on the market!

[Chippy Minton]

We find the Nitty Gritty comb works best http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nitty-Gritty-Nit-Comb-1/dp/B001PML6Y6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322778903&sr=8-1 Much better than the free ones you get with the treatments because it is made of steel and has the grooves in it.

With regard to prevention, get their hair in as tight a bunch as possible as soon as you hear of an outbreak (we seem to get the "outbreak in your class" letter about every six weeks!)

[FatherJack]

I have tried everything apart from insecticide or chemical based applications......I've even tried the "thing" you attach to your hoover to suck the critters off the hair shaft! Don't bother with that one, but I was desperate........

Nitty Gritty combs have been my salvation, it's all about conditioning and combing for me, it's a chore but it's got to be done.....and you can get the comb/s on prescription from your GP! You will need one for each child/adult.

[The Nappy Lady]

I put about 3 drops of tea tree oil in my hand with shampoo & wash hair, then same with conditioner, comb through with a nit comb & leave in for ten mins in the bath.

Our 2 don't seem very prone but this has worked on the 2 occasions we had a few (caught very early).

Wouldn't use tea tree oil on under 1 year old but after that in quantities I describe it should be ok.

You can also get an anti tangle spray with tea tree in to use as a deterrent. Found it in a supermarket but don't recall which.

[Fidgetsmum]

Nitty gritty comb is excellent. Best advice I was given is comb comb comb as often as you can. I also used the standard lyclear. But I literally spent over an hour every night combing her hair. They were gone within a fortnight.

SO horrible though. I also used the 'electric' comb from boots... makes a satisfying buzzing sound when it gets one!

[kylie6097]

i suffered terribly as a child my mum smothered my hair in tea tree oil shampoo that you can get in sainsburys to prevent them but swore blind none of the lotions work, so we would get covered in conditioner and nit comb them out.

i have learnt that clean hair is not always a good thing. try not washing her hair as often as clean hair is what the nits go for.

[bawdy-nan]

I'd recommend combing every other day with a very good comb - nitty gritty is my fave as it also removes the eggs. Settle down with a dvd or an audio book, washed hair with conditioner in it -section up the haor and comb, wipe the comb clean with a tissue every time - celebrate loudly when you catch a scrobbler! Keep doing it every other day (or every 3 days) until you no longer remove any eggs or lice and then do it for two or three more sessions.

Then - be vigilant. I tend to check whenever I'm in the vicinity of hair. I comb as soon as I see any signs of itching or if I see my daughter's friends itching.

Tie up hair for school and socialising.

I've come to rather relish the chat time and tghe artisan craft of thorough nit-combing - good luck!

[ratty]

We have had the dreaded letter today from school. There are head lice in your class!

[susyp]

Just bumping this thread with brilliant advice as my friend has just texted to say her daughter (who is in my daughter's class) has headlice. What am I checking for - she said she had live ones and dark spots - I thought the eggs were white - will go and buy comb and full marks tomorrow - should I be combing with the comb and looking for - what?

can't stop itching now...

Susypx

[SarahG]

The eggs are white, it's the poos which are tiny and black! Easiest place for a quick check is the roots of the hairs behind the ears, that's where they like to hang out best. Clean or dirty hair doesn't matter and they can't jump so it's head to head contact which allows them to travel.

Headlice become immune to chemicals insanely quickly which is why conditioner and a comb is usually your best bet as the conditioner means that they struggle to be able to hold on to the hair and you can comb them out.

A routine check fortnightly or monthly of your child is no bad thing. The letters will only come home every so often from school but you can pretty much guarantee that at any one time there will be nits somewhere in the school!

[buggie]

The eggs are only white once the lice have hatched out. Lots of combing with conditioner to comb them out over several days - section by section of hair and recheck daily if not using anything to kill the lice as they'll continue to hatch out.

[Carbonara]

Hedrin.

The silicone lotion which suffocates the lice without chemical stuff that lice can become immune to.

Use as directed, especially wrt to the second and repeat applications.

And comb with a Nitty Gritty comb and conditioner for good measure.

[Mrs TP]

Echo buggie - the eggs are only white when hatched. You need to pick them out of wet hair before hatching - they are by the root, brown and a funny elongated shape almost with a hook to attach to the hair shaft - I once thought they were bits of pollen but learnt different a few days later. Get the full marks stuff but then also go through the hair with an ordinary comb and pick out the eggs and lice - like the apes on a David Attenboro' show!

[bawdy-nan]

With bitter bitter experience I would offer the following advice on lice:

1. Combing is the best way - wet combing (not too much conditioner) is best and you should section off the hair and approach it systematically (use a dvd or audiobook to occupy child) - after each comb wipe teh comb and log (!) any lice.

2. Nitty gritty is my favoured tool: it also removes the eggs!

3. Know your enemy and its life cycle ... headlice are easiest to remove when they are alive (ie easier to remove than the eggs although a seasoned eye will be able tos pot and remove the eggs especially when they are "ripe" They are longer than they are wide and glisten slightly and have a darker centre which is teh louse ready to hatch). Head lice are fully mature and ready to lay eggs 12 days after hatching before this they moult twice and chanmge size and shape. THIS IS GOOD NEWS! It means that you have a window of opportunity once they hatch and before they lay eggs.

4. Once you know there's an infestation - comb once, and again the next day and until you get no (or only one or two smaller lice) then comb every other day for at least 2 weeks until you get no evidence at all. (you might continue to get surges over this period as new eggs hatch BUT they won't be able to lay eggs for 12 days).

5.Keep an eye on your child's hair. Once you've had them and spent hours combing you'll become an expert in what they look like. (Try to resist rooting through the hair of every child you come across - though it helps to cast an eye from time to time at your child's friends heads as they're likely to share).