Arrrgh Nits!

Janepig

Thanks all. Alikay I have had another quick look this morning and can't see anything crawling, but her hair was all bushy bed hair so I didn't have a really good look (and tbh I'm terrified of seeing anything crawling, and she will completely freak out!). We've tried lots of dry scalp type treatments thinking it was a reaction and it seems to be getting worse. There seem to be lots of these white "things". Anyway, I've bought a nitty gritty comb, we've got tea tree shampoo and I've got some tea tree conditioner to use. I've also got some lavender oil so I might try that too. Battle will commence shortly.

Jx

atrixblue.-MFR-.

im getting fed up the pesky aliens in my daughters hair, theyve been infected repeatedly over the last 12 months, i spend just over £65.00 a month in lotions lyclear full marks headrin nothing seams to work, nitty gritty does a better job then the potions but has a lipped groove where the finger meet the base and blighter get in there and you cant get em out and the eggs and you end up on your merry way to hoping for a clean head when a couple days after more nits due to the eggs in the comb crevis you just cant get to.

tried tea trea oil (kids go but i stink now and a few days moaning about how their hair smells like that funny shop we got it from), tried lavender oil the tend to run for the nearest host with that oil, so all have to be treated (dont forget pets can carry them aswell but not survive on them for long) and last 7-14 days in carpets and bedding so the cats de flead so does the dog, we get all get oil'd, and the bedding and carpets get thorough hoovering with flea collar in the cyclone.

i hate to put my 5 yr old through combing she has sensitive scalp with scoriosis and the nitty gritty has her crying out in pain form the forst comb through till the last.

we inform the school, friends and relatives but like us the parents have trouble irradicating them, and it only takes one parent to forget to do the 3-7-14 after treatment day checks to be back to square one again.

i'll try the vodka, bit sceptick about it but desparate times calls for desparate measure i think one large bottle coming up, (aldi here i come).

atrixblue.-MFR-.

Janepig wrote: »

Thanks all. Alikay I have had another quick look this morning and can't see anything crawling, but her hair was all bushy bed hair so I didn't have a really good look (and tbh I'm terrified of seeing anything crawling, and she will completely freak out!). We've tried lots of dry scalp type treatments thinking it was a reaction and it seems to be getting worse. There seem to be lots of these white "things". Anyway, I've bought a nitty gritty comb, we've got tea tree shampoo and I've got some tea tree conditioner to use. I've also got some lavender oil so I might try that too. Battle will commence shortly.

Jx

tried those tea tree shampoos and conditiners asda and aldi etc, dont work not even as a preventative, i find the nitty gets too tangled up in long hair so use the lavender oil as lube in the hair BTW wear something over your head and after your done you and daughter strip and chuck the clothes in wash on a higher than normal temp that your clothes will survive in (boil those beggers). the white balls are eggs BTW and not easy to tell if dead or in incubation (alive) the lavender tend to make them run for their lives to anything they can reach for a host that isnt smothered in the oil.

peachyprice

Anybody else noticed their children getting nits after a trip to the cinema? It's happened too often to my DD to be a coincidence.

Just got rid of another bout, good old Nitty Gritty, worth every penny.

Alikay

Janepig wrote: »

Anyway, I've bought a nitty gritty comb, we've got tea tree shampoo and I've got some tea tree conditioner to use. I've also got some lavender oil so I might try that too. Battle will commence shortly.

Do be careful - I know lavender and tea tree are natural essential oils, but they are also pretty strong - if her scalp is inflamed it'll sting!

It's hard to tell without being there, but when I've had littlies with nits, I wouldn't describe them as white flakes- more like small teardrop-shaped things welded to the hair shaft, not the scalp. They're kind of translucent when empty (ie the bllighters have hatched) and anything from beigy to dark brown when incubating. They don't crawl like ants etc either, its more of a slow creeping motion, especially if they're conditioner-logged! I use a needle to poke them out of the nit comb onto a magnifying mirror, inspect, then crush!

Sorry, don't mean to creep you out, but it doesn't sound like headlice to me - more like an allergic reaction.

Janepig

Alikay wrote: »

Do be careful - I know lavender and tea tree are natural essential oils, but they are also pretty strong - if her scalp is inflamed it'll sting!

It's hard to tell without being there, but when I've had littlies with nits, I wouldn't describe them as white flakes- more like small teardrop-shaped things welded to the hair shaft, not the scalp. They're kind of translucent when empty (ie the bllighters have hatched) and anything from beigy to dark brown when incubating. They don't crawl like ants etc either, its more of a slow creeping motion, especially if they're conditioner-logged! I use a needle to poke them out of the nit comb onto a magnifying mirror, inspect, then crush!

Sorry, don't mean to creep you out, but it doesn't sound like headlice to me - more like an allergic reaction.

I know what you mean - I just kind of thought that if either of mine had nits then it would be obvious, which is why I feel bad if it is and I didn't realise. Maybe I will take her to the docs tomorrow, even if we just see the nurse there. But I'll still have a bit of an investigate this afternoon I think.

Thanks for the advice!

Jx

tyllwyd

Janepig wrote: »

I know what you mean - I just kind of thought that if either of mine had nits then it would be obvious, which is why I feel bad if it is and I didn't realise. Maybe I will take her to the docs tomorrow, even if we just see the nurse there. But I'll still have a bit of an investigate this afternoon I think.

Thanks for the advice!

Jx

I find that when they do have nits, once you realise there is a certain way of head scratching that is a dead giveaway! I agree that it would be a good idea to talk to a nurse to get him/her to have a quick look for you. When I check, I find the best spots for finding them are behind the ears, nape of the neck and crown of the head, and make sure you are combing close into the scalp. Get a bowl of clean water (or fill up the sink) and dunk the comb into the water every time, and then check the water for lice or little brown oval floating dots (eggs). If you are just checking, ordinary hair conditioner is fine, no need for anything stronger.

Gigglepig

shortdog wrote: »

Don't worry about bedclothes, teddies, etc, as they can't live on them, they have to be on a human head to survive..

Lice can survive for a short time on things like hairbrushes and hats so you should also deal with those.

In order to be on the safe side you may also wish to deal with bedclothes, towels etc to ensure the eggs are killed. The eggs are hardier than the lice, but washing at 60 degree celsius or freezing below 20 will kill them. Some people also bag and store items until they feel confident that the eggs are dead.

Some very desperate parents also shave hair since apparently they need half a cm of hair to thrive...

It is also important to check the whole household at the same time to avoid reinfestation from one person to another.

claire16c

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

im getting fed up the pesky aliens in my daughters hair, theyve been infected repeatedly over the last 12 months, i spend just over £65.00 a month in lotions lyclear full marks headrin nothing seams to work, nitty gritty does a better job then the potions but has a lipped groove where the finger meet the base and blighter get in there and you cant get em out and the eggs and you end up on your merry way to hoping for a clean head when a couple days after more nits due to the eggs in the comb crevis you just cant get to.

tried tea trea oil (kids go but i stink now and a few days moaning about how their hair smells like that funny shop we got it from), tried lavender oil the tend to run for the nearest host with that oil, so all have to be treated (dont forget pets can carry them aswell but not survive on them for long) and last 7-14 days in carpets and bedding so the cats de flead so does the dog, we get all get oil'd, and the bedding and carpets get thorough hoovering with flea collar in the cyclone.

i hate to put my 5 yr old through combing she has sensitive scalp with scoriosis and the nitty gritty has her crying out in pain form the forst comb through till the last.

we inform the school, friends and relatives but like us the parents have trouble irradicating them, and it only takes one parent to forget to do the 3-7-14 after treatment day checks to be back to square one again.

i'll try the vodka, bit sceptick about it but desparate times calls for desparate measure i think one large bottle coming up, (aldi here i come).

My brother in law was a skeptic and more to the point doesn't like me ever to be right but he called up with glee to say it had worked! And I know it worked on me. I think I just left it on for about 10 mins to kill the blighters, give it a comb then shampoo out.

System

tried those tea tree shampoos and conditiners asda and aldi etc, dont work not even as a preventative

Its no good using tea tree shampoos the tea tree isn't strong enough. You need proper shampoo with about 5 drops of neat tea tree added.