Headlice (merged)

leela_2

Hi Tao81
Got to say i think you might be on to something there with the straighteners.I work in an infant school rife with headlice and have never had them(yet!!).I straighten my hair and use Lee Stafford heat protection spray which smells nice but really strong.My hair is long ,very thick and i always wear it down and something is definitely repelling them.

HelzBelz

Hi Alison, I've had lice a few times, and like your daughter have VERY long hair and the zapper is great and really easy to use.

madison's_mum

DD is 3 & she has got nits for the first time, what the best thing to get rid of them?

Thanks

msmicawber

Hi,

Just checking through her hair each night when she's in the bath, using conditioner and a nit comb. If you have other children, you should check their hair regularly as well. The preparations from the chemist don't always work as lice are becoming resistant to the insecticides and they all recommend that you comb the hair with a nit comb afterwards, so I figure you may as well use conditioner.

Someone once gave a link to a calendar that you can use that works with the life cycle of the lice, to ensure you get rid of them for good, but I can't find it. The trouble is with headlice, you only have control over your own children's hair ...

miserly_mum

I'd have to agree about the conditioner and nit comb.

Remember to check Mum and Dads hair too not just other kids. No adult likes to admit to it .....but i've caught them of the kids a few times over the years.

Its also a good idea to discreetly imform the school. They then send a note home for other families to check their childrens hair. Means less chance of getting re infected

lex

I sympathise...

DD went through a phase of getting continuously reinfected from nursery, and even though I reported it every time, they insisted noone else had it...until about a month later when they told me someone else had reported it, and funnily enough we didn't get it back after that...:o

I gave up on using the solutions from the chemist. Just wash and generously condition the hair every night and comb and comb and comb with a nit comb. I recommend the Nitty Gritty comb - you can get them in chemists, or on Ebay.

Apparently the nits don't like Tea Tree oil, I know you can get Tea Tree oil conditioning sprays from larger Sainsburys etc. I didn't have any, but had some neat stuff and put a few drops of that through DD's hair which seemed to help a bit..Doesn't get rid of them - but may be a preventative measure.. Again I believe Nitty Gritty do one but it seems quite expensive.

Good luck..

lex

tsstss7

Hi Madisons mum

my mum swears by conditioner and nit comb also and I tend to follow her4 lead on theses things as shes been through more kids than me! - I have tried other (supposedly non-toxic) solutions also such as the full marks moose and none of them work as well - the only reason I forgo the contitioner treatment sometimes is that it MUST be repeated every three days for about two weeks to work and so is no instant cure whereas FM claims to be. The main prob with the instant cures of course is that little uns are often reinfected regularly anyway (some children become imune to itching and dont know/give outward signs that they have them initially so they tend to settle in for the duration at school I have found).

Most of us are now resigned I believe to either keeping childs hair short {makes them easier to spot) or checking regularly - dont expect your child to be scratching etc my ds always denys having them now as he is one of the immune ones - I however am not and if I pick them up from him I suffer! (not to mention the hassle of trying to get one of those combs through my hair it can take hours!)

hope that helps .

patchwork_cat

Hi
We used HEdrin, but it didn't completely get rid of them. Bought a nitty gritty comb and with conditioner every 2/3 days for about a fortnight comb through. There is a new product like hedrin that may work better haven't tried it, Full marks solution which also isn't a pesticide might be worth a try if not too expensive review -http://www.ciao.co.uk/full_marks_solution__Review_5693804

wokkies

tesco do a tea tree conditioner aswell which is fab and under a pound for a big bottle, and yes comb/conditioner/comb seems to be the best way

msmicawber

I have to say that over the years I've tried everything, but have found regular nit combing the only thing that really works. Children get reinfected from other children when they're playing, but if you're constantly checking it should never get to the stage where the lice are too difficult to shift.

Don't pay for a Nitty Gritty comb as you can print a form off their web site and present it at your GP surgery or chemist to get a free one. (otherwise they cost £10). They're not really better than the other metal combs except that the teeth are longer and the handle is more comfortable to hold. They advertise that the NG comb gets rids of nits and eggs as well, which it doesn't because they're too small and cemeted onto the hair, but regular combing will get rid of the young lice before they have a chance to lay eggs. Also, don't bother buying any of their preparations - they're expensive, but don't really work (smell nice, though).