Nits?

[WillowFae]

Just discovered that my son has nits. This is our first encounter with them and I have horrible memories of going to bed as a child with yukky stinky shampoo on and having it washed off the next morning. :(

Is it still like this? I've seen references on here to the nitty gritty comb so I'll try and get one of those, but what about actual shampoo to kill them?

[JaynieB]

Lots of people recommend Hedrin.
When my DSC's had them (recurrently) we would wash their hair, put on lots of conditioner - then comb it, the conditioner makes it harder for them to cling on, then rinse. Repeat frequently as there will be eggs at various stages and you need to comb out all the adults as they emerge or you will just be re-infested.
Tea tree shampoo/conditioner also helps.
The nasty shampoos are still around but some nits are resistant, combing with conditioner is harmless and pretty easy to do. Make sure you comb really thoroughly around the backs of the ears - this seems to be a favourite egg laying location.

[WillowFae]

Thanks JaynieB. We have now treated everyone and have a comb on standby to try again in a few days.

[JaynieB]

Have a quick comb every time you wash your hair and you should stay nit-free. It seems pretty endemic in many schools now - my DSC's seemed to have them every few weeks, we'd just about get rid of them and they'd be scratching again. It makes me itch to think about it!

[WillowFae]

I'm amazed DS got to 6 and a half before he got them!

[alypaly]

you can get the nitty gritty on a prescription as they cost about £10