Would having hair braided help prevent headlice?

[whoops]

Am fed up with the constant battle against nits! Would getting dd's hair braided help prevent them?

Any other ideas to keep the buggers away?

[allaboutme]

I shouldnt think so and if she did get them while hair was braided you'd NEVER get rid of them!!
We use a special shampoo that is supposed to repel them (think it has tea tree in it) and the boys havent caught nits since theyve been using it..

[clam]

Certainly tying hair back helps, as they crawl from head to head on contact. I guess there's less chance of hair dangling near others' if it's in a pony tail or plait.

[nighbynight]

Do you mean 2 plaits, or African style braids?

I think plaits do help, there is less volume of hair to get infected.

[whoops]

I'm talking african braids! dd is 6 and I tie her hair up for school but by lunch time she has taken it out! I thought if she had lots of them she wouldn't take them out and I would have to keep doing her hair every morning!!!!

Allaboutme I did think what if she got them!

[StevieDunton]

only trouble if you braid non-afro hair is tht it only looks good for a few days then goes frizzy

[yellowcircle]

Spray with nitty gritty's preventative stuff

www.nittygritty.co.uk/products/54/nitty_gritty_%3Cbr%3Erepellent_spray/

tying back hair is supposed to help a bit, but apparently, girls in general like to work more closely with others so they are more prone to nits. boys are more wild, darting about etc so nits are less likely to get them

[PrettyCandles]

My dd has longer-than-waist-length hair, which I always plait for any activity that involves mess or lots of other children. She goes to sleep in the day's plaits, unless they are uncomfortable or have come undone, in which case I brush through and re-plait. This means that her hair is easier to brush and plait in the morning before school, and that I only have to part her hair once every week or two when I wash it. It's the combing out snarls and getting a straight parting that take the time. The plaiting is relatively straightforward.

I rarely do the classic two plaits style, as that just doesn't stay in. I usually do French or Dutch plaits, or 2-3 plaits on each side, each one leading into the next. Those styles stay in very well.

She has never had nits (I've probably jinxed her now!), though I've wetcombed her several times when classmates have had nits.

I'm sure that by keeping her hair close to her head she is less vulnerable to picking up headlice from the other children, as it's the way that children lean their heads close to each other when reading/playing etc together, that allows the lice to crawl from head to head.