Enid's Newbie Nit Questions

[Enid]

So I just wet combed dd1's hair (tea tree conditioner and Nitty Gritty comb)

LOADS of the little buggers came out - didn't see any eggs coming out though

1. I didnt carefully split hair into sections - just combed it thoroughly all over - bad?
   
2. Do they live off the hair - do I need to wash pillows, toys etc?
   
3. I clearly haven't got them all so does that mean the whole exercise was a waste of time?
   
4. How many days shall I do it for (luckily dd1 really enjoyed it so she doens't mind how long I do it for)?

[MarsOnLife]

do it every couple of days for 2 weeks. That should sort them.

[Enid]

so if you leave some behind overnight do they not keep breeding frantically?

[tamum]

1. No, that's what I do
   
2. No, urban myth
   
3. No, but you do have to keep going
   
4. See Mars's post.

[NotQuiteCockney]

It takes them a few weeks to reach maturity, from what I remember.

They don't live off the hair.

[MarsOnLife]

nah... well probably, but if you comb every couple of days you'll get them all, including the ones that have literally just hatched.

Ah the joys of parenthood.

[Enid]

fab

it was utterly satisfying seeing them drowning in the conditioner

[Blandmum]

have I told you they fart their way out of the egg sac?

[NotQuiteCockney]

mb, face mites have no anus.

[Enid]

please let that be true (the farting)

[Blandmum]

The farting is true, it was on a prog all about head lice on BBC4 not that long ago. When the yare ready to hatch they swallow loads of air and pass it out their anus (they have them), blasting themselves out of the sac!!!! Way cool.

Sometimes the mother nit cements herself to the hair shaf, along with the egg sac.....good!

How do face mites deficate then????via the mouth? (honest question I am strangly interested

[NotQuiteCockney]

mb, they don't defecate. They fill up with poo and die.

I don't know what's worse, the idea of our faces being covered with poo-filled dead face mites, or just face mite poo.

(They live in the eyebrows.)

[NotQuiteCockney]

(We have a book called Furtive Fauna, that goes into all this.)

[Enid]

strangely compelling

[Blandmum]

NQC, fab fact!. I'll save that one up the next time I teach digestion!

Some thread worms explode as they dry out, blasting their microscopic eggs into the air to spread them. They can then be inhaled, pass into the lungs, get cleared from the lungs via tiny hairs, which drop the eggs into the oesophagus, they pass through the stomac unharmed and hatch in the small intestine to begin the cycle all over again.

[cod]

Message withdrawn

[Blandmum]

They dry out when they leave the anus to lay eggs btw

[Enid]

dd1 has been lucky so far

her two closest friends always get them and she never has until now

[Enid]

I have alberto balsam tea tree tingle shampoo and conditioner, dd1 loves the smell of it (tea tree an dmint)

[cod]

Message withdrawn

[Enid]

did you have to quickly run through woolies and into Burger King?

[cod]

Message withdrawn

[NotQuiteCockney]

DS1 is at school, and has loads of (generally not v clean) hair.

DS2 is a toddler. Hasn't got much hair.

Only DS2 got 'em, not DS1. From where?? DS2 is more sweaty, though.

[Surfermum]

I'm a bit of a nit veteran, dsd has had them for 6 years. I always split her hair and I comb it from underneath, the opposite way to normal. Hot spots for her are the nape of her neck and behind the ears where I guess it gets most sweaty. However, the ones in the middle of the head often get missed, so definitely worth splitting hair. I've never washed pillows or anything else, but I don't share hairbrushes with her. Just keep going with wet combing every 3 days until they've all gone and then check every 3-4 days for a couple of weeks after they've all gone to make sure. Research has found that wet combing has apparently been found to be more effective than using lotions and potions. There's a link on one of the threads somewhere. Whenever dd and I have caught them from her we have both got clear again by just wet combing, so it definitely works, it just takes a bit of time.

[Nightynight]

I went through this last year ( a couple of pathetic MN threads testify) no extra advice but lots of sympathy.

I would urge anyone considering a 4th baby to multiply the time spent nit-picking one child by 4....

[Enid]

ok

so this

is what my friend recommends - the lcoal vet uses it on his kids

shurely wrong??