Head lice - no idea what I'm looking for, help needed

[SoftKittyWarmKitty]

A note came back from DS's school a few weeks back about a case of head lice in his class, telling parents to keep an eye out for head lice and to treat if necessary. He's almost 5 and is in reception.

He's never had head lice and I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for, or how to treat them if he has them. His hair is dark blonde and when I look closely I can see the odd black dot (literally a black dot the size of a small full stop) on his scalp, but I thought head lice would be bigger and I'd see them running in his hair? If he has them, what's the best/most effective treatment?

Also, I'm the only adult in the house so how the hell am I supposed to check my own hair for them?

[smudgethepuppydog]

Buy a nitcomb and comb his hair and yours. Wipe the comb on a piece of kitchen towel each time it passes through the hair, you'll soon see the little buggers blighters.

[rockinhippy]

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Headlice.jpg&imgrefurl=en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Headlice.jpg&usg=__ScM6lTuv-AToDTKHlFP-P_7RKX8=&h=533&w=800&sz=20&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=s_ptiWtAms4u_M:&tbnh=138&tbnw=186&ei=rQfgTd3GNtKp8AOngsmXCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dheadlice%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1395%26bih%3D617%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=285&vpy=133&dur=2248&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=161&ty=131&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&biw=1395&bih=617" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">they look like this

eggs look like this

Best treatment is Hedrin which you can get from your GP, but has another name - it suffocates the nasty little buggers & needs a repeat in 7 days 7 the whole family needs to be treat

Best Comb is Nitty Gritty - Boots etc

you do need to wet comb thoroughly to remove lice & eggs & keep checking

We've found that using Vosene Shampoo, followed by their repellant detangling spray - with 1/3rd bottle of added rosemary aromatherapy oil is brilliant at keeping them at bay - DDs only ever had them when I've ran out

& for bad infestations - Vinegar dissolves the glue that holds the eggs to the hair shaft so makes them easier to remove

We also have an electronic comb, that sets off an alarm if it hits one - its meant to kill them, but they are so bloody hardy, they just get up & trundle off after a minute or so - it is great for detecting them though :)

hope that helps :)

[SoftKittyWarmKitty]

Thanks, I'll get a nitty gritty comb from Boots tomorrow. That picture of them made me gip Rockinhippy, and I now feel all itchy in the head area.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Nitty gritty is the bees knees when used properly.

IME easiest way to use it is to use a jug of water to rinse it in after each stroke through the hair. If there are any lice or eggs they sink to teh bottom.

The eggs look like little cigar shaped things in the jar. Brown not black. The lice are clearly insect like.

When you are looking through his hair the eggs are stuck to the base of the hair shaft. Brown are unhatched, white are hatched.

[rockinhippy]

yep, thats definitely the headlice effect - just the mere thought has you scratching

I felt all itchy just typing it