Calling all nit veterans - now what?!

[cheeseismydownfall]

A couple of weeks ago I noticed two of the DC were scratching. A Lot. I checked their hair and found lice. It's the first time we've ever had them, so we've been pretty lucky i guess (DC aged 11, 9 and 7). I treated them (and me and DH) all over half term with a Nitty Gritty and the wet combing method, following the NHS guidance to comb days 1, 5, 9, 13 and then to check you are clear on day 17 (I believe the timing are to do with their life cycle, to ensure you remove newly hatched lice before they can lay more eggs).

Anyway, day 1 was pretty , with lots of fully grown lice. Day 5 much much better. By day 9, I was struggling to find any. So when I sat down to comb the youngest tonight (day 13) I was hopefully that he would be clear. But they are back . Almost as bad as when I first treated him - a few full grown lice and a couple of dozen small ones.

Presumably those adult ones have been merrily laying eggs, so I think we are back at the beginning. What do I do now? It coukd be he has picked them up again since being back at school I guess - but one way or the other I have to deal this the bastards. I'm feeling pretty gutted at the DC have pretty long hair and it takes a couple of hours to comb us all. I followed the NHS advice not to bother with any of the treatments - but should I be doing something more than combing?

Thank you wise ones!

I suggest treating twice, one week apart, combined with the combing schedule. Personally I don't think conditioner makes any difference. I found Lyclear creme effective. You'll need to buy a fair bit to ensure long hair is fully covered.

Also the nitty gritty comb is best but obviously be careful to clean it properly between each stroke and between heads. No sharing brushes or hair bands/bobbing in general.

Bobbins*

My dd has had the buggers 3 times. I comb damp hair every day which gets rid of them in about a week. I also look through her hair and pick out the eggs that I find as the combs aren't brilliant at removing them.
The best comb I've used is a little plastic Bug Busters one, it's better than the nitty gritty on dd's hair.
Good luck!

Remember to hot wash all bedding especially pillow cases thoroughly and to wash coat hoods, hats and caps. Vaccum around beds,mattresses, headboards and sofas. Speak to your pharmacist for treatments available or go into Holland & Barrett for a herbal type treatment. Don't forget to notify school they will send letters home to make all parents aware so parents can check and treat their children too. Very importantly keep combing throughout treatment.

My daughter went to school with some lazy parents who clearly never treated their kids head lice so my DD would just keep getting them.

The best thing for us was the Hedrin Once spray and I used to leave it on overnight and then do daily combing and checking.

In the end I moved her out of that school and the near constant nits were a massive contributing factor to the move. I couldn't afford to spend £30 a month on nit treatments and then I flipped my lid when I found them on my 6 month old baby

Well done for getting Nitty Gritty comb, it's the best. Of the lotions and potions Hedrin is the only one that actually works. Last time I had to do delousing was when dd1 then aged 14 had volunteered with a Rainbow Brownies Pack (ie small girls and boys age 4-6) for her Duke Of Edinburgh badge. Hedrin overnight and Nitty Gritty in the morning, repeated seven days apart, did the biz. We did each other btw, as I went in and helped and got hugged by at least three small possible perpetrators...