Can I do anything/treat to prevent head lice?

[SaltyLemons]

Just had the dreaded email to say there's been an outbreak. I have a child with very long knotty hair and I want to do everything in my power to prevent the inevitable nightmare of the nits! Any tried and tested methods welcome, or am I asking too much 😬

Prevention wise, tea tree oil dabbed on the nape of the neck and behind the ears is supposed to help. Long hair tied back.

DD had them twice at primary and we were able to get rid quite easily without lotions - just had to keep combing with conditioner and a nitty gritty comb.

Hedrin is excellent both for the prevention and then to treat. Hedrin doesn't cause immunity issue to lice so is very effective and can be used repeatedly.

Make sure the hair is at a manageable length, washed with lots of conditioner and brushed twice a day. Tie it up for school and for bedtime.

Thank you, thank you. We have combed out all the knots but she has super long and thick hair and it's a battle to comb it. I can't bear the thought of pulling a nit comb through it so will do all I can to prevent!

Hedrin did nothing for DD. Nor did Lyclear, Vamousse, own-brand, Vosene, tea tree, lemon, baby oil, olive oil, anything I’ve ever seen recommended on MN or elsewhere.

Hair straighteners can help a bit – you’ll hear the eggs “pop” – as can a really hot blow dry, which desiccates the eggs.

The cheapest, smelliest teatree conditioner you can find, slather it on and tie up. It doesn't look nice but it makes it much easier to comb nightly and maybe the smell is repellent.

I'd second the suggestions of cutting her hair to a more manageable length. It doesn't have to be super-short (although that can be cute too!), but if it's really long and thick it's hard to keep it in good condition.

DD had lice recently and the combination of vamoose, a nitty gritty comb and switching to Vosene seems to have done the trick, but tbh regular nit/worm treatment is just part of life with primary age children...

I swear head lice would survive a nuclear winter. I do a weekly comb through to catch the buggers early, and comb through daily if I find any. Chemical treatment can help but I find constant combing, and hair tied up at school works best, spray with hairspray once tied up.

If she doesn’t have nits I’d do hair in plaits, that vosene spray and shampoo. Also a normal hair spray so keep her hair in place no whispy bits.

nitty gritty comb and conditioner if she gets them.

Nits currently going round DD's school. Since finding out I put conditioner on her hair and comb with a nit comb every other day. So far I've not found any nits or eggs. I hope this is working and I'm just too blind to be able to see them.

Surely if it was wet, covered in conditioner and sectioned you would be able to use a nit comb? DD has super curly hair but we managed

I assume you're meant to put conditioner on to wet hair rather than dry?

Use a tea tree oil spray on clean hair. You’re also going to have to combat the knotty hair, you need to be able to comb through from root to end - maybe trimming the ends would help? Hair tightly tied back for school, plaits rather than a ponytail.

Learn to braid her hair

Thea tree oil shampoo and conditioner to prevent. Also keep hair in a tight bun or plait/braid for school. Traditional old school hair spray is also a good preventative as it coats the hair and lice can't get a good grip.

My Dd always had nits and someone recommended the nitty gritty prevention spray from Amazon. It worked and doubled up as a detangler for her curly hair.

Plaits. Yea tree apart. Once a week with the nitty gritty and conditioner. We had a year of not he'll because some parent wasn't treating Their kid.

Surely if it was wet, covered in conditioner and sectioned you would be able to use a nit comb? DD has super curly hair but we managed

If it comes to it we will have to manage but she's only 3 so negotiating a fine tooth comb with a kicking and screaming toddler is a nightmare. It's her brother's cohort that the nits are currently circulating in.

I was thinking about this earlier today OP. My 4 year old autistic boy hates having his long curly hair touched. Nits are my absolute nightmare

I've done it with an autistic curly, you can do it! Sit her in front of the TV or tablet, with some treat snacks

Sit here down with an iPad or tv with cartoons, I long since gave up trying to comb hair without significant electronic distraction.

I used to put a few drops of tea tree oil in their shampoo and conditioner as prevention.

Loads of conditioner and the Nitty Gritty comb if suspected nits, every day initially, then every other, then once a week.

Hedrin for initial (and follow up a week later)treatment.

Oh, and when combing, wiping the comb on some kitchen towel after each stroke to see what's coming out (and to prevent combing it straight back in!).

Chocolate of choice + TV! My 3yo cunningly suggests “shall we do hair treatment” about 10x a day, because Smarties.

The Nitty-gritty nit comb was a game changer for me. Dd has thick, long hair & even when it seemed completely clear the Nitty-gritty would find more eggs & lice.
It used to be around £10 from pharmacies & has much longer teeth than normal nit combs. Combing through properly can take hours though.
I don't miss those days!

Have just ordered the nitty gritty!