To be pulling my hair out at head lice

[Flatasawitchestit]

Excuse the pun

My daughter is 7. Sunday night is usually nit night and I run the nitty gritty through her hair (and bribe her to do mine as I love the feeling ) within a week of being back after summer break she was crawling with the nits.

I informed the school and went back to nightly nit watch. Did the usual running the bedding on a hot wash, she always keeps her hair in a plait as otherwise she looks like one of the twits with her curly unruly mop I tend to pop a few drops of tea tree oil through it too.

We got rid, they returned. We got rid they returned. You get me? We ended up using a treatment although I hate this as I read that chemicals are becoming ineffective and its the combing that does the trick. She had a weekend free of them, and recent half term we were de-nitted. Back go school last week and guess what?

I've sat for an hour again tonight and found them. This was after a free few days.


What am I doing wrong? I'm tempted to ask her to change seats at school in case its one of the girls sat next to her. AIBU? I'm getting mightily pissed off now. The head has sent 4 letters out after I emailed each time saying she was infested.

AIBU to assume some parents are just dousing their kids in shitty chemicals and not taking the time to comb through and take time?




Are you all scratching your heads now?

[LinghamStyle]

*combing every day!

[AdoraBell]

No SS here unfortunatley Hermione

The tee tree oil works pretty Well as a deterrent but I'm sure some of the little buggers are impervious To it. I shelled out on expensive rosemary shampoo, from one of those nit salons where they hoover them off, as my DDs complained about the tee tree oil, that seemed To help so I use rosemary oil in their shampoo.

That was the year when school was over run and I was considering shaving all of us. School ended up telling parents the DCs wouldn't be allowed on the end of year tríp with Lice. Oddly that helped Get rid of them.

Someone said blaming other parents is pointless, can't see who now, but yes blaming is pointless. That doesn't change the fact that some people just don't deal with it, ñor the fact my DD's friend's parents regarded applying the shampoo as suficiente.

I was actually lost for words last week when DD2 told me that about 8 girls had platted their hair together To make a trained of DCs attachéd To each other has she learnt Nothing from all the combing, treating, telling them not To Get close anyone's head? clearly not, what did I except?

[AdoraBell]

Lyngham any vinegar. I always use the cheaper I can Get, makes no difference what type.

[AdoraBell]

Ditto the olive oil, I can only Get EVOO here buy I use the cheaper local brand.

[AdoraBell]

Argh, keep hitting post too soon.

The vinegar will run off, so apply it with her head tipped back so it can't Go in her eyes. Use a towel on her shoulders too. I apply it with cotón wool To Get moré of on the hair shaft. Then wrap her hair in a towel and leave for about 30 mins. Them comb through and finally pick off any nits the comb doesn't catch.

It actually leaves the hair surprisingly soft after rínsing the vinegar off.

[LinghamStyle]

AdoraBell thank you, I'm going to try that tonight.

[SterlingCooperDraperPryce]

Omg I have never neen through ds or dd' s hair with a nit comb. He is at school and she is at nursery. I use the vosene shampoo and spray on them. Are nits easy to spot? Or should I be using a nit comb on them every night? I have no idea what nits in the hair look like!

[noblegiraffe]

We got a nit letter home the other day. I looked at DS's hair and couldn't see anything. I got a detection comb out and in the first three sweeps found a live nit. He had loads of them, and I didn't have a clue.

So yes, I would comb to be sure. There are pictures on google, but when one crawls across the comb you'll know!

[thenicknameiwantedisgone]

YANBU - we have really struggles this year with ds2 (9). He just keeps setting them every time we get rid. It took months to get rid of them in the spring and summer. We got rid and had a month or so free but yep, he now has them again. Treated last night and combed through etc. Will do it again in a few days but sigh, am also fed up OP.

[paperlantern]

nitty gritty comb EVERY night for at least a fortnight.

tie hair back at school. hair must be long enough to tie back.

[pointyfangs]

Re the vinegar I'd just like to say that the fumes are unpleasant and sting the eyes - I always place a soaked flannel over the DDs' eyes when we're vinegaring.

Adora is right though, it makes the hair brilliantly soft and shiny.

[spiderlight]

Avalon Organics rosemary shampoo and conditioner are brilliant headlice repellents. I alternate these with the Vosene, spray with nitty gritty spray every morning and check with a nitty gritty comb every bathtime and DS now nearly 7) has only ever had one very minor case of headlice, which Full Marks failed to treat but (gulp) Bob Martin puppy flea shampoo sorted out straight away (and it left his hair so shiny that somebody stopped me in the street to ask me what I'd washed it with!).

[paperlantern]

sorry rephrase that a fortnight after your last live nit.

if your reinfecting that often chances are your not getting rid in the first place.

tricky with thick hair anf the time it takes. really do need to section the hair and pay particular attention to behind the ears and the hairline both at the front and back

[SterlingCooperDraperPryce]

Ok so if I don't buy a nit comb there's no way of telling if they have nits or not? I could be one of those parents who le r their kids run around with nits! I'm off to amazon right now.

[AdoraBell]

It's either a nit comb or checking each hair individually Stirling. I prefer the comb méthod .

[Goldmandra]

It's either a nit comb or checking each hair individually Stirling

IMO it's not comb or nothing. The little blighters move away into the warmer thicker hair when you part it so they aren't easy to spot unless you pull them out on the nit comb.

[Goldmandra]

nit comb, not not comb!

[PGTip]

My DC 1 had recurring nits for 9 bloody months last year!!! Finally got rid after treating twice, putting tea tree in all shampoo bottles and spraying hair with hair spray every morning! Apparently the little critters don't like hair with products on!

[CremeEggThief]

Touch wood, DS hasn't had any for over a year, but I spent three months doing the combing method at least three times a week, before resorting to Hedrin. It did the job!

[fluffyraggies]

Tip for combing effectively:

Once the hair is really tangle free, thick with conditioner, and you can slide the comb through easily -
Press the comb right against the scalp at the top/parting (fairly gently but firmly) and keep the comb tight against the scalp if you can as you pull it down all the way ... right down following the curve of the head to the neck and then continue that sweep right through to the end of the hair (if it's long).

If you stop combing half way down the head or the hair shaft, or come away from the scalp, then you will be letting some of the little buggers off the comb. And you should go back to the top and do that sweep again.

When you've finished each swipe through the hair, wipe the conditioner plus any passengers off the comb with a clean tissue, make sure there's no one left on the comb (!) and begin a new stroke from top to bottom again.

[MrsBungleScare]

Thanks for the combing tip fluffy.

I wonder if what dd had was empty egg sacs then? Feel terrible they'd been and gone and I missed it?! This is my first experience of nits!

[Mumsyblouse]

Someone said further up that there's no comb able to get out the eggs- well this Bug Busters kit is pretty good and has been scientifically evaluated as well. It is also free to those in receipt of benefits:

www.chc.org/

[Mumsyblouse]

And- if you use it every 2/3 days from the day you notice the nits, it really does work by about 3x. Always use with conditioner though as it stops them escaping!

[Goldmandra]

this Bug Busters kit is pretty good

Pretty good or even very good isn't good enough. You only need one egg left and the resulting louse can lay and start another infestation.

You can never assume all the eggs have gone. You need to comb thoroughly three times a week to make sure any that hatch can't lay.

[Goldmandra]

Sorry, I think that might come across as argumentative. It isn't meant to be.

I just think it needs to be clear.