Head lice

[LuckyAmy1986]

This is my first experience with them (apart from me having them when I was little) DD has them, discovered them today. I have a nitty gritty comb. I put loads of conditioner on and combed through. If I do this every night for a week or so, is that enough or do I need to buy a treatment from the shop?

I have checked my hair and can't see anything but my god it is so bloody itchy! Hoping it's just in my head.

Any other tips would be welcome. I am going to change her pillowcase once a day.

[londonista]

Yep NittyGritty combs are really the only way to go. Proper DragonsDens stuff that, hope the inventor is rich.

[Forgottenmypassword]

And nitty gritty. Looks like we are unanimous on that one.

[MiserableAsSin]

Comb and condition and Hedrin after a week of combing and conditioning

[Forgottenmypassword]

Yup. I tried the conditioner only and comb malarkey.

It doesn't get rid of them. DD had them for bastarding ages 18 months ago, kept getting reinfected, every time I missed a day or two because we were too busy it started all over again.

You need to treat, I found Hedrin Once and Vamoose to be the best. Treat and kill the fuckers. Now if she gets them she's doused straight away, and then again 2 days later for good measure. It's the only way.

[MissClareRemembers]

Also, if you haven’t already, please let school know so that they send out the generic “check your child’s hair” letter/parent mail!

[Blackteadrinker77]

My eldest DD caught them what seemed like non bloody stop. I was at my wits end.

I went to the GP with her in the end. Whilst there an old woman sat talking to us and we got on to the reason I was there.
She told me to throw away any hairbrushes and use the old fashioned head lice comb as your daily hair brush. On dry hair morning and after school.
I thought she was mad as we have very thick hair, I thought it would never go through.

How ever I tried it and after that day my DD never had them again as the comb caught them as soon as one walked on to her hair.

My DD2 never had them ever as I brushed her hair before and after school with the comb.

[londonista]

Lalala yes mine too. Especially the little one, he has such gorgeous curls. Maybe it take me so long because I l am marvelling over the perfection of what I've created.

Passes out the sick bags...

[WineIsMyMainVice]

The nhs website has some really good advice, including what days you need to comb on.

[clippedcasuals]

Maybe I’m sad, but I rather treasure the memory of sitting in the bath with each of them or beside it, brushing their hair and chatting. They rarely sat still even then, so an uninterruptible hour was rather lovely.

I must come from another universe as nit-checking has never crossed my mind as an opportunity to bond with my children!
Have to agree with poster above!!

[hazeyjane]

I rather treasure the memory of sitting in the bath with each of them or beside it, brushing their hair and chatting.

Crikey, combing ds's hair is like the universal opposite of this (screaming...from dh mostly as he gets kicked in the nuts while I try to comb ds).

[Delatron]

I think we've said many treatments use suffocation rather than 'chemicals'.

Your choice but I didn't have an hour every day to comb through my kids hair for weeks. (Whilst they are still infecting others)

Hedrin once, killed all nits and eggs. Combed through after. Checked constantly but they were all gone. Never to return.

[Hotfootit]

Loads of conditioner, a nitty gritty comb and plenty of time was all I ever used on my girls. It always worked. You need to do it 2/3 times 2/3 days apart to check you didn’t miss any eggs. But with patience there’s no need for any chemicals.
Maybe I’m sad, but I rather treasure the memory of sitting in the bath with each of them or beside it, brushing their hair and chatting. They rarely sat still even then, so an uninterruptible hour was rather lovely.

[KriticalSoul]

fresh, you shouldn't need to take hours with a nitty gritty comb, you brush first, then run the comb through methodically from back to front, then side to side.

Nitty Gritty gets them all, adults, babies, eggs...etc. As long as you're thorough and getting down from scalp to end with each pass, you shouldn't need to spend an hour on it!

[londonista]

Yep!

[freshstart24]

I accept that whatever method you use, thorough combing is needed with nit comb. However, I can't understand how some posters say it takes minutes?

It takes FOREVER, like an hour even on shorter hair. My family all have chestnut brown hair, so the blighters blend in incredibly well and I have to double comb- two hours.

[londonista]

Yeah keep up the combing.
There are no silver bullets, unfortunately. You miss one egg and you're back to square one. And of course many parents don't sort their kids out properly so once it rips round a class it can re-occur.

[JemOBalm]

Jem - do i just add 8 drops to a new bottle of shampoo then shake?

Yes. Every bottle of shampoo & conditioner. Do it all the time and it should keep them away.

[LuckyAmy1986]

Ah right I see. Ok I did a comb through but I’ll do another one tomorrow. Thanks!

[AnotherRanger]

I meant comb*
I think a lot of them fall out when washing it out though but some pesky ones cling on for dear life

[AnotherRanger]

From what I remember using it Lucky the hedrin once kills all the nits and then you just come through with conditioner afterwards to get them all out as even though they're dead they're still clinging on to the hair

[relaxitllbeok]

@ThisLittleKitty you may be lucky. I was so scared of nits I bought a Nitty Gritty before my DS was even born. He never caught them, despite lots of letters home from various classes over the years. Now old enough that if he gets them he can deal with it himself!

[LuckyAmy1986]

They don't wash out - you still need to comb

Was I supposed to come before I washed the hedrin out?! It didn't say to.

[astoundedgoat]

Full Marks. We get them every couple of months (there's a child in DD's class who NEVER gets treated).

[GreenTulips]

They don't wash out - you still need to comb