to expect more than a week of school time before my children come home with lice!

[pipibarola]

After a wonderful lice free summer, my children, 5&8 years old, have already managed to pick up a few mature lice in just their first 3 days back at school. How does this happen? Are there really parents out there that did not take the opportunity of a 6 week break to clear the heads of their children? Call me naive, but it's not rocket science - all you need is a bit of conditioner and a nit comb.

What can I do to get the school to take this seriously? Any suggestions? I've struggled with this with issue for 4 years already and I'm losing patience. All I've seen the school do is pass out the odd note when it gets too rife to ignore. Can we bring back the nit nurse?

[nooka]

Ah. I don't think I would you know - and dh certainly wouldn't - he's very ant-establishment, having been sent to a fairly strict public school on a scholarship who tried very hard to get his working class (and very bolshy) mum to have him cut his hair etc. Not very effective!

[Nightynight]

nooka you would love the bavarian school system....conform or suffer the consequences...
It is in Germany so I am not sure what the law is. European law is very lacking in the area of education, so likely to be v different from UK.
Am tempted to keep them off for the full 3 weeks.

[nooka]

Nightynight although schools often do say that children with lice should stay at home it is not actually legally allowed, and you could contest it if you felt like it. There are no major health risks to lice, and exclusion is not an effective way to control transmission. Generally by the time you pick up that your child has lice they are likely to have had them for several weeks. The first time you comb them out should remove the crawling ones and your child is then unlikely to be passing them on. Oh and apparently long hair is not a proven factor in transmission either - it's girls putting their heads together that does it (boys being less inclined to intimate chats is probably why they don't get them so much).

[Nightynight]

lol at alycat.
dd1 swears her highest louse count is 44 in one combing....shudder.

[casbie]

some people are allergic to tea tree oil!

check before using, and dilute with a carrier oil, as tea tree oil neat is like an industrial floor cleaner!!!!

[sparklygothkat]

I went through my kids hair today and DD1 was crawling with them again.. (sorry misdee and Lisad) Its the 4th time I have gone through her hair in 2 weeks, and found the bloodly things

[Rachmumoftwo]

Agreeing with the post on not putting oils directly on kids heads, as I thought tea tree oil does kill, and lice don't build up the same resistance to it as they do to some chemicals. It has worked well for us, but we all have to find what suits us I suppose.

[Rachmumoftwo]

I absolutey agree. Putting neat essential oils on a child's scalp would be very dangerous. I was just suggesting an alternative to the treatments, and one that has so far saved me many hours of combing. The shampoo I use is mild enough for (most) sensitive skin, and frequent use.

[SlightlyMadSweden]

Also Tea Tree doesn't actually KILL, they just don't like it. (Just clarifing so peole don't put it on and expect it to kill). Agree when I have used it tho the little buggers can be a little inactive, but if you leave them on tissue they get up and walk away after a bit. Trust me

[alycat]

But most posters on the thread are not advocating use of chemicals, only conditioner and a Nitty Gritty comb

Personally, I wouldn't use the 'teatments' and feel that overuse, rather than plain old hard work (believe me it is hard work, combing my DD's hair in tiny sections can take well over an hour) has lead to treatment resistant critters.

Decent Tea Tree conditioner is far too pricey to use for just combing, although adding your own EO's to plain conditioner would do the trick.

Tea Tree should not be put neat onto childs scalp though. I have been known to dot a bit on her plaits though, although I dislike the smell.

[Rachmumoftwo]

A whole thread on nits and not a mention of tea tree oil. Decent tea tree shampoos work as both treatment and repellent. Dr Johnson's is best. If you buy a lesser one, add a few drops of tea tree oil to make it stronger. My girls have only ever had a couple of nits, and they are always dead after washing with tea tree shampoo and combing through with tea tree conditioner. Also, not as dangerous as putting very strong chemicals directly onto a child's scalp, something I have a big problem with personally, as I don't think it is a good thing to do.

[alycat]

Nitty Gritty comb prescription request

[alycat]

I'm a nitty gritty fan too. What is the bugbusting method?

My dd has thick, frizzy waist length hair which is kept plaited for school. Nit free until summer term of yr 2, down to combing with the ng every Sunday night without fail.

I clicked on the link and read the op, have a similar tale.

When found dd to be a little itchy on a Sun am I conditioned and combed with the NG - 97 EGGS (and the biggest louse ever seen - more of a mouse than a louse)!!! 14 eggs the next day, combed daily that week and every other day for 2 weeks.

Have to say though, 2 days and then off sick start of term and she had an adult louse and eggs.

They sent a letter round asking checks to be done and then a few days later all children were checked at school (YAY!) the school contact the parent of each child found to have them.

Whilst I was looking for somethin I found a bit about getting a ~NG comb on prescription from GP, I'll have a look...

[SlightlyMadSweden]

I wouldn't use vinegar as a repellant. I thought the vinegar was to dissolve the glue which is already holding the eggs to teh shaft. I don't think it worth using as a repellant.

[Nightynight]

I have nitty gritty for getting rid of actual outbreaks, and agree it is fab. It really does get rid of the eggs.

Re prevention, I went to the supermarket today and came back with hairspray and also, a spray on anti-mosquito thing.
I thought, if I spray it on dd's hair, it might put the lice off a bit. It is meant to be sprayed on skin.
She already ties her long hair back in a ponytail, but we agreed that plaits might be even better. I will try the vinegar too, though doubt that dd will go willingly to school smelling like a chippie.
I am really not happy with this staying off school thing - it is not clear at all. Will some parents comb, then say their child is free from lice, and send them in again - or will the school say you arent allowed back for 3 weeks? And what would happen if I didn't get rid of the lice in that time?
We once had an outbreak of African lice that were incredibly virulent(children picked them up in Africa, I am not being racist, honest!), and lasted for MONTHS. Id have been had up by the Schulamt for keeping my children off school long before Id got rid of them. The logical implication is that if you dont get rid of nits, then it becomes a matter for social services because your child is off school.

[SlightlyMadSweden]

Nooka - the itching that I referred to earllier was related to teh hatching of lice. - although yes it can be very phsycological (scratch scratch!!)

When Bug Busting they would start itching within 1-2 days of combing out lice, i.e. babies had hatched nd were crawling around. This would mean that althouugh the bug busting protocol says to comb every 4th day (IIRC) in practve I was doing it every other day - just to keep them comfortable. And you have to comb for at least 2 weeks to be clear because of the life cycle.

With the Nitty Gritty I tend to do it on the 1st and third days and then just at the weekends another couple of times to make sure they are clear.

I find that the most effective techniue with a Nitty Gritty is quite different to a bug buster. I tend to lift a section of harir away from teh head so that I can insert the comb right at teh roots and then pull outwards to teh ends (as opposed to combing down the scalp and to the bottom). It also means I can insert the comb from teh top and from teh side to try and get teh eggs which are attatched at different 'angles'. I also find it very useful toe rinse comb in a pint of water between sections - you can see the lice and eggs at teh bottom of the glass 5-10mins after you finish to see how well you are controlling the infestation.

HTH

[Surfermum]

The nitty gritty comb is fantastic. Dsd gets nits really badly and I could really notice the difference once I started using a nitty gritty comb. I was amazed what I got out of her hair that had been missed by the bog standard nit comb.

I have never bothered to try to get the hatched eggs out. I have always concentrated on getting any live lice out.

[nooka]

Is the NittyGritty really better than the Bugbuster? I found the eggs really difficult to shift - and annoying too because the little white ones (ie the really visible ones) are just evidence that the child has had lice, they are the leftover sacks and pose no risk or problem, but those are the ones that everyone seems to get bothered by, and on ds's fine dark hair they are a)very visible, and b) pretty much impossible to remove (hence me giving up).

Oh, and according to research much of the itching is from suggestion - ie can be caused when the "nit-notice" comes home (NB public health specialists recommend against these notices), or after they have been cleared. It may not be a sign of lice at all.

[LadyVictoriaOfCake]

i have two nitty gritty combs. my first went missing, so bought a second one. it is the only nit comb worth buying.

[bossybritches]

brilliant sms not heard of that one-shall try it next time we have an outbreak!

nooka you're right it ISN't worth getting stressed about they are a fact of life!

Nighty don't let it get to you just use whichever method suits you & as long asyour dd isn't itchy & therefore annoyed by it don't worry. The sprary on conditioner I spoke about doesn't prevent them but IO found it a usueful backl up to proper washing & conditioning as my dd2 has excema so daily baths & hairwashes were out. Whenshe had a visitation we used the spray stuff to do a quick checkAS she has thick curls it helped minimise the tugging!

This is the one we use.....

www.epinions.com/content_128042241668

[SlightlyMadSweden]

bossybritches a Nitty Gritty meethod is basically the same as a bug busting comb except it kills 100% of eggs it comes into contact with (the key is obv being thorough so you contact as many as possible). Its teeth are also designed to remove eggs. IME it is 100* more effective than BugBusting. As it removes/destroys eggs the child doesn't get itchy after the initial treatment, as they don't hatch which they do with the bug busting(or crall around to infect other children). You still have to comb regularly (but I do 4 sessions over 2 weeks instead of 8+ with Bug Busting)but I have found they can be clear in a fraction of the time with the Nitty Gritty cp bugbusting kit. It is also available on prescription - and now it is available in Boots too. It is £10 but worth every penny. I will never go back to 'bug busting' again.

Have a look at this demonstration of how effective it is.

I would happily pay £30 for my comb if I had to by again.

[Nightynight]

bb
will spray on conditioner help to prevent them?
I am a bit tired and slow at the moment, but the urgency of the situation is slowly dawning.
I didnt even know there was such a product as spray on conditioner until I read this thread!
I did a check yesterday, and couldnt find anything, but still suspect they are there. dd says she can feel them.

[nooka]

My two had lice for the first time last term (not bad considering they are 7 and 8) and they have been a nightmare to get rid of and to be honest I have stopped trying. They pose no particular health hazard, and schools cannot legally make you stay away because of nits. Having read up on the research literature (not much there, because they don't cause any other health issues) it is likely that most children have lice and are transmitting them before even a vigilant parent notices anyway, so there's not much point in getting too wound up by other parent's attitudes, becasue it's likely that it doesn't make much difference. The whole combing thing IMO is such an enormous hassle because you have to go on for weeks and weeks. My two got completely stressed about it and refused to co-operate after a few weeks, and in any case their dad (the only one in the family who didn't get lice) didn't do the combing consistently. I will only treat now if they complain about being itchy.

[bossybritches]

Well bug-busitng is the ONLY way to get rid of the little boogers I'm afraid.

This is from the BMJ ....

"According to the latest clinical evaluations there is NO PRODUCT on sale which KILLS LOUSE EGGS with certainty. The advice in the Department of Health leaflet ?The prevention and treatment of head lice? is to check thoroughly for baby lice emerging from unsuccessfully treated eggs at 5 and 12 days after application. Usually formulated products have to be used repeatedly to obtain a cure. Multiple applications are costly, time-consuming and may be unhealthy. "

sigh back to the combing. Shall we do a MN bulk purchase on a shed-load of conditioner!!??

[SlightlyMadSweden]

Apparently our school nurse will be available for 30 mins after school one day next week to discuss (1-2-1) issues such as healthy lunchboxes and Head lice. she is going to talk to a lot of parents in a an hour isn't she?

Besides they recommend bug busting round here (which isn't great - especially if you aren't devoted to it), am tempted to be first in the queue and donate a stack of Nitty Gritty posters to give ut.