Nits!!!! Please advise, FOUR times this term...

[NadjaofAntipaxos]

I am at my absolute wits end. Please advise me! I have just discovered nits and tiny lice AGAIN on my 4 year old DS at bedtime. It's Tuesday. I literally just found them on Saturday and immediately used Vamousse on the whole family which is meant to kill both lice and eggs, then thoroughly combed us all.

Saturday was the third time since October half term. Tonight makes bloody four.

I am washing bedding, soft toys, vacuuming.
We use a tea tree oil shampoo and hedrin prevention leave in conditioner. Wet comb once a week.

I have been letting all parents in class know on our class WhatsApp and the response is always that everyone has checked and their child definitely doesn't have nits. Mine clearly can't be the only one but I have posted that I appreciate not everyone feels comfortable sharing on the group. I tell school each time. The teacher has said the staff will discretely watch for signs of itching and let the parent know if needed. I have even offered to host infected kids and treat them alongside my own!

Older DD is 6 and never had them until the first outbreak and hers were far fewer than DS. She has avoided them since so he is clearly patient zero....

Vamousse is 15 quid a can. We can't carry on like this!!!! Am honestly just so down about it. Any suggestions or even just sympathy would be so welcome right now.

DH is going to Boots first thing. I was going to give hedrin Once a try this time. Pray to the louse gods for me.

Get the medicated 5% stuff you leave on overnight treat them every week. Conditioner nitty gritty comb

Heard vodka was good as well

I learnt how to French platt on YouTube precisely because of nits and it does help when their hair is well tied back.

Nits are a nightmare, there must be a child being left untreated.

I also bought a nitty gritty comb and give her hair a once over every Sunday after washing just in case.

She's not had them since I've implemented the above tactics.

Makes me feel so sorry for the poor child being left untreated, they must be so uncomfortable

Sorry DS, not DD.

Nitwits is incredible stuff. Kills the eggs too - treat once, then I do combing with conditioner every other night for a week when I treat again. It’s my failsafe technique!

I swear constant nit invasions are soul destroying, you have my sympathy!

Nitwits is the only thing that worked for me.

Vinegar and olive oil. Cheapest options. The oil kills the adults and the vinegar removes the eggs.

Slather on and leave for 30 mins. Comb through as usual with a nit comb. Always worked for me.

Tilt head back and put a towel on the forehead to stop the vinegar running into eyes.

Repeat after 7 days.

Mine are in year 4 and so far we’ve escaped and not had nits at all. I use Vosene spray on their heads every morning.

Get the Hedrin or any similar type that has dimeticone as the active ingredient. It suffocates the eggs as well as the lice. I find you have to comb every other night for a week to be certain none have been missed.

They are so hard to spot. I'll bet any money that there are a few parents just sifting through their child's dry hair and assuming they're fine.

I combed ds2 a couple of weeks ago because I'd noticed scratching - nothing to be seen when I checked behind ears, nape etc but he was infested

Im now nitty gritty combing every Sunday night just on the off chance.

Sounds awful but detol...soak his hair, wrap in clingfilm and leave him to sleep/play for a few hours.

My step kids were riddled. I literally literally every visitation for 3 years treating with every nit thing on the market, nothing got rid as their mum flatly refused to treat at their house or washing bedding etc. Apparently her hairdresser told her that treating doesn't do anything...

Detol killed them eventually

A child I taught had his head shaved by his mum to solve the problem - never had them again after that. Hope you come up with a solution.

DS has really cute hair too. It's kind of a shaggy surfer look so not long enough to tie back but clearly long enough for the little fuckers to take a leap from another head and make a sweet landing.

I too feel really sad at the thought of a kid not being treated. All the parents seem really involved, l know you can never tell what goes on behind closed doors but they are all well turned out. There aren't any families who are obviously struggling like there were when I was at school. It's a fairly nice area. Not Boden and polarn y pyret, more next and Sainsbury's 😁

You have my sympathy! We’ve been going through similar this term. DS and I both have lots of hair so it takes ages and uses tons of product. Would your DS accept a shorter shave cut? Mine won’t unfortunately

Hedrin and Vamoose have done fuck all for us. We’re in a state of constant vigilance and there has to be someone at nursery not fucking bothering because they’re returning endlessly. Meanwhile we do a weekly boil wash of all sheets, towels, PJs, soft toys, hats etc, a full conditioner and nittygritty comb twice a week of the whole
Family, and a daily check. They keep returning.

I think you're right about parents doing the quick check and thinking their kid is fine. I've begged everyone this weekend to please give me the xnas gift of treating their kid regardless to stamp them out. Clearly fallen on deaf ears. DS is a sociable little soul. When I asked who he has been playing with its "everyone!".

My older daughter was prone to catching nuts when she was younger - the only thing I found that actually worked was every time I washed her hair, I would condition it and comb the conditioner out with a nitty gritty comb. Luckily my youngest never seems to get them. I remember it being a nightmare. I feel for you op.

I think if you treated on Saturday and found more today you probably didn't get them all, or at least not all the eggs. Apparently they are becoming increasingly resistant to the various chemical treatments. But if you do the conditioner and combing every 3 days for a couple of weeks you will get them all. I think even most chemical treatments recommend a check after 3 days in line with the hatching cycle.

Obv nits not nuts - pigging autocorrect.

Get a nitty gritty comb and use it every time you wash their hair - every time. It’s the only thing that stopped my kids getting them.

It's going to be another blast with leftover vamousse tomorrow, then wet comb every other day till adulthood.

Hedrin once always works here. My daughter has had them twice and this stuff works straight away each time. You'll get mixes responses though.

You could shave his hair off? Genuinely!

My son and his pal got lice when they had no2 buzzcuts.
The only advantage to the short hair is you can see the adult lice.
You can't get the comb in to pull out the nits.

I used to do an intense treatment every Sunday evening.
Slather the hair in olive oil. Wrap in cling film , this smothers the live.
Comb through with nit comb.
Shampoo directly onto hair then wash.
Lovely shiney louse free hair.

The treatments aren't guaranteed to kill the eggs so I imagine it's hatchlings you are finding from eggs left in the hair. Comb every few days for 3 weeks to catch hatchlings before they get a chance to mature and breed