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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

103 replies

NadjaofAntipaxos · 07/12/2021 20:03

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.

OP posts:
Noodledoodledoo · 07/12/2021 20:50

I feel your pain, we are the same with my DS. He has been treated so many times, I am nitty gritting him every other day, and some of the things I am finding can not be originating from him as they are just too big! I have used Lyclear, and now Hedrin plus lots of tea tree etc. Its draining but DS has discovered he likes watching the ipad in the bath!

DeepaBeesKit · 07/12/2021 20:54

So much bad advice on here.

  1. dimethicone does not suffocate the eggs.

  2. nothing has been proven in clinical trials to really kill all the eggs. I think Hedrin once was the most successful in mostly getting them.

  3. you need to comb, comb, and comb again, daily. You are aiming to get out the adult nits, then the newly hatched ones as they hatch, then keep combing every couple of days for another week. It cannot be a quick process - if you are only combing for 5 or 10 minutes it's likely you aren't combing thoroughly enough

  4. just cut his hair. Why does it matter if he has a shaggy surfer look Hmm. He will just keep getting nits from other kids!

limmylee · 07/12/2021 20:54

A slightly unorthodox way to kill all lice and eggs if the treatments and combing isn't 100% effective is wash, dry and then straighten the hair from the root. The heat kills the lice and eggs and you should be clear then once you keep combing and keep the hair oiled back for a while to ensure he doesn't catch more. People I work with swear by keeping hair gelled or oiled to repel them also. Hope you find a solution soon.

Fuckityfucksake · 07/12/2021 21:01

My sister had a nightmare with my niece. Tried absolutely everything going and still she'd still get them. It was relentless.
I researched and now make her a spray for her hair before school every morning. In roughly 2 years she has had them only twice!

I use tea tree and lavender oils - if mixing in a 50cl water bottle - 10 drops of each to see if its tolerated and doesn't itch, if not you can add 15/drops of each - add a blob of conditioner and shake. Decant as needed into a spray bottle.
Put on after a bath/hair washing (it's actually a good detangler too) then every morning before school spray on too, obviously in this weather give it time to dry off before going outside.
Not only a good deterrent to the lice trying to climb in the hair it can also be used if there's nits and lice present as it kills them and affects their feeding.
I won't lie, it's not the nicest of smells but who cares when it works. It's way better than any shop bought shampoo/conditioner with tea tree as they just aren't strong enough.

Wondergirl100 · 07/12/2021 21:03

In fairness to other parents I think (from having what seems like never ending nits in my kids hair despite constant vigilance!) that they are really hard to properly get rid of.

I comb all the time looking for them and use nit treatment regularly - not just on the kids but on me and DH - and they still come back - it could be other kids but it could be a few eggs escape detection it is so frustrating.

SlipperyLizard · 07/12/2021 21:06

It does sound like you didn’t kill them all at the weekend - if you’re not combing every few days with a nitty gritty comb then chances are that you are part of the problem!

Don’t rely on chemical treatments, save yourself the £15 a can and get a nitty gritty comb then use it every few days for at least 2 weeks.

Iamkmackered1979 · 07/12/2021 21:15

We had them once, my youngest has really thick hair and got them from a friend so I dumped a bottle of conditioner all over our heads and combed treated then conditioned and combed for a week afterwards I only saw 2 live ones then the tonnes of eggs I combed out the next few days, not fun that at all. I’ve treated lice at work with kids but never on my own. Eldest is 20 but doesn’t surprise me that youngest was th one to get them.

Perhaps you missed an egg op, if his hair is long it is more difficult. It’s frustrating but you can only really treat your own kid,

Sarah180818 · 07/12/2021 21:23

I have heard using tea tree oil shampoo is supposed to be good for deterring nits. I use it regularly on my DD's hair.

MiloAndEddie · 07/12/2021 21:33

Straighteners after washing and combing. It frazzles the eggs which are hard to get rid of.
I used hedrin two weeks apart with lots of combing and straightening in between. It worked. That and plaits or a bun going forward.

MazzleDazzle · 07/12/2021 21:35

When my daughter had lice I used Hedrick Once - once! - and it worked. Didn’t have to do anything else. My friend used a chemical based solution and also combed through with conditioner and a nit comb everyday for 10 days and washed all the bedding everyday too. Worked for her, but far too labour intensive for me.

Headrin Once gets my vote every time!

pickingdaisies · 07/12/2021 21:48

Little nits will be newly hatched. It's the adults that jump heads. You have to comb with a nit comb, and conditioner will help to unstick the eggs from the hair shaft. A shorter haircut will give them less place to hide until you've got it clear. As pp's have said, comb and comb, you can't rely on chemicals to kill the eggs, and they are very hard to spot.

Dublincalling2 · 07/12/2021 21:55

Hedrin and a short hair cut was the only thing that worked for us. Three bloody months it took and watching every episode of pretty little liars while nit combing every night, horrible time.

Crunchymum · 07/12/2021 21:57

Not helpful but when I saw yet another message on DC3 (preschool) group chat "I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news but little Johnny has......" I was thankful it was only nits Grin

So far we've had messages about a few sickness bugs, HFM, impetigo and weekly potential covid cases (thank none confirmed!!)

We lost a week to one of the sickness bugs and another week to HFM. I'd take nits any day of the week.

idontlikealdi · 07/12/2021 21:58

Nitty gritty. Every day. It's a complete backache but you need to break the cycle. We had a nightmare with them a few years ago, one kid in the class wasn't being tr

idontlikealdi · 07/12/2021 21:59

Wasn't being treated. Also tight plaiting and covering in hairspray.

Frazzled50yrold · 07/12/2021 21:59

Cheap conditioner put on thickly once a once a week, left for about half an hour and combed through with the nitty gritty whatever it's called metal comb. It was the only thing which broke the cycle for my children.

dementedpixie · 07/12/2021 22:00

You dont need to boil wash bedding every day. Head lice also don't jump, they walk from head to head. Dont need to comb every day either. Every few days would suffice as long as you are checking on days 1, 5, 9 and 13. Check again on day 17 to check you're all still clear

Iliketeaagain · 07/12/2021 22:03

I eventually used a vacuum on my dds hair - we were bit combing every few days and they just wouldn't go away - I think she kept getting them from a friend who's parent either didn't treat properly or didn't care.

I researched online and there are places you can pay to get the nits gone - a fair few used a low setting on a vaccuum, sounds crazy, but we were at the end of our tether. So that's what I did - vacuum on the lowest suction setting, on dry hair and you know it worked. And she actually said it was nicer than having the nit comb pulled through her hair every other day. Fortunately, she got older and with covid, no hugging or sitting to close to anyone and they have never come back (touch wood!)

3scape · 07/12/2021 22:04

It really does sound as though the moose isn't working. Try a different approach. Between treatments use the nit comb as the daily comb, clean it thoroughly.

Bouncebacker · 07/12/2021 22:09

Not just any old bit comb, only the nitty gritty, you smother the hair in conditioner and then you need to go through every inch systematically - I put my in front of the TV - it takes a while, but after a week I’d doing that every night we got rid of them. And I now use the comb once a week to check, and back to everyday if I find any. But after a couple of years of frequent bouts, and trying all the hideous chemicals - nitty gritty is what works

Philandbill · 07/12/2021 22:13

I think that you are fighting a losing battle until all of the parents in the class take some responsibility. DD 2 repeatedly got nits at primary school despite hair always being in plaits. I swear that there was a child in her class farming the blasted things, obviously not the child's fault. We treated, and combed and combed each time DD git them and treated sibling and DH and myself too. DD left primary school - and the poor nitty contact child- and hasn't had them since. It's grim, you have my sympathy.

Emerald5hamrock · 07/12/2021 22:13

Alberto balsamic cheap tea tree shampoo and conditioner.
My DC have never had head lice - might be just lucky although there aren't regular breakouts in their school.
I believe the tea tree prevents it.

Phoenix76 · 07/12/2021 22:14

@Quornflakegirl

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.
We use Vosene spray every morning on our dds (5&8) and have also never had to entertain any “guests” despite being notified of outbreaks during their nursery years and now school years, couple of quid a bottle lasts a long time.
PoinsettaPrincess · 07/12/2021 22:18

@Bouncebacker

Not just any old bit comb, only the nitty gritty, you smother the hair in conditioner and then you need to go through every inch systematically - I put my in front of the TV - it takes a while, but after a week I’d doing that every night we got rid of them. And I now use the comb once a week to check, and back to everyday if I find any. But after a couple of years of frequent bouts, and trying all the hideous chemicals - nitty gritty is what works
This. The nitty gritty comb is amazing. Lots of conditioner and comb, comb, comb.
pickingdaisies · 08/12/2021 13:45

Yes, nitty gritty comb!

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