Would shaving hair reduce chance of nits?

[obviouslyneedsupernanny]

I have just discovered nits in my three year olds hair about to begin the combing process, he has quite long hair and of course shorter hair can get them too but what of it was totally shaved off? Obviously there would still be some hair there so could he still get them? Don't think I can go through this every few months and from what I have read online it's quite common when they start nursery.

Nits need hair to cling to as far as I know, so theoretically, a shaven head should equal no nits.

Are you sure you want to shave all of your son's hair off, though? Seems pretty drastic to me. I think I'd understand more if he had caught them a few times in quick succession, but is this his first time having them?

Blimey - that's a bit drastic - poor kid. Just get it cut much shorter. It won't stop him getting them, but they will be much easier to find and to get rid of.

Is it the first time you found nits? Seriously - EVERYONE gets them. don't freak out about it!

It's his first time yes.. Still combing and there are loads. I don't want to shave his head as he has lovely hair but this is so horrible

Get a nitty gritty comb, hedrin him, wash bedding. Repeat in ten days and then wet comb him every night. Once you are on top of it, they are really easy to keep away. First time is horrid but a nitty gritty comb gets rid of the eggs too. Don't shave his head - madness.

Blitz with hair dryer. It kills the eggs. Don't shave head. Everyone gets them sometimes.

Sounds drastic but I've been tempted before!

No chemicals needed, wash all bedding, lots of combing the nitty gritty is brilliant

What benfoldsfive said.

Also tea tree oil shampoo and detangler spray, we use vosenes, seems to work at keeping them away once you've got rid of them.

If you go down the chemical route, I would recommend Hedrin (the overnight or 12 hour treatment). It's not as bad as I thought it would be - my memory of nit treatment of my youth was that it's very smelly discusting stuff. Hedrin is not - it smells only a bit, it's like an oil that you spray on the hair, you massage it in really well, leave it on for the time indicated on the box. You don't need to comb (but I did comb, just to witness the dead bugs!!) and you wash hair the next morning. You have to follow the instructions to the letter (ie do another threatment 7 days later, and a third treatment 7 days later) to be absolutely sure that no eggs have hatched and nits left behind.

This is the treatment I have used for both my kids who had headlice twice since starting school (they are now 8 and 6) and on myself too. I have long, very thick curly hair and there is no way I would have been able to do the combing method on myself every day for weeks.

Many people here go down the no chemicals route, that's up to them but I don't have the patience and time to do the combing method on myself and my two kids day after day after day (with that method, it can take weeks of daily combing).

But don't panic, and there's no need to cut off his hair.

Your reaction is anout how you feel. Not your DS. Yes it's horrible. And a nuisance. But it's so common. Shaving his head would be a total overreaction. Not at all justified in the circumstances and could be traumatic for him. You have got to be the bigger person in this and get on with it. And if you really can't then get someone else to deal with the nits.

Truly; if he went to school/nursery with a shaven head because of nits it would raise real questions about your patenting.