Nits!!!!

[UnexpectedSingleMum]

We received the obligatory letter from nursery last Monday saying there was an 'outbreak' and on Friday I saw a solitary little fella on my dd's head. Followed by a suitable panic (16.50 on Friday) I got Hedrin and treated her (second batch due tomorrow).I didn't actually find another nit or egg that time so I wonder if I imagined it?!?.
Since then we've used the protective spray each morning as I plaited her hair yet today as I collected her from nursery there were two actually crawling around her hairline which I promptly removed.

I'm off to the pharmacy as soon as ds wakes up but what are your experiences of them? Surely it just takes a couple of parents to not notice & this just won't go away?!?

(How can they not notice?!?)
Do I send her in tomorrow or just keep her off and hope they've gone from the vicinity by Monday?!?
Any 'natural' remedies to stop them re-visiting??
(I think I would rather have the chicken pox back than nits. Itch itch itch.)
TIA.

I don't bother using the medicated stuff. I just comb, comb, comb and comb. Plus use tea tree oil in our shampoo to help ward off them. We just got the same letter in Reception so for the next few weeks I will be checking DS2's head daily. Luckily his hair is pretty short so it's easy to spot them. DD's hair is a crazy shade of copper so they stick out pretty well on her. It's mine and DS1's hair that is the real scare factor. DS1's hair is so crazy thick- I can barely get a comb through it (not without hurting him) so if we find them on him I just shave him completely. Anything else is just torture or doesn't work.

We are battling them right now and I have found the treatment to be rather useless. I bought some detangler spray with tea tree and added pure tea tree oil and I bought a special comb, was £10 think it was called nitty gritty or something like that, loads of tea tree conditioner and comb them all out. And repeat, until all gone.

you need to comb. Nitty Gritty is very good.

You also need to bear in mind the lifecycle of the nit (really!), as removing the adults doesn't take care of larve and unhatched eggs.

This website explains it all well.
www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/theliceprogram/theprogram.html

Your DD probably wasn't reinfested - but new lice were from eggs that weren't combed out. I now comb my 2 once a fortnight to be safe.

You don't keep kids off school for nits. :)
Plait her hair and spray hair with a diluted tea tree solution.

have you checked/combed yourself? My DC have only had them once but we all got them - yes me too! Mortification

Thanks all. Jury's unanimous for the nitty gritty. Well. My local pharmacy gave me two plastic (Sh!t) combs and dd is looking clear to be honest. I found no more live ones than those I picked out at nursery, a few 'shells' that might've been fluff and a few eggs. Will definitely procure a nitty gritty tomorrow & do her final Hedrin plus a good old comb. Very regularly.
Decided just for fun to check my hair however & I am infected too. How nice!
I've applied Hedrin & combed myself through with the rubbish plastic combs for a really long time tonight but I'm not sure I will sleep a wink until I can get a nitty gritty through my hair. My head is hurting from all of the combing.
Truly the shittest bit about being A single mum. No hubby to comb me, check me, hug me (or fetch me wine).
Home schooling is looking quite appealing for my two right now.

It's certainly a life skill not combing yourself

Once you've got nitty gritty the headrin etc isn't needed so save your money.

You do need to comb for a while though. Every 3 days for a couple of weeks to make sure you get any new hatchlings before they mature and lay new eggs. More specific info in the link I posted.

NIT combing not not combing.

Still can't locate a nitty gritty so I will try tomorrow in the bigger Boots but managed to get a Hedrin comb which is much better quality than the others with curved edges.
Haha a life skill indeed....might put it on my cv ??
x

my daughter has a proper infestation, I've just combed absolutely loads of lice & eggs out of her hair with the nitty gritty comb.

problem is that she's 17, in 6th form, and is 'too busy' to st for regular combing... are there any treatments that are currently good I can top with? what do you recommend?

(I know conditioner & combing is the best method thanks, but I'd like an additional treatment as well)