NITS - Can someone help me please?

[MrsOCD]

I discovered at the weekend that my dd aged 2.5 had nits. Actual crawlies as well as eggs. I bought Full Marks 10 min solution, I used it together with nit comb as directed on Sat night. Sun night, despite me thinking I did it well, still a few crawlies and eggs. Repeated treatment.

Combed through last night and still evidence of some eggs but only 2 crawlies. This morning, seems like there is more eggs.

What do I do? This is the first time I've had to sort this out (sure it won't be the last) and just want to get them out of my little one's hair. I thought the treatment would get rid of eggs and crawlies straight away - obvs wrong.

Grateful for any advice.

Hi - I treated the first time too and you soon realise that it just doesn;t work......why they don;t tell you this on the bottle is beyond me! I use 'nitty gritty' for the first 'go' at them and use a 'nit free' comb (look onlin - they're approx £10 but worth every penny) every few days with conditioner in the bath every few days until the little delights are gone. Basically combing is the way to go. keep at it until you get a completely nit/crawly free comb through, leave another 3 days then if still free, you got them!! Good luckx

Comb, comb, comb and comb some more.

Use conditioner (tea-tree if you can get it, as the nits hate it) and comb it through her hair, take small sections of the hair at a time and take the comb through from root to tip. Wipe the comb on a tissue after every stroke.

Do this at least every other day.

Chemical treatments often don't work, as the nits are immune to them.

Hedrin is a good one to try if you do want to use an over-the-counter treatment - it suffocates the nits rather than poisons them. But still carry on with the combing.

Thank goodness, I thought it was just me. I thought I was doing it wrong or my dd was so badly ridden that they would never go!
Shall continue with nit comb i have till I get the one sent online. Thank you so much for responding.

Forgot to say - make sure you check dh and get hm to check you!!

Yes, we are doing that nightly. Like a couple of chimps in front of the telly.

In exactly the same boat here! First time my kids have come home with them - and found in bathtime running late. Ended up sending DH out to late night supermarket and dosing them up with something called Derbac M (I am asthmatic and many are dodgy for asthmatics apparently). The pharmacist told DH that he believed it was less used and more likely to work than some of the more well known ones like Full Marks and Hedrin. No idea if this is true, I guess we will find out.
I feel awful for my girls - I kept them up much later than usual to dose them up and they went to school exhausted today.

Can I ask anyone out there with any experience of nit combs: they seem to be the key to getting rid of the actual chemical resistant eggs. You can pick up a comb for a quid or some for a lot more. Are the more expensive ones any better and worth the expense? I noticed the plastic cheapy one already has a few bent prongs after last night?s family head detox session so wondering if it is worth getting something more robust?

I am so gutted. Not so much about the crawlies, as nasty as they are, but at having to strip all the bedding, steam clean all the pillows, cushions etc etc and have a massive cleaning session. Just recovering from a horrible stomach viral bug thing and feel so crap myself. Could have really done without this!

forget that request! Just checked out the nitty gritty website and bought their repellent, treatment and special comb pack. I really really hope this sorts it out. I guess I had better get back to my steam cleaning the house to rid my pyschological itching Yeeeeeeeeeuch.

Comb in sunlight, daylight or under a very strong lamp, morning and evening for around 2 weeks. Then more rarely just to check there are none left.

Every day or so have a go at pincering off the dark (live) and pale (empty) egg cases with thumb and forefinger. Use fine scissors to cut off the hairs closer to the skin if pulling off the egg cases is too much for your LO.

Good luck, it is a physical problem and can be dealt with entirely with a nit comb and fingers. Good eyesight is essential though.

Some advice says you should wash bedding/pillows etc, some say the crawlies don't survive long out of the hair. What do you believe?

I read that they can live for 2 days!!!!! If in a warm place, like a pillow, cushion, slightly damp hood on a coat etc etc
I have been washing all bedding at 60 degrees and using a steam cleaner for the mattresses and actual pillows. Taking no short cuts here pesky devils will pay for entering my home!

I comb their hair every day for 7 days with the Nitty Gritty comb and either tea tree or coconut conditioner (99p from Superdrug). This is because their life cycle from egg to adult is 7 days and you should get them all in this time.
Then I do it every few days for a while until they really are all gone then every week or so to make sure they haven't come back.
I'm pretty sure they die as soon as they leave the head as they need the blood from the scalp to survive (eeeugh!)
Other tips are not to wash their hair every day, and obviously tie it back if its long.

just an addition, make sure the rest of the family haven't been infected too. it would be useless delousing one if others could still become hosts of crawlies.

Now my head is itching

Quick Update - my NittyGritty nit comb arrived today (only ordered online yesterday morning). Looks SO much more effective than the one that came in the Full Marks Solution box. Am going to start using it tonight. Fingers crossed it will get rid of the little blighters.

Have fun!! x