Can someone talk to me about 'nits' please as I have recently discovered that dd1 (5) has them

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So I found some on Dec 30th and since then, we have every day washed her hair, covered it in conditioner and combed extensively with the nitty gritty comb to remove the bugs and the eggs. We have also done the same to ourselves (me and DH) and dd2. I have also bought tea tree conditioner and then some tea tree de-tangler spray as a preventative measure once this outbreak has been dealt with

So - question is - how long do I need to do the combing, etc. for until I can be comfortable that the critters have gone?

I'm reluctant to do any of the chemical treatments by the way as I'm not convinced they're effective.....

Any help or additional information would be great...

Just do it all again in about 5 days, then again about 5 days later.Keep on checking as they come back.

We did chemical thing then purchased nitty gritty thing. Tbh the chemical thing got rid of everything and nothing seen since with the nittygritty.

I thought you did the conditioner/combing thing every 3/4 days for 2 weeks - that takes it past their 10 day cycle of hatching to becoming adults capable of breeding again. They become immune to the insecticides so the wet combing after conditioner is the most effective way of clearing them.

They are the most disgusting things ever, aren't they?

You sound as if you're doing all the right things already. Personally, I would comb through loads of conditioner every few days until you don't find any eggs or lice and then condition every week. When my dc's got them I did buy a treatment at the chemist that was new (can't remember what is was now) and that cleared them up immediately which surprised me no end because my dd has long curly hair. I'm sure you'll be rid of them soon

Thank you ladies - it was the cycle information I was after, i.e. the 10 day thing....and given the 2/3 day advice thing, maybe I'll give her a break from 'combing' tonight. We've done it every day for the past 3 days and although remarkably tolerant, I think she's probably had enough.

Fortunately, dd2 appears to be completely clear. I found one live one on dh but nothing else and was horrified to find myself with some but last night's combing event showed no further evidence so I'm hoping that we've managed to catch them early enough. Here's hoping anyway....

every 3 days, for at least 2 weeks

agree with Franny you need to keep going for at least 2 weeks ime because you can easily miss a couple of eggs on the 1st go.
I just found a couple in my dd's (1y) hair and was beside myself! I'm a CM and it's very difficult to be rid of them, I will just run the comb through hers with a bit of conditioner.
I know you don't want to use chemicals, but if it comes to it I recommend the Hedrin oil. It is quite expensive, but you get a few applications in the bottle. I have tried so many things over the years, and the best combo so far is Hedrin with the Nitty Gritty comb. The oil drowns them, you leave it on overnight (not as bad as it sounds as it dries in quite quickly). Then you wash the hair in the morning and you literally see them falling out it's great!

Best of luck!

forgot to mention, a cap of dettol in the shampoo once a week is just about the best deterrent there is.... be careful if your kids have excema or sensitive skin though

DD1 had them and i combed every night with conditioner for 2 weeks. do it in front of the TV or let her play on cbeebies website while you do it if she is getting fed up.

i did also use chemicals when i first saw them but her hair was alive!

we now condition and comb twice a week, seems to be keeping them at bay as haven't had them since (frantically touching wood). Whenever i hear of anyone we know or at school with them then i use the tea tree leave in detangler spray as conditioner which is a good deterrent.

I absolutely swear by quassia bark. If you feel a bit iffy about using chemicals- then you're bound to like this method. You can buy quassia bark in good health food shops or herbalists like Neil's Yard. You boil up a couple of handfuls of bark in 1 1/2 pints of water, until the water has gone yellow-ish (you're aiming for a colour a bit like wee). Pass it through a sieve, and then bin the bark. Leave the water to cool, and then decant into a spray bottle. You can use this a rinse before combing to get rid of nits and eggs, and also as a preventative spay- just spray it on when you do dd's hair each morning. It is virtually odourless and completely non-toxic (and if you happen to be a gardener- also works a treat on greenfly!)

Thankyou lovelyBertha for some different advice.My 3 long haired daughters for last few autumns have had headlice.This last year has been very bad with me finding lice every few weeks.Just spent hours going through their hair this week.Have used hedrin,lyclear, combing with conditioner,putting tea tree oil and lavender oil in shampoos etc,spraying with different mixtures.If they get it again in next few weeks have seriously been considering cutting hair into bobs as the time taken and trauma doesn't seem worth having long hair.

And you have to comb at least once a week all the way through primary school. Secondary not so bad, but if you have a primary school child in the house, it's every week. We do it on Saturday evenings in front of crap telly.

How long can nits last? I've been going through this with my 3 daughters since before Christmas. Does this mean that there are still live lice around. We've done everything! I did their hair with nix 2x. I'm just not sure how long I have to keep going through their hair. It takes me hours a day or should I say night. Everytime there is less but it's just been so long.

I think you should just condition and comb every week whether you think they've got them or not. That's why God invented Strictly Come Dancing.