Can't I comb nit eggs out then?

[MaMight]

This is our first dose of head lice.

I glooped everyone in conditioner and combed with a fine tooth comb. No crawlers left, but eggs everywhere. How do I get rid of the eggs then?

This is such bad timing. We're moving house tomorrow and now I can't send dd to nursery and I doubt the offers to look after ds will still stand. Argh!

The nitty gritty comb is supposed to get the eggs out. I haven't tried it though, we've never had nits (yet!) and the comb is so fine it doesn't even go through my hair.

Thanks belgo. Van't get my hands onb a nitty gritty. Might just get some nuclear medicine.

Hi MaMight, The best natural remedy to use for head lice is Tea tree conditioner.

Here's what you do: Using the lice comb, work through the hair absolutely scrupulously, backwards and forwards and from side to side (concentrating on the tiny hairs at the back of the neck and beside the ears). You must rinse the comb out every time.

Once the comb comes out clean (no crawlers visible), then rinse the hair and repeat this process EVERY three days for two weeks - this breaks the life cycle of the lice and stops them from producing nits (eggs).

But you say you don't have time on your side? Then you might want to try the quicker (albeit harder) way to do it. This method might be easier if your daughter has short hair, if not, you might want to consider cutting it a bit shorter.

Still using the Tea Tree conditioner, get all the crawlers out with a nit comb and dry the hair.

Sit in a well lit area (outside is best or near natural light, as the eggs are very hard to see and if you miss one, then it will start all over again).

Look at your daughter's hair section by section and when you see an egg, pinch it between your nails and pull it off, along the length of the hair (have a bowl with water near to dump the egg in). Do this once a day for 3 days, until you see no more eggs - my head is itching just talking about this!

Good luck!

You definitely CAN comb them out. I last got nits myself when I was working in a primary school. I combed them out by combing with conditioner.

I guess the key must be the right comb.

Yes, nitty gritty is definitely the best. And use Hedrin. It really does work.

Thanks all.

Do I need to keep her off nursery until they're all gone?

no, you do not need to keep her off nursery, but please let them know, so they can let pther parents know there has been a case in gthe setting.

No need to keep children off school either

Hi again MaMight, you can send your daughter to nursery, as long as all the crawlers are gone - then in your own time, you can get rid of the eggs.

The eggs (nits) are attached to the hair shaft with glue and it is a heck of a job to get them to come off.

I see that most of the other mums suggested using the nitty gritty comb, which is fine, but in my experience, even after using the comb, it is still necessary to physically go through your child's hair to make sure that every last egg is gone, because if even one egg is left, the whole infestation will start all over again (as 'unharvested" eggs will hatch after 3 days) and all your hard work would have been in vain - good luck!

Can you get nitty gritty in chemist etc or is it juts available from mail order?

I got in my local chemist. I think Boots have it too

Thanks -I live abroad so will get some on my next visit.