Nits - what is the nuclear option?

[lalalonglegs]

I have had months of fannying about with nitty gritty combs and tea-tree oil. What shampoo will blast the bastards (and their eggs) off the face of the earth ?

How olds the child? Im a teacher of Reception children and used to get nits all the time. Since I have been straightening my hair everyday I have been nit free (around 4 years). I alko know a retired Nursery teacher who used an old gas hot brush and never got nits.

My advice would be to use straighteners to get rid of what they have now (fry the little blighters) then use tea tree shampoo, tight bobbles and hair spray to stop them getting them again.

Im not advising to straighten their hair everyday!

They're 7, 5, and 3. The three year old is particularly infested and combing her hair is a twice-daily battle. I'm not sure using hair straighteners would be any easier to be honest but interesting theory. I am soooooo fed up of dealing with the buggers (nits, not children).

Hedrin Once (used twice - once a week later) works very well for my two. Its quick, apart from the four shampoos you need to get the stuff out again, and effective. And supposedly kills eggs.

I use the straightners! -they are much more willing to have it done as they are playing princesses lol

comb out then nuke -works a treat

we use the 'full marks' stuff in the pink bottle. you put it on dry hair, leave it on for 10 mins, then you can start combing them out in front of the telly.

You need to repeat after 7 days and again after 14 days.

It clearly works - I'm combing out dead nits rather than moving ones.

The conditioner / tea tree thing never worked for us - if their hair is really thick, its hard to be absolutely sure you've got them all. If you use chemicals, then if you miss the odd one, it was probably dead anyway, so won't go on to lay eggs.

My girls catch nits regularly (a couple of times a year since pre-school, and they are now years 3 and 4) and this method has always worked for us, and we have got rid of them completely within 3 weeks.

good luck

At that age I'm afraid I just ended up conditioner/combing every sodding day.

They are nit free in secondary school, though.

a bit of a typo there, good job it wasn't a rude one

I was going to say "you don't realise how lucky you are if yours only catch it a couple of times a year, mine caught them them day 3 of coming back to school this term!
I do the conditioner and nitty-gritty 3 or 4 nights and that usually gets rid of them all if I catch them early enough
I think kids should be sent home if they have them, that would soon get rid of the problem, why should we have to comb the hair for an hour a day 3 or 4 evenings a week for 6 years (if you just count primary school)
PS haven't had any nits for a week & a half!

Have been struggling with nitty children for the last three weeks. I think we have finally cracked it using a boots electrical nit comb daily that zaps nits as you comb. The children prefer it to using the chemical stuff. Have previously used full marks - which I did find effective at dealing with the nits, but children hated it.

I second hedrin.

Combing through my 3 yo's infected mop nearly drove me (and her) to insansity last year. DD is scarred for life (mentally not physically) and still talks about it now. She still gets twitchy and upset when I start to check her hair.

Hedrin worked a treat.

It's not cheap, but if you have a care in the chemist scheme where you live you can join and get it for free from the chemist (they only allowed 2 bottles per child a year though).