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Original poster

Nits... or not?

35 replies

willow2 · 04/06/2006 20:48

Ok, so there I am, stroking DS' hair (at my mil's, obviously) when I find what appears to be a nit egg, so keep looking and find another. Have a good look through his hair and can't see anything else - we're outside in sunshine so good visibility - but wet combed tonight and found two more eggs (I think) but no nits. What was odd though, was that if these were eggs they weren't that close to his scalp - about 2 cms away - and I managed to pull them along and off the hair shaft between my fingers, so seemed pretty old to me. So, if they were old eggs, where are the nits? I combed his hair for an hour tonight and found nothing. (Should add, this would be DS' first nit attack, but do remember what they look like from family infestation as a child! They can't have changed much :) ) Could it be that a nit hopped on, laid a few eggs and then jumped off (maybe put off by the anti-nit conditioner I leave in DS' hair) and that these few eggs all either hated the smell of the conditioner that they committed suicide or turned out to be male or drowned during DS' weekly swimming lesson before they could lay any eggs of their own?

Any nit experts out there who can shed light on situation? Will check him again over the next few days, but am pretty certain as to what I saw and didn't see...

OP posts:

crazydazy · 04/06/2006 21:00

They have probably found a new "home" watch out though it could be your head

Have found some lice in DD's head tonight when I was combing her hair, so will get the bottle of lotion out tomorrow night I think, its the only way we can get rid of them - well for a week anyway.

BudaBabe · 04/06/2006 21:18

We have them too! Was called to pick DS up from school on Friday morning as the nurse had been checking and DS had some. One of the girls came in with them hence the check and DS was one of 3 others with them (all girls so what he was doing I don't know!). Was temtped to use the clippers on him but have spent ages getting his hair back to a nice length after the last episode!!!!

Original poster

willow2 · 04/06/2006 22:38

Crazydazy, the thought had crossed my mind. Find it impossible to check my own hair and DH doesn't have the patience to do it as thoroughly as I would want, so will have to badger my mum or best friend to check for me!

OP posts:

SecurMummy · 04/06/2006 22:52

My dd2 has them a lot, dd1 not so often and ds very rarely get them. They seem to like dd2 a lot and really hate ds, I don't know why it is but they seem to use ds as "transportation device" rarely sticking around and almost never laying eggs.

I can't say why, there seems to be no difference between their hair (similar density etc and his is not short at all) but maybe your ds has the same "inhospitable scalp" as ds does

Original poster

willow2 · 05/06/2006 10:14

bumping for those returning from half term

OP posts:

Enid · 05/06/2006 10:19

check again in two days

dd1 had them but they went after two days, so clearly you can have a 'mild' attack

crazydazy · 05/06/2006 10:34

You lot are lucky we get stuck with them for weeks unless I manage to kill them all off with the lotion or get them all out with the comb.

I have to use the lotion for my own hair as like Willow my DP will not check my hair and its impossible to know if you have got them all with the comb.

God they are so frustrating!!! Whats worse is I will get rid of them and then DD will go back to school and be reinfested within days I spray her hair every morning with the repellent but I know she will get them again thanks to the lazy parents who cannot be bothered putting a comb through their kids heads.

Bring back Nitty Nora!!!

SKYTVADICT · 05/06/2006 10:39

willow2

We do seem to have the same scenario as yours on a regular basis (every 3 months or so). I find eggs/empty eggs and then nothing living!

Not sure where DS2 leaves her "friends" but I never find them.

Found an egg this morning though so need to get on with a thorough search tonight!!

jstbcs · 05/06/2006 11:26

how big are the eggs?

SKYTVADICT · 05/06/2006 11:29

The one I found this morning was tiny and I think empty so not sure what I'm going to find tonight! We were standing outside someones house waiting for her to take them to school as I was on my way to work. Probably makes me sound like a bad mother for sending her knowing she may have head lice!

FrannyandZooey · 05/06/2006 11:35

Same happened to me with ds. He has very fine blonde hair and it was easy to see there were no lice anywhere on his head but he had about 10 empty egg cases.

I have very thick long hair. Can you guess where all the lice turned out to have gone?

Yours definitely sound like old hatched out egg cases.

I would check the whole family by wet combing with conditioner and checking the comb after each sweep. You can't check a normal head of hair just by looking, or by dry combing, as the lice run from light and movement. The conditioner slows them down and makes them lose their grip on the hair so you can find them.

Good luck. They can't drown btw. Otherwise curing them would be pretty easy :)

FrannyandZooey · 05/06/2006 11:37

Plus do get a friend to check your head for you - my dp is crap at it too. Make a pact with a friend to always be available to sort out each other's heads - you never know when you may need it

Original poster

willow2 · 05/06/2006 11:38

Eggs are small - and, I think, empty. (How do you know though?) Tried wet combing my hair this morning - but it is long and thick so a bugger to do by myself. Couldn't see anything, but can't be sure. UGH, so hope I'm not infested.

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elliott · 05/06/2006 11:40

Can anyone describe what lice and egg cases look like? Would it be possible not to recognise them?
About 2 weeks ago I found what I though was a louse on ds2 - it was quite easy to catch and destroy. Wet combed both of them every few days for the next two weeks but never saw anything else - but I wasn't convinced that my combing technique was right. What do you see on the comb if they are there? Does it remove the egg cases too?
Ds2 has very fine short blond hair so I THINK I would notice if they were there. Ds1's is very short but very thick and red.

jstbcs · 05/06/2006 11:42

i bought an electronic nit comb, the one iwth a buzzer, but you do that with dry hair? never found anything, but head is itchy! how can it catch the lice though if u cant catch tme when hair id dry!???? confused...

FrannyandZooey · 05/06/2006 11:45

\link{http://dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu/derm/result.cfm?Diagnosis=996698030\pictures of lice and eggs}

(a bit revolting)

If the egg case is white and not near the scalp it is empty. A live egg is brownish and I believe 'clicks' if you pinch it between your nails

SKYTVADICT · 05/06/2006 11:47

Lives ones are definitely brown and crack between your nails!

jstbcs · 05/06/2006 11:49

what about Robi nit comb? battery powered ones? any good?

FrannyandZooey · 05/06/2006 11:49

Those buzzy combs are crap IMO. You need to wet comb with conditioner with a proper comb like nitty gritty. Comb in one sweep from root to tip, then clean the comb in water or on kitchen roll, before the next sweep. Do whole head especially behind ears and near back of neck. Repeat every 3 days for at least 2 weeks or for as long as live lice are appearing on the comb. The ones you are combing out should get smaller and smaller until you have broken the cycle and no more eggs are being laid.

\link{http://www.headlice.org\This} is another good site with some pictures and lots of info although I think their pictures of lice are not very good.

elliott · 05/06/2006 11:51

Yes, what I found on ds2 was definitely a louse. yuk yuk yuk. But I don't think they have any more.
Should get dh to check me though I suppose

elliott · 05/06/2006 11:53

It says on one of the websites that you should come for 'at least 30 minutes'
It takes about 3 minutes to do each ds, more than enough as they are screaming blue murder throughout! With hair so short, its actually quite hard to feel that the comb is really doing anything.

FrannyandZooey · 05/06/2006 12:39

Elliot, what comb were you using?

I agree, with children who have fine hair, 5 to 10 mins is more like it.

crazydazy · 05/06/2006 13:09

Slight typo there Elliot made me choke on my sarnie!

Yes I sit and comb DD's hair for about half an hour after washing her hair.

elliott · 05/06/2006 13:56

crazydazy
I'm just using a black plastic nit comb from the local pharmacy - can't remember its name. Do wonder if its fine enough though. Have you seen any good websites with pictures of how to use a comb?

Original poster

willow2 · 05/06/2006 15:20

Would a decent comb remove eggs as well as nits? Is it worth getting the nitty gritty one - or should we all just buy that new stuff that's advertised on the Home page?

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