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Original poster

Yuk - HEAD LICE & EGGS - how can I get rid of them?

59 replies

chickenwings · 06/07/2006 21:09

Both my boys seem to have head lice They have not got many big ones but they seem to have lots of baby ones/eggs which have stuck to the hair shafts. I have tried Nice'n'Clear with the nit comb but it has only got rid of the 3 or so big lice. The baby ones/eggs go straight through the comb. What have you tried and what has been successful?
PS Will be popping back later to check this thread as need to go and eat now!

OP posts:
hewlettsdaughter · 06/07/2006 21:12

HI, we just used lots of conditioner then the comb, for a few evenings on the trot and then every 3 days or so until there were no lice/eggs left. Did the job (but was a pain!)

WideWebWitch · 06/07/2006 21:13

You have just got to comb and comb with a nit comb and conditioner for a good few days until they're gone. A PITA but it works.

sparkler1wantsaconservatory · 06/07/2006 21:19

Use all the lotions you like/can buy but the best option that's recommeded is definately the combing through for as long as it takes until clear, lots of time and patience. Stick them in front of a good dvd while you're doing it so they don't get bored.

juuule · 06/07/2006 21:54

Nice'n'Clear had no effect at all for us.
Conditioner and metal nit comb (plastic ones are rubbish) works.
Delacet - non chemical lotion that can be used as frequently as you need to get rid of the things and diluted can also be used as a repellent.
Suleo M - sort of works but advised not to use too often.

FrannyandZooey · 06/07/2006 21:57

Wet comb with conditioner and good nit comb such as nitty gritty, every 3 days for at least 2 weeks or for as long as you still find lice in the hair. The lotions are toxic and not as effective as combing anyway. Combing works - it is a bugger but it works.

Beauregard · 06/07/2006 21:57

Derbac m

TooTicky · 06/07/2006 22:02

Combing is definitely the way to go, we've used it successfully at least 3 times. Extra good if you combine it with a herbal anti-nit conditioner. I'd avoid the chemical treatments altogether. Comb every third day for a couple of weeks and it breaks the life cycle (combs them out before they are big enough to breed). Or if you think you may miss some, comb every day. I'm itching just thinking about it!

crazydazy · 06/07/2006 22:15

Oooooh tell me about it, this subject really depresses me!!! DD just keeps catching them so now I wash her hair alternate nights and comb it through, she complains about it but its the only way. Am sick of my head itching too.

Original poster
chickenwings · 06/07/2006 22:52

Thanks. Will just have to carry on combing. If only I could get them to sit still! I am sitting with this special conditioner on my hair and it stinks of garlic to me. Soooo attractive.

OP posts:
Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 11:33

hi there. had same problem with dd. nice &clear was fine for us. you just need to put lots of lotion on and i did leave it for longer than 10 minutes! otherwise have you heard of quassia? brilliant apparently. am at work so can't be long but boots store some quassia shampoo from napiers - about 10 quid a bottle but very effective am told. will try it soon for myself

SKYTVADICT · 07/07/2006 11:37

For eggs I find it best to use finger nails, scrape the egg all the way down the hair shaft til it comes out (a real pain with both my girls with long hair!) then crack between nails. If they are brown and crack they had lice in them. Good luck.

Condition/nit comb every other day for ones that hatch that you missed.

Works for us.

Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 11:50

at least you know they've gone!!!! you must be having fun!

geekgrrl · 07/07/2006 11:52

the bug busting kit contains a special comb for getting rid of the eggs. It's very effective.
IMHO this kit is the best thing to use, anyway. I find it a lot better than the Nitty Gritty comb. And it's cheaper.

Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 11:55

the comb in the Nice&Clear kit is great too, the only one that worked for my dd. removed everything! just checked the website and it looks as if they could be manufactured by the same guys apart from the colour!

Reginald · 07/07/2006 11:55

just looking at that bug busting kit - the combs are plastic ... are they as effective as the metal ones?

I find the metal one good for getting lice out but they don't touch the egg cases

Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 11:57

reginald, try to log on on nice&clear website to check out the comb. the best ever becaue of the way the "teeth" are made, nothing escapes!!!

beckybrastraps · 07/07/2006 11:57

Nitty-Gritty comb, every day, keep at it until you've seen nothing for a week. Trust me, I've spent a LOT of money on nit combs, metal and plastic, and although it is vastly more expensive, that one works.

beckybrastraps · 07/07/2006 11:58

Nice and clear didn't work for us

Reginald · 07/07/2006 12:01

nitty gritty looks like the best one to me and hardly costs any more than a bottle of derbac M - gonna order one today

geekgrrl · 07/07/2006 12:06

I think the Bug Busting ones are much better than Nitty Gritty - Nitty Gritty snags for starters, and the lice are very difficult to see because the comb is steel coloured, they just blend in.
I've had the bug busting ones for two years now and use them on three children, and they're still going strong.

ScoobyDooooo · 07/07/2006 12:12

Not sure how long your ds's hair are but my ds got them (i was horrfied) i HATE crawling things

I actually cut ds's hair quite short, then i put tee tree oil on it (this was after pulling the 4 big lice out) then in the morning i actually sat on the bathroom floor with ds & i picked every single egg & everything out, it was well worth it because they have not been back at all.

goodluck & keep at it they will go in the end!

Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 12:28

huummm tried tea tee oil and did not work for me. then tried vodka nad tea tree oil... ditto. then gave in and just drank the vodka... until i discovered nice & clear with their little green comb! not keen to use chemicals so am looking at alternatives N&C is made with neem oil. but my next buy is going to be quassia shampoo. apparently great stuff. there are also quassia wood chips that you boil. quassia is poisonous to any type of little critters, and it melts the glue they produce to attach to the hair. worth a try i would say!

TinyGang · 07/07/2006 12:42

Lol Nanou - a good excuse for a bottle of vodka eh?! And quite justified too (if you really need an excuse that is!)

Just wondering..where do you buy quassia shampoo? Sounds good stuff -I'd like to keep some in, just in case.

We haven't had the dreaded bugs. Yet.

I squirt the children's hair with tea tree and lavender spray before school/parties etc and it's been a success so far. 3 children in 8 yrs and no bugs yet. I also do nit combing and conditioner when I wash their hair as a prevention and always tie up my dd's hair in bunches and pony tails.

I know...famous last words and all that!

Nanou1 · 07/07/2006 12:51

i found some in boots in london marble arch. makers are napiers. otherwise, if you can try to get some quassia wood chips (am still struggling!) that you boil. and the advice was to spray the kids before they go to school etc. it is natural so it does not damage the hair not scalp. try health food stores / internet for a better chance

TinyGang · 07/07/2006 13:07

Thanks v much Nanou. We have a Chinese herbal place nearby. Might be worth a try perhaps.

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