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Original poster

NEED TO KNOW, IN DESPAIR ABOUT NITS

66 replies

jollymum · 08/03/2007 08:29

My son's hair is way past his collar becaue I can't get it cut! I hedrin him one weekend, do it again on the next weekend and by Thursday he's riddled again! Today I sat him down and have combed out about 10 big lice, loads of babies but my main problem is this. He's got millions of eggs (am I right that the black ones stuck to the head are eggs and the white ones empty cases?) and I can't get them out. If I sat and scraped them out with my nails it would take me an hour to do a small square patch. What can I do and would a hairdresses cut his hair with eggs in it? It's too long to clipper and I don't know how to anyway. Feeling rfeally p off about it, 'cos I can see them in his hair when he's close to me so his teacher must think I'm an uncaring dirty cow

OP posts:
noddyholder · 08/03/2007 08:30

Get a nitty gritty comb you can get them online and comb it every night for a fortnight.First comb it dry before you wash it I find this really works xx

earlgrey · 08/03/2007 08:34

I know everybody has their own methods, and when dds hair was shorter I used a nitty gritty combe (9.99 or available on prescription). However, now dds hair is longer (dd2s hair is down to her thighs) I find an electronic comb is best.

It does mean, however, you have to do it at least once a day FOR THE FULL LIFECYCLE to run, as it doesn't zap the eggs. Discovered dd2 had them on Monday, zapped her this morning and there were about four babies which had obviously hatched since last night. If you can catch the little blighters before they get sexually mature you'll win.

Must admit that when dd2s teacher said 'Oh, the whole class has them' I did feel I was fighting somewhat of a losing battle. My departing words, after 'I love you. Have a lovely day' are 'And don't get near anyone's head.

mumto3girls · 08/03/2007 08:36

I would speak to his teacher and the mum's of his friends and tell them he has a problem that won't go away cos obviously he's not the only one and if others don't treat their childrens hair the problem just keeps getting passed on.

fruittea · 08/03/2007 08:36

I don't think a hairdresser will cut a nitty head, sorry.

The only way I've found is to do the constant combing with conditioner - every night, or at least every other night, for a couple of weeks. Yes, the eggs will hatch, but as long as you get the lice out when they're still small, they can't breed, and you will break the cycle.

DD has very, very long hair, but even with her, this has worked. Not much fun, but works! You need to part the hair all over and work through each area systematically til you've combed the whole lot. ANd make sure you comb right through from the root to the end. I keep a pad of tissue beside me to wipe the nitty conditioner on to.

Good luck, it does work.

fruittea · 08/03/2007 08:38

Top tip - use a wide comb to get the knots out before you get on to the nit combing - really helps with long hair.

anorak · 08/03/2007 08:42

This is happening to me too, with DS. I'm doing the combing stuff, with tons of conditioner to stop the lice holding on. And I'm going to buy some tea tree oil today as well. It's supposed to repel them.

I hate head lice. Into room 101 with them.

anorak · 08/03/2007 08:42

whoops tea tree oil shampoo that is.

DimpledThighs · 08/03/2007 08:42

nitty gritty comb is really worth getting - works wonders.

Just resing yourself to the fact you have to get on with it every two days for a fortnight is my routine when I discover them. Wash hair in bath with shampoo, put in a leave in conditioner (any - I use sunsilk as it is cheap) and then sit them infront of the telly and get combing.

It is not as bad as youthink - treat it like a war and get the buggers before the reproduce.

The bottom line is that it does work

Best.

chloesmumtoo · 08/03/2007 09:22

MY DS USED TO GET THEM ALL THE TIME WHEN HE WAS SMALL. WE MAINLY CONDITIONED AND COMBED AND IT WORKED. MUCH BETTER THAN CHEMICALS ON THEM ALL THE TIME. WE DID BUY OUR OWN HAIR CLIPPERS AND KEPT IT NICE AND SHORT IN THE END. THEN VERY LIMITED PROBLEMS AFTER THAT. I NOW HAVE A DD IN RECEPTION AND AMAZINGLY AS YET SHE HAS NOT HAD ANY BUT HER CLASS IS RIDDLED TOO! NOW I WONDER IF JUST CONDITIONING AND COMBING WILL WORK FOR HER MOP OF HAIR LOL! ANOTHER THING TO REMEMBER IS TO BAG UP ANY HATS,SOFT TOYS FOR 10 DAYS AND TO WASH ALL BEDDING AND TOWLS IN A VERY HOT WASH.

FrannyandZooey · 08/03/2007 09:26

Combing once a week will not get rid of them, you need to comb very thoroughly with a good comb, on wet hair covered with conditioner, every 3 days for at least 2 weeks or until all the lice are gone. A nitty gritty comb with remove most of the eggs as well. He does sound riddled with them, I feel for both of you If you can't get to grips with combing I would certainly consider clipping his hair - it is easy to do and would make it much easier for you to deal with it.

gorgonzolasouffle · 08/03/2007 09:26

there is spray you can buy as well from Boots which repels them.

My friend bought it and sprays her 3 girls daily and since she has done this they havent come back.

Poor you.

Could you get a friend to shave it off?

slinkstar · 08/03/2007 09:30

use baby oil all over and comb, nits can't breath through oil so oil the hair a few times a week, its messy but it works, they use vasiline on ticks for the same reason.
i swear by baby oil with a bit of tea tree oil for good luck.

Tortington · 08/03/2007 09:31

buy a hair shaver thing - you dont have to have it bald - you can vary the lengths.

my boys had the lovliest 'bowl'& step cuts in the 90's all their hair the same length well looked after shiny. then came nits.

the school was riddled so it mattered not what i did - so hair be gone - and it was

i recently found hedrin much use - but your not finding the same - i used to just smother head in conditioner and comb ...forever until the school - or the source sorts sommat out

its really rubbish for you

Biglips · 08/03/2007 09:32

my nealry 8 yrs old SD had them for 4 yrs now! and its not getting any better

mankyscotslass · 08/03/2007 09:33

We have gone for tea tree overkill. i found eggs on DD 2 weeks ago, no "runners" though. Just me and her afflicted, noone else. Have used herdrin and now combing through with a nitty gritty comb every few days with lots of conditioner. I use a few drops of tea tree oil in the final rinse every time i wash the kids hair now, and also a tea tree shampoo and a spray for in between washes...fingers crossed, the little horrors make me shudder

stleger · 08/03/2007 09:52

With the wite egg cases I have been reduced to snipping hair out with nail scissors! Hairdressers don't seem convinced you can have the egg cases without the parent lice.

TaylorsMummy · 08/03/2007 11:17

it can't be very nice for him! Sorry but I would just shave the whole lot off. Sounds like it's got out of hand.

Mumpbump · 08/03/2007 11:24

Haven't read all of this. Black ones are the dead ones, white are the live ones. The NHS advice is to wash the hair, put conditioner in to slow the b*ggers down and then comb out. Wash out the conditioner and comb through again. Repeat every 3-4 days for 4 weeks or for 3 cycles after the last live nit you see. If you then see big nits, they are likely to be picked up from elsewhere.

EddieMonsoon · 08/03/2007 11:35

There's a nit nurse service around where these people come in, called the Hair Detectives I think and stay a week in a school and clear the whole place. A friend of a friend's kid in Hampstead was treated by them in her school. Maybe its only private schools, but they give them entertainment and comfy chairs and use no chemicals apparently.

noddyholder · 08/03/2007 14:39

I love getting them out very satisfying maybe I should set up as a mobile nit nurse

SauerKraut · 08/03/2007 14:45

What's wrong with the chemicals? It's a one-off thing, isn't it?

MamaG · 08/03/2007 14:47

mine too bigips

Mumpbump · 08/03/2007 14:57

The problem with using chemicals is that if they constantly get reinfested, you are going to have to expose them to a lot of chemicals... The reality is that you need to check them regularly whether they have them or not as they are so easy to pick up. My dsd has her hair checked every other night following on from a bad episode a year or so ago.

RanToTheHills · 08/03/2007 15:05

have none of you caught them too (or is it justme?!) ds is the easy one - short hair,but mine is super-thick and I swear I haven't properly been free of them once over the past yr.They do retreat a little but nothing totally eradicates them. One thing someone on here advised me was that they can get immune to hedrin - I gave up buying it (it's £11 a pop after all!) and found electric comb and conditioning just as good though still not 100%. The little bastards!

MamaG · 08/03/2007 15:07

no Ran, me too. I also have long thick hair and have just discoverd I've got them again
DH refuses to comb me the fecker

I didn't think they could get immune toe HEdrin as no chemcials, it smothers them - I always get it on kids prescription so free