Bloody head lice!

[Marching9x9]

My school age DD brought head lice back from school in about February. Or at least we realised in February, when we all started itching.

By March both DDs and me were riddled with them. DD2 is age 3.

Since then, I think we've got rid of them 2 or 3 times but then they reappear in droves. DD2 is now constantly scratching and getting so upset when I pick up the comb. I'm so gentle and she doesn't have long hair - it's just a horrible process.

I've spent a fortune - Vamousse, Full Marks, Hedrin ("once" - ha, right!), Lyclear, Derbac.

I use the Nitty Gritty comb every day now and yet the ones I get off her (and occasionally me) are huge.

Any ideas? I'm so tired of it. And DD2 increasingly distressed.

Use Hedrin or any other dimeticone based brand on dry hair. Don't be sparing: make sure every single hair is covered from root to tip. Leave in for at least 8 hours ( overnight) Comb out the dead lice with a nutty gritty or any louse comb in the morning. They are all dead so if you miss one it isn't the end of the world. Then do the same thing 7 days later. Then 7 days later. The repetition is really important to kill the ones which have hatched in the interim. By doing 3 times in total at 7 day intervals you have broken the cycle. If you forget one time or mess up the 7 days ( too early is as bad as too late) then you need to start again as you've let them get big enough to lay their own eggs, or missed some hatchlings.
Don't bother with any treatment which says it can kill eggs; those are insecticides which, like antibiotics, get less effective over time as the target develops immunity. Thus some things which were completely thorough 10 years ago no longer work in the uk.

My DD had lice on and off for about 4 years!!!! Nothing I did got rid of them, they always returned. One day I bought head and shoulders and she used it and after a few washes they disappeared. It could have been a coincidence and she grew out of them , she’s 12 now but they’ve never come back. I think the lice get immune to the products and the nitty gritty comb was rough on her hair causing split ends. It used to take so long and we’ve both cut the combing short due to boredom or pain.
I’m so glad they’ve gone now.
Maybe head and shoulders would work for your DD?

I second NitWits - it's great and has been the only thing that worked on my two DD's after months and months of trying to get rid of the dreaded nits!

My daughter had them and it was truly horrendous. Never seen so many. Tried everything. Then someone recommended nitwits. It's a tenner on amazon. Used it once. All gone and never been back. This was about four years ago. I really recommend it

How often are you combing? DD used to get them a lot when primary age, long hair too. After an overnight night solution for all of us, i used to comb conditioner in her hair then sit her in front of me and comb with a Plastic nit comb, every single section of her hair and every single night. During the day i spray her hair with tea tree And plait her hair in two tight plaits to avoid picking them up again.

I did this for a good two weeks until every louse and every egg, even the dried up darker ones, were gone.

I kept the plaits going.

I use the Nitty Gritty comb every day and have done for months.

And I can still see them in the hair the next morning - especially behind the ears.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

When Dd was at infant school she would come home chanting 'condition and comb -destroy their home' after her school embarked on a programme of nit elimination.
Much like the routine described by a pp but with any shampoo and copious amounts of conditioner followed by a fine toothed comb.
We did this regularly anyway just to keep Dd free of the little blighters and it worked.
One of the other parents was of polish descent with several lovely daughters with long blonde hair. She said she doused everyone in the house with flea spray. Its true they never had nits but Lord - I feared for their future health.

I used L'oreal conditioner (a nice slippy one) and a flea comb from the pet shop - it had close metal teeth and a nice handle, as all the combing hurt my hands.

We also have an electric comb which was only useful occasionally.

For school, a close to the head hair do - high ponytail with elastic tight to the head, then plait it. No fringe (used a thick hair band for a while). If any of the feckers jump aboard at school, they lay eggs under where the ponytail was or head band so check at home. Use hair gel as hair will be slippy from all the conditioner and the hair gel smothers the eggs if you are lucky.