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Original poster

Help help help - Nits

17 replies

meggiesmummie · 09/12/2007 09:11

Think DD has nits/lice. Started itching yesterday while I was away and close look this morning,think I have found about 4 bugs but can't see any eggs. (my head is itching just writing about it!)

How easy is it to find the eggs - would I be able to see them? The bugs seemed really tiny (so I could bearly see whether they were bugs) and they were moving on very close inspection but not running around.

What do I do know and what do i use? I've read about the conditioner combing thing and i think I'm going to ask a stupid question, but do I put the conditioner in, comb and the rinse out or rinse and then comb???

Do I treat us all?

Any help greatfully received - so annoyed this has ruined my sunday!

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 09/12/2007 09:16

Look behind ears and round back of neck for the eggs - small pale sesame seed type things, very close to the head. They are easier to find on dark haired children.

Put lots of conditioner on (this makes the lice temporarily unable to run off) then divide hair into sections and comb from roots to tip in one stroke, cleaning the comb after each stroke. Comb all parts of the head like this.

Then wash off the conditioner etc.

Repeat every 3 days for at least 2 weeks, or keep going every 3 days until you find no lice at all. It will take at least 2 weeks to break the cycle of egg laying and hatching.

Yes treat everyone, but if you find absolutely no lice in one person's hair after several combings (give it a few goes as they may only have eggs at the moment) then you can assume they have escaped.

They are nasty but you can easily get rid with thorough combing. Use a good comb like nitty gritty.

FrannyandZooey · 09/12/2007 09:18

Oh it sounds like you have caught it early from the size of the lice btw, so should not be too hard to get rid - although checking a dry head is not the best method as the lice run from movement and light, so you may have a few big ones on there that you didn't spot. Wet combing with conditioner and checking the comb after every sweep is the best way to discover them - you can make this part of your children's hygiene routine eg once a week in bath have a quick comb and see if you find anything.

Original poster

meggiesmummie · 09/12/2007 09:24

Thanks for your help - are any of the treatments worth bothering with?

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 09/12/2007 09:27

No, none of them are 100% effective and you still have to comb the lice out so I am not really sure why people try them anyway (except out of desperation)

Some are downright harmful and contain chemicals you really don't want to be putting on your children's skin.

Original poster

meggiesmummie · 09/12/2007 09:39

Combing it is then - great way to spend you Sunday morning!!

OP posts:

SleighlyMadSanta · 09/12/2007 09:40

NItty gritty is the very best comb and is very effective at removing the eggs before they hatch. You still have to repeat just to be sure - but it is much quicker to break the cycle than with other combs. It is available on presecription of for £10 from boots...but worth more than that.

The best way to see what you are removing IMO is to rinse he comb in a pint glass of water between strokes. Check the bottom of the glass 10 mins after finishing when all of the lice & eggs have sunk to the bottom. You will know a louse instantly. The eggs are small brown (almost black) flecks.

I disagree with Franny regarding catching it early (sorry Franny). IME I find that if I have numerous babies it is usually a result of eggs which have hatched on the head - which means that you will probably have lots more eggs hatching over the next few days.

If you have 1 adult it has probably just walked across and if it is male you might be lucky and find nothing else at all.
If you have 1 baby you could be very luck and have no more as it will have nothing to mate with.

seeker · 09/12/2007 09:45

None of the treatments are 100% effective, but the non chemical ones like Hedrin or Lice Attack that smother the little b**s work well, and can reduce the amount of combing you have to do. My ds is a nit magnet, and I now throw money at the problem by doing him with Lice Attack twice a week. Since I started doing this, I haven't found a single louse on any of us - and before it was depressingly regular.

Just don;t go down the chemical route. The don't work properly, and anyway lice become resistant and we'll end up breeding a race of super lice that will take over the world!

ChristmasseyHarrisey · 09/12/2007 09:46

What we do is put conditioner on dryhair at bedtime, rinse off in the morning and comb. Second the nittygritty.

The conditioner smothers the lice - they cant breathe so they die, but you still have to comb. However, we usualy find (yes, this has happened several times) that eggs dont hatch after 12 hours under conditioner.

Also, make up a spray bottle with water and a few drops of teatree and spray on every morning before school. Since doing that ew havent had them at all.

ChristmasseyHarrisey · 09/12/2007 09:47

Oh and it makes their hair gorgeous and soft. Especially the girls long hair.

orangehead · 09/12/2007 09:48

You making me itch talking about it. I never saw any eggs when ds1 got nits, me and dp got them 2 but funnily enough ds2 didnt. But yes treat all. Put conditioner on then comb then rinse. I really recommend nittygritty comb it is really good. We repeated every few days just in case but never got any more out so the first combing session must of got them all. Also recommend nittygritty repellant spray, it all natural stuff you spray it on the hair before school. Despite nits still going around the school my kids have never got it again.
I will try and find a link for nittygritty

orangehead · 09/12/2007 09:50

www.nittygritty.co.uk

orangehead · 09/12/2007 09:51

www.nittygritty.co.uk

FrannyandZooey · 09/12/2007 09:52

SMS you may be right - only a few babies as the OP found, made me think a louse may have just wandered across and laid a few eggs before trotting off. I don't agree about the eggs, though - they are brown (unhatched) or white (empty) and are definitely egg shaped and attached to the shaft of the hair. I think the black / brown flecks you describe are the lice's faeces, sorry

castille · 09/12/2007 10:02

Nitty gritty repellant spray is THE BUSINESS for keeping them away. Mine had nits for ages a couple of years ago, nothing got rid of them completely. So I started using the spray every other day, and they just fizzled out! I was amazed. They haven't had nits since.

SleighlyMadSanta · 09/12/2007 20:31

Sorry - only just come back to this. The flecks are deffo eggs (I am talking about in teh bottom of the glass). They are the same as the ones I have seen attatched to the hair shaft on the head. They are the shape of the little midget flys you get in summer and probably half the size.

ADDICTEDtosayingHAAAAAAAPYxmas · 21/12/2007 14:51

you need a nitty gritty comb, tea tree shampoo and conditioner and lice attack. good luck

clutteredup · 21/12/2007 14:59

poor you we had them for the first half of this term, we nit combed a lot but still didn't get them out completely, i think they kept going back to school and getting more . in the end we used hedrin, and then again a week later. it did the trick in the end.

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