Please someone talk me through nitcombing your own hair.

[EssenceOfJack]

Suffice to say I have now combed 3 times in 24 hours with the shitarse nitty gritty comb and I am still finding the little feckers and still itching.
DH is away, I have no transport and cannot get to a shop that sells nit poison.
I can't comb my own hair properly, do I lean forward or back? If I divide it up I still can't be 100% sure I have got all the ittle bits. Do the little bastards move around while I am combing? Aaagh!

Plus, my hair is still wet, have literally just finished combing it for the third time and I am itching still, shoudln't they be immobolised or soemthing from the conditioner?

Apologies if I give you the itchies BTW, 3 weeks of not checking as have been travelling up to IL's and back and DD2 gets major infestation...and we were sleeping in same bed from 4am every night.

OMG! Don't know what to say. Nits at DD's nursery this week and even though no sign of them on her head, I had Hedrin on immediately. Ewwww and all that.

I have heard of the following "natural" remedies (ie stuff you might have in the house):

Tea Tree Oil
Cover your hair with olive oil and sleep with shower cap on (ouch)

but I'm told that soaking your hair for a couple of hours in Listerine will clear them! I'd hate to do this as I have coloured hair but I'd hate to have nits too.

There's also something you can do with vinegar.

Just smoother in conditioner and comb comb comb. If you completely smother it it will stop them moving around so much.

I always condition straight onto dry hair, much less hassle.

Tomorrow go and get some nit poison.

Your scalp could just be iritated from all the biting and scratching.

oh it's virtually impossible to do your own
do you have a friend or neighbour that could help you out? i speak from bitter experience that you can't do your own well enough to get rid of them all (

well maybe if you had short hair

anyway

just aim to do the best you can until dh or a friend can step in
you can't get rid of them all in one comb, anyway - you need to comb every 3 days for at least 2 weeks - new tiny ones will be hatching out every few days and you need to give them a chance to get big enough to be caught in the comb

when your hair is wet, with conditioner on, they shouldn't be able to move for a bit - but them moving is not what causes the itching - it's because you are allergic to them (some people are not, they don't get itchy)
so you'll feel itchy until they have gone and even for a little while afterwards, until your scalp calms down

don't worry, you will get rid of them
combing is much better than chemicals - you still won't get them all with chemicals, so combing is necessary

with long thick hair I've had to resort to nit poison to dampen the initial infestation but yes nitty gritty the only way to get rid of the hatchlings.

'so you'll feel itchy until they have gone and even for a little while afterwards, until your scalp calms down'

Am clinging to that1 I know I always itch worse then others, always did as a child, but this is the first time I have had to do it myself.

DD2 was crawling I thought I'd throw up, her hair is so thick I hand't spotted them until I saw her scratch [slack parenting] but in fairness she had loads of little tinies and only a few big feckers so they must have all just hatched. ew ew ew

I was actually in tears when I did mine[wuss]

Nitty gritty is pulling my hair out every time though, it hurts.
Plus when I was doing it on DD2 I could see that it wasn't catching them all, have got a bug busting kit on the way. Will have to get DH to do it, although he won't have a clue what he is doing!

SOrry, thanks for all advice BTW

No tea tree (did have conditioner for kids but ran out) no shower cap no listerine.
had to beg some lyclear off a friend for the dd's!

I really, really feel for you. My hair is very long and very thick. I dread getting them... [ewwww emoticon]

I'd have been crying too.

Thanks. I always said I would only comb, not use the chemicals, but after seeing them on DD's I just want the fuckers to die writhing in agony

I am soshocked at how fast though they appeared on DD2, I am always playing with her hair and although I haven't combved in a few weeks as have been up and down I have been peering at it. Not ashamed much to say that when I saw them I swore rather badly and violently.[bad mummy]

LOL! I hate it when that happens!

I keep a bottle of Hedrin in for myself, because I simply can't comb them all out on my own head and DH is a bit "that'll do" when I ask him.

I have never found a comb that gets the fiddlers all out in one go (bug busting kit worse than Nitty Gritty IME), but if you have got all the big ones out, there won't be any breeding going on. Repeat comb every 2 days so that you catch them as they hit puberty

oh you poor thing. But belledame.. is correct about the tea tree when you can get out buy some pure tea tree essential oil.

When all my dos had the nits (i got some too) I didn't like the brand shampoos just put the t tree on neat (round the ears esp ) It worked really well and I used to continue if we ever got ANY itching!

essence apologies if sounds patronising, but my hair is long and thick this is how i did it. Wash as normal, put on a ton of conditioner, I mean a ton. Brush through with normal hairbrush and then with a normal comb to get out all the knots. Get nit comb and start one side of your head with a centre parting and comb one stroke from the parting to the ends. AFter each stroke wash off the comb to make sure they don't get back onto your head in separate water, i mean don't sit in bath and wash comb in bath water so tehy are swimming round you. Continue till you get to other side of head, then do it again. I would repeat 2 or 3 times, or until you stop catching any more.
Have never used nitty gritty, only regular nit comb, maybe is easier with normal nit comb on your own hair??
Also are you sure nobody else in house still has them? You may be all re-infecting each other despite all your hard work.
Tis also possible they are now hatching so that's why they are multiplying. You just need to comb, comb, comb to try to get rid of as many as possible. Also wash all your bedding etc in case they are hiding there, just to be on the safe side!!
for you, hope you get under control...

What about the eggs though? I always use my finger nails to get them from the DCs hair but I worry that even if they are empty shells hairdressers may not touch you?

Anyone had that trouble?

My DP and DDs also only have a cursory look and say that will do!

I find it best to comb hair when it is wet with a nitty gritty. Then when it is dry with a regular comb, I think that dry combing is better for getting the tiny ones out.
I section mine with a bobble or clip just as you would for straightening etc and just comb away. If you have got long hair comb all the way down from root to end, then comb the ends again as I have found sometimes the combing pushes them down the hair and they get stuck at the ends.

hunmpty, that's not patronising, it does help, that is what I am doing.
Spotted a few more on DD2 this morning and she is typical 2 yr old always climbing on me, so am just waiting for DH to get back so I can go out and get more conditioner (have used 2 bottles in 2 days) and some more lyclear stuff.

The problem I have is when you part it and comb, how do you know you have got every part of your scalp? I suppose you don't really.

Don't have a regular nit comb, or rather I do but can't find the little bugger!

Am ing at doing it in the bath, ew, I'd have to shower in bleach afterwards eurgh!

Put loads of conditioner on wet hair & comb through in sections. Wipe & check comb after each pull through hair. It takes a while but you'll get the nits.

It's reassuring actually as that is what I am doing, jug of water for rinsing and towel for wiping comb after each 'go' through.

SO muhc for our romantic evening tonight when DH gets back

essence, you will get there, they are just little bastards, but the hard work will pay off once you get on top of them. remember to keep doing every day or second day for another few weeks in case any more hatch!
With my hair, I just made sure I really pressed the comb hard to my scalp, wasn't pleasant but worth it!!

sorry also, I comb mine sitting up, found it easier rather than bending over and doing it upside down. just remember to keep comb close to scalp and keep going over the same bit again and again.
Really feel for you, it's horrible whether you have 1 wee bastard or 100!!

Well as ogf yesterday I am clear, possibly due to me tipping and entire bottle of hedrin over my head
DD1 is mostly clear but DD2 is not, I am pretty sure I got all the besties out but need to do her again for the next week for eggs, don't I?

DH is a complete bastard, he came home and said he woud cut his hair before I checked him,a nd ahs given himself a No.1 all over, so nothing for the feckers to hang onto, he thinks he is sooo funny, the git!

nitty gritty every 3 days to get the hatchlings out before they can breed!

Did them again today with the bug busting kit that arrived yesterday (which I ordered in tears on friday night) and BOTH DD's have no littlies, a few eggshells and one massive louse each.
So they have obviously been reinfected since I did us all the other day. Grrrr.