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Multicultural families

Here's where to share your experience of raising a child or growing up in a multicultural family.

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Original poster

Nits and mixed race hair

39 replies

yogamama · 19/10/2007 23:05

Hello,

My daughter has just started nursery this week and we received a letter that there are headlice in the class. Makes me itch just thinking about it!

Bit worried that DD will get them (I know it's inevitable at some point) - but what the heck do I do if she does? She screams everyday when I brush/comb her hair generally let alone doing it with an itsy bitsy nit comb. I'm worried I'd have to cut all her gorgeous hair off!

Anyone have any tips or advice? I've no experience of this.

Cheers

:-)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Katymac · 19/10/2007 23:08

My dd only caught nits on the days she went to school with just washed hair

Whenever she had leave-in conditioner in she was fine, I think it drowns them

hth

lucykate · 19/10/2007 23:09

you need a nitty gritty comb from the chemist (best nit comb there is) and lots of tea tree conditioner to wet comb. do this at least once a week, just bribe her, do it while watching tv or a sweetie treat to keep still

good advice here

good luck!

LyraSilvertongue · 19/10/2007 23:13

My boys have mixed race hair (very curly but not afro) and a nit comb works fine on them. Just put in loads of conditioner before you comb to make the comb glide through easier.

Katymac · 19/10/2007 23:14

LucyKate there is no way my DD would (or could) sit through a nittygritty comb - her hair is Wa-ay too thick & curly

Mixed race hair is so difficult to comb - I managed it the only once she got nits - it took 4 hours & it isn't even shoulder length

Mind you - mixed race hair comes in all sorts of textures - so apologies if it is the sort of hair you deal with

LyraSilvertongue · 19/10/2007 23:15

I combed theirs in the bath so wasn't too problematic.

LyraSilvertongue · 19/10/2007 23:18

Yogamama, please don't resort to cutting her hair off. How curly is it? Conditioner works miracles.

geekymummy · 20/10/2007 21:04

also try combing the ends of the hair first, working your way up to the roots with a verrry wide toothed comb... makes the world of difference to my natural afro hair

suwoo · 20/10/2007 21:16

My friend who is black, and who's daughter is mixed race and is now 12, told me that people with afro hair NEVER get nits . So, hopefully your DD might be OK.

drosophila · 20/10/2007 21:27

There are two types of nits those who like african hair and those who like European hair. The majority of nits in the UK are the European variety but if you live in a multicultural area with recent african immigrants......

suwoo · 20/10/2007 21:30

Interesting...yes we live in Manchester, so fairly multi-cultural My friend lives in a deprived area with lots of immigrants and her DD's hair has survived to tell the tale LOL.

Katymac · 20/10/2007 21:31

DD had them once

drosophila · 20/10/2007 21:36

Found this on a website - Head lice found in the United States prefer hair that is round in cross section. Hair that is ovoid in cross section, such as the extremely curly hair of African Americans, is not as attractive to lice that are adapted to round hair shafts. While head lice infestations are common in Africa, as in all continents, African head lice have claws especially adapted for grasping oval hair shafts. The African variety of head lice is not common in North America and consequently African Americans are much less susceptible to infestations, but they can get head lice.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/10/2007 21:42

Suwoo, your friend was having you on. hair is hair, whether afro or straight.

Original poster

yogamama · 20/10/2007 21:54

Thanks for your advice. I wouldn't cut it off! Was told that tea tree is good as they hate that and keeping it in plaits or pony tail - which she doesn't like either but will persuade her too.

Her hair is pretty soft for mixed-race hair it's just the fact that she hates it being combed so much (have bought books and all sorts to tackle the issue!) was worried about if she did get it how she would cope.

Thanks for all your advice.

:-)

OP posts:

berrybliss · 20/10/2007 21:54

I've got afro hair and have never had nits. I think its headlice.

berrybliss · 20/10/2007 21:57

that was a load of gobbddly gooop. What i was ment to say was that i've never had headlice. But i was talking to dp at the same time and ended up typing what i was saying at the same time.

swampster · 21/10/2007 21:17

I hear Hedrin is really good if combing is difficult - conditions hair too as it's pretty slippery - and it's not insecticide:

"One of the largest clinical studies ever conducted on head lice has proven that Hedrin is an effective killer of lice. The active ingredient, Dimeticone, coats the insects like a shrink-wrap which kills them."

(And no, I don't work for them).

curlysmum · 22/10/2007 14:10

my dd is mixed race very curly soft afro hair , she caught nits and it was a nightmare took months to clear completely. Hendrin seemded to work then they came back after 7 days and was then completely in effective, Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner iritated her scalp, Full Stop I found was the best one and combing every night with conditioner , it was a nighmare and took about 2 hours a nights them would plait it for school ,I dread it again as the combing was a real saga and took hours

tiredout · 01/11/2007 20:03

I had the same trauma, very curly hair, screaming and shouting and tearing hair out(and that was just me)! Nothing worked. Combing too difficult. Hair too thick for chemical poisons to be effective (you have to ensure you saturate every hair).

After the nth time dd picked up lice I gave up and cut it short. Then I sent her to school in a headscarf which, as bandannas were a bit trendy then, she was happy to wear. I suspect girls wearing the hijab don't get head lice. Luckily it wasn't the sort of school which would frown upon such things - I have heard of schools with strict uniform policy refusing to allow non-muslim girls to wear a head covering.

She never got them again.

tiredout · 01/11/2007 20:05

Oh, and someone once said to me 'I didn't think children with afro hair got head lice'!!

It's not the hair they're after, it's the blood and children with afro hair do have blood as well!

MarsLady · 01/11/2007 20:08

Don't cut off her hair.

Oil her hair and plait it!

If she does get nits, then conditioner and comb. Make sure you've brushed her hair through first and then it will be easier. She'll get used to it.

MarsLady · 01/11/2007 20:10

Oh and it's not difficult to comb.... Sorry.... but had to say that! My 5 have all got very different versions of mixed hair and none of them are a problem. They might not like having their hair done but it's not difficult to look after and comb!

BitTiredNow · 01/11/2007 20:18

just reading this out of curiosity really - but wondered why plaiting helps? (I may need to know one of these years....)

MarsLady · 01/11/2007 20:22

It's like tying back long hair. Makes it harder for the lice to crawl from head to head (not impossible but harder)

BitTiredNow · 01/11/2007 20:26

what about braids all over the head - are they even better still?

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