Head lice, what is the definitive treatment?

[FiveOrangePips]

I know this topic must have been done a million times but I have found two live lice on my dd, she has long straight hair. I have never seen live ones before in rl, they are yuck.

What do I do once the hedrin treatment is finished?

Do I just wash it and leave it? Or do I wash it and nitty gritty comb it today?

I have spent £20 on treatment already and I spotted the first louse before she went to school - so I kept her home, I realise this might be an over reaction, but she has such long hair that I wanted all day to make sure I treat it really carefully and get all the little beastards.

Anyone else care to join me on nit watch?

I have let the school know and told my fb friends who have children who play with dd to get their nit combs out.

I'll join you! Am waiting for dd1 to get the first lot of the new school year. . .

Forget lotions and potions - just use your nitty gritty once a week regardless of whether you can see any. I got complacent last year and missed a few weeks: dd1 infected the whole family!

The hedrin would have got them all, you just need to do another treatment in 7 days to catch any eggs that have hatched. No need to keep dc's at home though.

Even if the hedrin got them all should I still nitty gritty dd post hedrin? I am not sure if I have washed the hedrin out, lots of shampoo but her hair doesn't feel like it is washed, is that the hedrin? Will her hair look greasy when it has dried?

I realise taking her out of school may have been an over reaction, but I had to do it for my peace of mind.

sometimes it takes a few shampoos to get the lotion out.

You don't have to nitty gritty now, but do it again in a week and every week after that. Until bloody high school probably. . .

Dd1 is nearly 8 and has had them every year since starting preschool at 3 . I have tried every treatment going, but the only thing that works is weekly combing

I've tried loads of the different shampoos, but the only thing I've found that's really effective is combing, with the nitty gritty or the plastic one that comes with the shampoo. DS got them at the end of the summer term and they were really hard to get rid of, but eventually just combing every other day (I know its boring and the DCs hate it!!) got rid of them. I feel all itchy just thinking about it now!!

Moogalicious poor you and your dd, I suppose we have been quite lucky. I do usually check dd's hair weekly but have lost the nit comb I usually use.

I got a nitty gritty, but I miss the other comb, I must try and replace it too.

The hair check has become part of our weekly routine now. The nitty gritty is the best comb too - I even have one of those 'electric' combs which zap the lice, bought out of desperation. Rubbish!

I think Hedrin is good but I don't think it gets them all every time.

I use Hedrin, and then again in 7 days time. I comb with nitty gritty comb and conditioner every night inbetween the 2 lots of Hedrin and the night afetr the 2nd Hedrin. If this combing is not free then I leave it a week and comb again. This routine seems to work.

I section DD's hair into about 30 different sections using bobbles and do one section at a time. Spray with anti headlice spray (tea tree type stuff from Boots) in the mornings.

i think you have to get into the habit of checking at least once a week with a normal nit comb. if you find any then use the nitty gritty with tons of conditioner. usually don't need any lotions or potions. and hedrin is like chip fat. awful!

Shampoo every day, put on plenty conditioner to make slippy, comb with nit comb to get out beasties and eggs. Rinse. Repeat every day for up to two weeks.

Just normal shampoo, not that burny acid one.

Nikkershaw, I agree about the weekly check and hedrin being like chip fat.

I will condition comb dd's hair tomorrow after school and I will do her hair again in 7 days with Hedrin though I am not looking forward to that!

Hedrin is a pig to get out - I've got a bottle of the cheapest, nastiest roughest shampoo sitting in the cupboard for the next time my DDs catch bugs again, it's the only thing that works. (Have had it untouched for over a year now, yay!)

I wet comb with a Nitty Gritty and conditioner weekly without fail (learned my lesson from last infestation a year ago when I'd got lax) and when my DDs had long hair they were never allowed to go to school with loose hair. Now they have it in chin-length bobs, but I still check weekly and in the morning before school I mist them with plain old hairspray - this routine seems to have kept the bugs away for us (and there have been the usual outbreaks)

I hate headlice, but the Hedrin/Nitty Gritty/weekly checking routine is doing it for us.

I swear by adding some pure tea tree oil to normal shampoo and conditioner and using this regularly. I also make my own psray out of water with a few drops of tea tree and a few drops of lavender. I use this each morning (my daughter has long, thick, curly hair), as it also helps to detangle the hair. If any cases have gone round the school/class, I use a heat prtectant after washing, and then use the GHD's - sectioning the hair as I go. I dare any nit/louse to survive 200 degrees plus of GHD might

Should I condition comb again tomorrow or give it a rest and do it again on Friday? I got 24 eggs when I washed dd's hair and condition combed it today (no beasties). She looks a little less oily, which is good because school photographer is coming tomorrow.

I feel so itchy, not sure if it is psychological, I condition combed my hair last night and didn't find anything, but I couldn't have been as thorough as when I am doing dd's hair...?

Don't worry about the eggs, the hedrin will get any that hatch when you do it next week. Perhaps Hedrin your hair if you're worried as it's pretty hard to comb through yourself.

Honestly, if you've used Hedrin there shouldn't be any more live lice. Just do a comb through weekly, on your usual hair wash day.

sorry, on dd's usual hair wash day

Hedrin have a new treatment out called 'once'. You literally put on once, for 15 mins and lice and eggs are blasted. It works perfectly. All clear. After that, always keep your dd's hair tied back, pref. in a bun! Unfortunately lots of lazy arse parents don't deal with nits. You also get those who reckon nit combs work but this tends to lead to the problem going round and round as obviously it is not an instant cure and in the time you are combing your child infects someone else, and so on.......

I do always tie back dd's hair, usually in tight braids, but sometimes dh does it and he is not as precise as I would like with it, she only gets to wear her hair loose at the weekend - though sometimes she comes out of school having lost hair bobbles, grrrr.

I was just surprised by the amount of eggs I got! I really thought I had caught the infestation early! I am more impressed with the nitty gritty comb though!

I did another condition comb through of my hair tonight (with a cider vinegar pre-soak) and still haven't found anything. I dye my hair so maybe that has kept the bugs off me? I also wash condition and cold rinse it frequently - I will do another comb through tomorrow to be safe.

You have to get the newly hatched lice out before they have chance to lay eggs so you need to comb really thoroughly every three days for three weeks as a minimum. That is the only really effective way of clearing headlice, especially from thick hair.

If the hedrin oil isn't washing out put loads of shampoo on dry hair, massage it in well and then rinse it off.

I got derbac from the doctors then used Vosene kids anti-nit shampoo & spray. Hair is washed every 3rd day then combed out to capture live ones.

I've used straighteners but given u can't get so close to the scalp (which is where they all hang out!) I'm not sure how effective they r.

@FiveOrangePips,

Vinegar soaking (doesn't have to be cider) is raelly useful as it dissolves the glue that binds the eggs to the hair - very useful in an established infestation as it breaks the breeding cycle. I've used it on mine on the two occasions that they were raelly crawling and covered in eggs.

Thank you for that tip Pointy, I use cider vinegar usually for the shine it gives my hair ( I just thought the acidity would bother any nits) - it would probably help getting rid of hedrin too?

New to this whole thing, daughter sent home from nursery with a note saying there had been an incident of headlice in her room. Daughter only goes one day per week but even so I am now paranoid, could not see anything on initial inspection last night but patches of her scalp looked red. I understand I need hedrin if there is an infestation but what if it is a case of not yet but there is a risk she might catch it? Any shampoo I can buy for her which will repel and reduce the risk of her getting it etc? She screams every time I wash her hair as it is... (21 months) any advice very much appreciated

Lavender I use Neem & Propolis shampoo from Faith in Nature. I get it from the health food shop. Lice supposedly don't like neem oil, there is another one I have heard of, quassia shampoo this which I haven't tried.

I would attempt to get your dd's hair wet, with bribery (chocolate/DVD?) and if you can get conditioner or even spray in detangler might work and then comb her hair with a nitty gritty or other good nit comb. Make absolutely sure her hair is tangle-free before you use the nit comb - rinse the comb in a jug of water as you go, then you can see if you get and eggs/ lice . Good luck!

brilliant many thanks five i appreciate yur reply