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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

Nits and the school ...

69 replies

Brillenbar · 19/11/2016 11:48

Our primary had a very long standing problem with nits. I cleared ds and dd2 last weekend with the time and distress that causes them and have just combed about 1000 adult nits out of dd2s hair after a week at school. This is the routine every single weekend we clear them and by next weekend they are hopping again.

Does anyone have any practical suggestions I could make to the school? I don't know ( I don't want to know) whether it is particular children or all children. There is no nit nurse that comes. The school won't send kids home if they have nits. They have tried sending rubbish combs to all parents in the past but it made no difference.

Is there anything else we could try or ask the school to try? Or do we just put up with an hour or 2 of combing and sobbing every weekend until they at at secondary?

We love the school in all other respects!

OP posts:
jamdonut · 20/11/2016 20:10

Hedrin was the only treatment that cleared up my daughter's headlice infestation, and she had long hair down to her bottom that we always kept in a plait for school. It cleared them up a treat, after a long battle with them, and she never got them again.

FannyFifer · 20/11/2016 20:40

That many lice in one comb out is not a new infestation.

How could you not have noticed, you need to comb once or twice a day for at least a week, then every second day etc.

Bitlost · 20/11/2016 21:08

Op, I went to the Hairforce on Saturday. They're all over the country. Really good service - really recommend. It is expensive though.

If you decide to do it yourself, I'd do a treatment first to kill the live ones and comb everyday, even twice a day if you can. Use plenty of conditioner.

You also need to check yourself and hubby/partner.

Etak15 · 20/11/2016 21:11

Yes defo checked yourself - I didn't itch at all but got my mum to check me and I had them tooShock
When you use the treatment do the whole family ( I mean household not your entire family!)

ChocolateForAll · 20/11/2016 21:29

I only wash DDs hair once a week. She wears it up everyday and I brush it through daily with a few drops of tea tree oil diluted in water in a spray bottle. I also spray with hairspray each day before school. She's five and has curly long hair. Had lice once, 18 months ago and I've been slightly obsessed with preventative measures ever since.

nocampinghere · 21/11/2016 18:49

you have to nit comb every day
and keep combing for 7 days after you don't find any more.

it's a nightmare... but that is the only way. every day - give them an ipad to watch something, get some clips, section hair, spray with water and nitty gritty spray and comb through.

then whenever you wash their hair do a more thorough job with conditioner etc...

nocampinghere · 21/11/2016 18:51

you'll know if she's picking them up at school as you will have just one or two big ones. not hundreds of tiny ones - tiny ones have just hatched from eggs not crawled over.

1happyhippie · 21/11/2016 19:04

This thread make me itch!

I have three children, they have all had nits at some point. The last time I got them too. Yuck.
I check hair daily now, we use the tea tree shampoo and have a leave in spray repellent.
Once your children are at school or nursery, I believe it's just part of the routine to check and be on top of it.
We haven't had them here for a couple of years now, but I still check to be sure.

Ditsy4 · 21/11/2016 19:16

Are you also washing bedding? They can live off the head for more than 24 hours. Have you washed pillowcases every day and hairbrushes? Get a Nitty Grittty hair comb. Either buy Hedrin and/ or go down the condition route. You need to put it on every night for three nights then check every three days. I check for a fortnight after finding the last one.Conditioner makes it more difficult for them to stay on the hair shaft.

I work in a school. It is a problem for staff too!

MortifiedinAsda · 21/11/2016 19:43

Vamoose - i did three treatments one week apart on my two boys. Its very effective.

I wouldn't do this normally as i dont like chemicals on their heads but i was at the end of my tether and this and regular combing is all that worked ( i combed every other night ) but tbh after the 2nd treatment they were just gone anyway.

prettybird · 21/11/2016 23:38

Absolutely second checking and treating your own hair.

Ds never itched - but I did, so I ended up being the litmus of whether a nit infestation had reached him Hmm I had long hair at the time but just used to condition my hair in the shower and then nit comb it Blush

I did the same for ds - but usually it was when my hair was clear that I knew the infestation was over.

Agree that even when using Hedrin, you need to comb more frequently than once a week. It certainly never killed all of the little buggers at first use Sad

jennielou75 · 22/11/2016 06:22

This is why as a teacher I keep a load of hairbands in my desk tray. If a child comes in with long hair not tied back they choose a head band and we do it. I have had complaints but as soon as I mention headlice they stop. I always have my hair tied back for the same reason. Its a joy of the job!

JassyRadlett · 22/11/2016 06:40

Mrz, unfortunately that's simply incorrrect. Info here on survival rates on pillows, for example.

permalice · 22/11/2016 06:50

Combs don't remove all (incubating) eggs, because they are very firmly cemented on.

That is why you need to comb at least every 3 days, for the full sexual lifecycle of the louse (17 days - say 3 weeks to be on the safe side) o you remove all hatchlings before the reach sexual maturity.

Straighteners work only up to a point - there's always a couple of mm by the scalp you can't reach and that may as well be a highway.

OP is correct that lice don't become immune to smothering agents, as it is mechanical action. But sometimes people don't use enough - especially if the hair is very thick and/or curly - so it is possible that the smothering action isn't taking place. You need to be soaking in the stuff - enough to leave you greasy the day after, even after a double shampoo.

Lucked · 22/11/2016 06:55

Actually this article about hairdryers is interesting, seems a great way to kill eggs. wikipaedia says it has to be done regularily over 4 weeks for eradication.

MoreCrackThanHarlem · 22/11/2016 07:09

Just as an aside, Nitty Gritty combs are expensive but available on prescription. If you make an appt with your GP ask for a prescription for a comb. My GP had no clue about this but once she had checked was able to send me away with a prescription for a free comb.

thatdearoctopus · 22/11/2016 18:28

There is no nit nurse that comes.

What good would that do, anyway?

CruCru · 29/11/2016 14:31

Oh God. Our school nurse has just sent an email out telling us that there are a number of cases of headlice throughout the school. I guess my job for the evening will be to get the nit comb and conditioner out.

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