Nits

[sherrardk]

The kids have somehow been infested with the dreaded nits. I am going to zap them with chemicals but anyone got any other tips (my daughter has hair down to her bum so it's going to difficult to get thm all first time). Thanks

[sandyRoe]

You can buy a 'fine comb' from the chemists.

[daffy654]

When my girls used to get them I always used the nit comb and conditioner method to get rid of them. Wash hair, towel dry, apply conditioner (leave in) then comb out with nit comb. It takes a while but is by far the best way I found.

[Purple_Popple]

wash their hair and comb through lots of conditioner (which makes hair slippy and nits cant grip on the hair strands) and keep combing, this works very well and no need for chemicals. :) - change their bedding especially the pillow cases and put on a very hot wash.

[grasscarp]

Its the eggs that are the problem as they are so tiny. You need a good comb, like Nitty Gritty. Available on line or in shops at just under a tenner I think. Combing through conditioner after washing, as Daffy says, has proved to beat the chemical methods.

[tamborine]

Zap em with this but will need to be repeated after a week, when nits hatch into lice

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[sherrardk]

I am going to have to use chemicals first, especially on my daughter's hair (not only is it long, it is curly and thick). I have a nitty gritty comb but when I did a trial run with it on my own hair it just succeeded in pulling out great big clumps of hair!

[fliptheswitch]

I sympathise with you, Sherr. My little'un has had them numerous times. Thankfully, touch wood, the boy has yet to have them.
Anyway, I've tried loads of products. First solution is quite good, as it only takes 10 minutes, so you can put it on whilst their in the bath, and then wash it off at the same time. You then have to comb through with the (included) nit comb... which is the hardest part. Mine has really long hair too, so it's not the easiest of jobs... and usually ends in tears :-(
I recently tried "headrin", which was useless. It says you put it on, in mousse form, at night and then wash it out the next day with no need to use the comb. Absolute rubbish. She was scratching her head the very same afternoon!
I find tea tree oil is the best thing. I bought some neat, from Holland and barratt (cost a couple of quid) and mixed it in with her conditioner.
Do as the others have suggested, and put loads onto their hair, and then use the bit comb to brush through.
You won't get them all at once, so I'd recommend doing the same thing, two nights later, and again every other day until they've gone. That way, you bet the cycle, and get the eggs before the hatch. *shudder*
Oh, and don't buy the electronic brush that Boots sell. It's crap and you end up with seriously tangled hair, and an upset child!

See, the trouble is, some parents just don't seem to bother. I check my daughters hair constantly, as she picks them up SO easy.
I do the whole "conditioner" thing, then she goes back to pre-school and catches them again.
They say there's nothing they can do, as they're not allowed to check a child's hair, nor mention it to a childs parents, as it's "discriminating".

Bring back the nit nurse, that's what I say!! :-D

[tamborine]

Curly hair is best with conditioner, combed through and wiped on paper/Tcloth, then microwave paper to kill lice & nits.

Microwave (1min) hats/towels/cushion covers etc to eradicate eggs.

[sherrardk]

Hi all - himself has gone to Asda for chemicals while I sit here scratching like a nutter!

Hi Flip - at my childrens school, they send the children home immediately if they have nits.

[pretty_snowdrop]

I don't know if it is local or national policy but catch a louse, kill it and put in a tissue and take it to your Asda pharmacy. They may give you some free Hedrin solution. I know they do in the pharmancies West Yokshire. Tell them all your family is infested and you will get it for the whole family. You do not need to be on benefits to get it either.

[B00]

tea tree shampoo and conditioner supposed to be good to keep the little buggers away once you've eradicated 'em.

Good luck Sherr!

[annadomino]

I always found the girls got them much more often than the boys, I think because girls tend to get their heads closer, whispering and giggling.

[ojread2]

Oh its damned annoying when I hear people told that their nursery or school cannot tell the parent of the child who has them

Utter codswallop! There is nothing in OFSTED polices, rules and regs that says they cannot either 1. Tell the parent or 2. Send them home with them
The government say the child should be allowed to stay in school BUT the school can have it's own policy on the matter.

[fliptheswitch]

Yep, I totally agree that's what ALL schools should do!
I've told them, I'd rather know if they think my childs caught nits, as then I can treat it as quickly as possible!
It's disgusting, really, that they say they can't do anything about it.

Tambo!! Microwave?? really?? Urghhhh! :D

[tamborine]

DON NOT MICROWAVE THE CHILD :D

[daffy654]

My son's primary school used to send a letter home with all children if one child in the class had nits, we were asked to check our child's head and treat if necessary before allowing the child to return to school.
My son (now 14) has never had nits but my girls (now adults) used to get them a lot.

[fliptheswitch]

Lol Tambo. Good job you just said that... I was about to nuke her! :P
(Joke... it was a JOKE! :D)

Seems to be much more common with girls, doesn't it. My son has never had them, whilst madam gets them on a regular basis.

[Mosaic]

I'm a bit puzzled at the advice about boiling / microwaving / nuking bedding etc. I thought nits only lived in human hair feeding on human blood, and are transferred head to head. Once you've combed one out you've broken its legs anyway - it might live for a bit but it can't breed. Ok they look a bit nasty, but just scrunch them in a tissue and bin them.

With the recommended dose of whatever the pharmacist recommends applied to the head, and the combing treatment done, both several times, you'll start to see dead eggs stuck to hair shafts - you can tell they're dead because they go opaque so you can see them. These can just be gently pulled or combed of, they just kind of slide down the hair shaft.
Rest assured nits only like clean hair, so if your kids keep getting them it's because they are nice and clean.

NB it isn't only the raggedy poor families - lots of middle class mumsies are too posh to bother about nits - hence lots of lovely repeated outbreaks.

BTW f no paragraph breaks appear in this, it's a Google Chrome quirk.

[cazzz1975]

the only real way to get rid of nits is to use daffys method, you will have to repeat the method again after ten days because the eggs that are hard to removed will have hatched. its a very effective method if a little time consuming. my advice is to keep your daughters hair tied back for the time being, you will be surprised at how quickly they can be recaught at school especially as girls tend to sit close and go around linking arms, you should also check your own hair.

[tezmand]

oh i feel for you my kids are mixed race hence thick curly hair i used a nit comb and loads of conditioner it took hours and i cud of knitted a jumper with all the hair that came out , it used to drive me potty i even set them to school woth hair net on poor girl looking back i bet she was teased awful but i couldnt stand the fact that these horrible things were in the hair