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GS has visitors in his hair again! best treatment?

(31 Posts)
bikergran Wed 19-Mar-14 08:45:00

can anyone recomend the best treatment for head lice, there seems to be so many products and I know when I go to the chemist they will try and flog me what they they have been told to.This is about the 3 rd time in a year GS has had head lice, not sure what DD tried previous. Could do with a fast acting one that doesn't ned to be left on over night.

Juneypam Wed 19-Mar-14 23:48:24

Boots also sell an electronic nit comb which zaps the little blighters.smile

JessM Wed 19-Mar-14 22:09:42

only if you are Boots shareholder annsixty grin

annsixty Wed 19-Mar-14 20:50:49

Just spoken to DD and she said the Nitty Gritty comb was the one she found very effective. Bought from Boots( is this advertising?).

bikergran Wed 19-Mar-14 20:45:59

ok condition on (when he eventually came in from playing) wouldn't have it on prior! nit comb at the ready for in the morning, could only find plastic at the mo 2 for a £1 smile chap next to me saw what I was buying, said oh myyyy havn't seen them for years! he says this is what happens when nitty Nora doesn't come to school any more lol (glad I wasn't buying anything personal) !

JessM Wed 19-Mar-14 18:55:26

Avoid insecticides. I really regret using these nasty chemicals on children's heads. Combing rips the legs off the adults. Good plan to do this after school if headline on the prowl. Nit combs drag the nits (eggs) off the hair and conditioner makes it easier to do this.
I don't think they can live in bedding folks. The adults want to be on a nice warm head. Their life cycle does not include a period spent in bedding (as fleas and bed bugs do)
The nits are the eggs and they are firmly attached to hairs. So they won't be found in bedding or clothing either.
There is a great photo of a nit in this exhibition I saw last week. Might be very interesting to your GS?

www.wellcomeimageawards.org/2014/plant-reproductive-parts

Anne58 Wed 19-Mar-14 18:37:28

I must say that when this happened in our household, I found nightly hair washing and the nit comb and conditioner combination worked well, and broke the cycle very quickly.

I think the "breaking their legs" thing is a bit of a fallacy.

Flowerofthewest Wed 19-Mar-14 17:29:37

They absolutely hate Tea Tree Oil. When at work in a children's unit we found that Tea Tree Oil shampoo followed by the same in conditioner worked a treat. Conditioner left in also works as the little bliters cannot grip onto slippery hair.

numberplease Wed 19-Mar-14 17:10:17

My three older kids had them just the one time, but it was enough to drive me scranny! We went to the chemists, and were sold some lotion called Suleo, but it had to be left on for 24 hours, so the eldest had to stay home from school for the day, then the hair had to be washed with a special shampoo, then combed through with the nit comb. I`m afraid I couldn`t face the comb through, hubby had to do it. I believe that there are much quicker and less messy methods nowadays, thankfully.

kittylester Wed 19-Mar-14 16:58:54

They seem to be pretty robust nowadays. DGD1 has long fine hair and seems to be always itching despite DD being vigilant. I read that the lotions and potions are much less effective.

annodomini Wed 19-Mar-14 16:06:19

When the boys were young, I heard that lice preferred clean hair so I was slightly concerned that my two never had nits! Now, having read this thread, my scalp is tingling... hmm

thatbags Wed 19-Mar-14 15:39:59

NB Getting rid of head lice is not a "clean up". The wee beasties do not limit themselves to dirty heads.

If other members of the family nit-comb their hair too, the nit comb technique works fine. There is no absolute need to use conditioner, nor even to have wet hair. The combs remove lice, not the eggs (nits), which is why you have to do it over a week or two – as the eggs hatch your job is to remove the lice (or break their legs so they can't lay more eggs) before they lay more eggs.

Metal combs are better (stronger) than plastic ones.

rosesarered Wed 19-Mar-14 10:52:47

Mishap you obviously had a bad reaction to something[or it was sheer co-incidence] but we have all used Full Marks lots of times with no ill effects at all.

glammanana Wed 19-Mar-14 10:44:21

Reminds me of when we used to have to go and see "Nitty Norah" the school nurse at school,anyone coming out of her office with a white card was deemed infected as the card gave instructions to take home to your parents that night,oh the shame !! but now it is just a common occurance and part of every day life,remembering derbac soap and that hard metal comb with terror grin

Mishap Wed 19-Mar-14 10:39:57

Whatever you do don't use the horrible chemical washes - full of malathion (for killing greenfly!) and made me very ill. I had flu-like symptoms for over a week - and there was no flu doing the rounds.

rosesarered Wed 19-Mar-14 10:01:11

Use Full Marks [solution] easy [10 mins] and up to 4 applications in the pack. Works really well.

Gally Wed 19-Mar-14 09:42:36

My gc's in Oz have them constantly. DD is at her wits end - as fast as they are cleared, the next one comes home with them. If only every parent in the school would treat their offspring, the problem might be solved. She has tried every remedy in the book and even paid for a 'nit' lady to treat them too shock. Oooh, I feel all itchy now just thinking about it.

Granniepam Wed 19-Mar-14 09:40:18

DS lives in a nit infested area, so every afternoon DGC are routinely combed with a nit comb when they get in from school. It's just part of their lives and the lives of their friends.

bikergran Wed 19-Mar-14 09:35:16

ok thanks glam and all..will nip round now and take his bedding off, (glam that is exactly what other DD said last night about the nape of his neck) got my reading glasses/magnifying glass.and conditioner at the ready! roll on 3-30 lol.

glammanana Wed 19-Mar-14 09:31:45

biker just a thought !! when you have got young man clean from the dreaded beasties buy him a new pillow for his bed and change his pillow case as often as possible just to be sure he stays clean.

annodomini Wed 19-Mar-14 09:28:07

Great panic on our French campsite last year when it was found that GD and her French friend in the next door caravan were both infested. A rumour went round that lice could survive in the swimming pool. The site owner soon scotched that one! The girls had been trying on each others' hats.

Nelliemoser Wed 19-Mar-14 09:22:36

My kids had this more than once. It's no good just doing the children though, all the family members need to clean up at the same time.

To check if there are any, brush you hair vigorously over a piece of newspaper and the hatched lice will drop out.

Or as my HV said strong brushing breaks their legs so they can't mate, which is funny but I don't think its strictly accurate.

glammanana Wed 19-Mar-14 09:20:32

biker the back of his head is the warmest part of his hairline (just above his collar) they like it there for some reason Luke used to always get some there,he now has a very short haircut so DD can spot them at 50ft. lol.

bikergran Wed 19-Mar-14 09:14:07

lol @ glammamama the whole of GN will now be itching lo sorry ...


I myself am convinced I have them now! shock

bikergran Wed 19-Mar-14 09:12:42

I'm surprised the little blighters manage to live! going off the amounts of hair gel he plasters on! but then he never puts it on the back of his head and that's where the liitle beasties are (although have not seen one personly yet) but I am curious, so will take reading glasses today)

glammanana Wed 19-Mar-14 09:11:23

Biker DD uses a leave in conditioner on the hair and it seems to work quite well, I've not heard her mention the problem for a while she also uses a comb on a weekly basis just to make sure.
Why when you are reading about head lice do you automatically start scratching your head hmm