nits - what's the best treatment?

[cookiee69]

My 6-year-old has got nits. she has very long, thick hair. i have used lyclear but she is still itching, and though i spent over an hour combing the nits and eggs out (that's what you call love!) there are new eggs in her hair.
I used the same treatment this morning on me and i'm still itching (though i know i may itch for a day yet and it still may have worked).
anyone get any advice?
cheers
angela

[Kassee]

You can buy a conditioner for nits, or any conditioner will do - just leave it on - all day if poss - tie the hair in a plait or something - then comb it with the nit comb a number of times during the day. Rinse and dry for bed. Then do the same again the next day - just keep going - the nits don't last long with the conditioner and they are easy to comb out.

Trouble is all kid's hair is different, a treatment that works for one might not work for another child.

[sherrardk]

Tea tree oil is supposed to help to keep them at bay. My five year old has bum-length hair and I swear that the nits keep away from her because I don't rinse the conditioner out well enough although I suspect that nits just prefer certain types of hair. (I have bought one of those 'special' combs that are supposed to get rid of nits but I had a trial run on myself and all I succeeded in doing was ripping out great clumps of hair.)

[pretty_snowdrop]

I agree with Kassee. Just use normal conditioner and comb through with a nit comb until the comb is clear. Do this every time you wash your children's hair and they will soon disappear. Using expensive treatments is fine, but if other kids are not being treated you are wasting your money. x

[Buenchico]

This might help:
http://www.nhs.uk/Con.../Pages/Treatment.aspx

[scotman]

I believe it is generally accepted that fleas prefer certain people, just like midges. They also seem to prefer clean people over dirty people. Keep combing and washing. Your chemist should be able to recommend a suitable shampoo. If things don't improve you may need to consider shortening the hair.

[ladybirder]

Head Lice aren't fleas are they?

[scotman]

Sorry, too late for me, I meant lice.

[sherrardk]

Scotman - why do you think that shorter hair would help? Just curious.

[scotman]

makes combing out, washing etc a lot easier. I am not suggesting the shaved head and gentian violet(?) of old days.

[sherrardk]

Sorry Scotman, wasn't having a go, just wounded if you thought short hair was less attractive to nits. I think they just prefer certain hair types. My daughter's best friend has fine, neck length hair (blonde) and she has been plagued with them yet my daughter (very long, dark hair) hasn't had them (yet). She will be devastated if we have to cut it short(er).

[scotman]

Has the source been identified?

[annie0000]

I understand that keeping it tied up quite tightly helps and I've seen a few girls at my sons' school wearing a bandana like a headscarf to keep them at bay. Luckily my boys have never had them.......yet!

[nicolab6]

Lots of conditioner (we use the Sainsbury / Morrison Value one, about 26p per bottle). Shampoo as normal, add conditioner and comb through well with a normal comb (to get rid of the main tangles). Then comb through in very small sections with a Nitty Gritty comb. Do it every day for about 4/5 days then every few days to keep them at bay. Just need a lot of patience. Good luck!

[karenmac60]

When my daughter had them, tea tree shampoo, loads of conditioner and an electronic nit comb sorted it. I'd tried loads of preparations that didn't work.

[icemaiden]

I have spent a LARGE fortune on nit treatments over the years. My daughter has long, thick light blonde hair and she always had them. It was never-ending combing, conditioner, treatments,combing, conditioner, another treatment, combing........arrghh!

Out of all the treatments I used I would say that Hedrin was the better one. We possibly had a week of rest using that one before she was re-infected.

But, as someone mentioned here, if the other children are not being treated, then it's a waste.

Bring back the Nit Nurse. If they have nits, Send em home!

Job done.

[pretty_snowdrop]

If you go to asda pharmacy with a dead head louse ( yucky i know) they will give you some free headlice solution. You had better check with them first to see if they still do because it is a while since i went.

[fliptheswitch]

As already mentioned, Headrin is good.
The problem is, is that lice become immune to certain treatments after a while, so you shouldn't stick to the same one (a pharmacist in Boots told me this).
My little'un has this problem all the time, and it's *so* frustrating when other parents don't seem to do anything about it.

I bought some tea tree shampoo and conditioner (which you can buy for about a quid in Tesco) and then bought some neat tea tree oil from Holland And Barrett. I literally poured a quarter of the bottle into the conditioner and, after smothering it all over the hair, used the nit comb to go through it before washing it out.
Do this every night/every other night as it then breaks the cycle and doesn't allow any un-left eggs to hatch. Ewww, just the thought of it makes me shudder.

And yes, bring back the bloody nit nurse!

[didoatwork]

Don't forget to treat all the family, adults and children.