Re: Headlice - details (not for the squemish)

[Guest guest]

We had these big time last new year :-( DD has long hair so it was a major

undertaking to do hers. This is what we did -

Wash hair as normal and squeeze out as much water as you can.

Put on loads and loads of conditioner (buy a big bottle of a cheap one as

you are going to need a lot over the next few weeks!)

Comb through with ordinary comb to detangle and have hair either all

forwards (as though you had bent over the sink to wash it) or all backwards

(as though it was going under a hairband - no fringe or parting).

Comb with nit comb - need to be very throrough - each stoke must stay in

contact with the scalp all the way from roots to hairline and then all the

way to the end of the hair.

At the end of each stroke check the comb and any blobs of conditioner for

lice. If you have real good going infestation then there will be lots and

lots of them :-( If you don't then you might get some 'bits' in the comb

that you are not so sure about, you might need a magnifying glass to check

if they are bits of grit (football playing boys have this!!) or have legs.

You don't need to squash them, the combing breaks their legs so they aren't

going anywhere!

Having combed it all one way, use the ordinary comb to comb it the other way

and repeat the nit combing.

Repeat every 3 days for 2 weeks to be sure to have dealt with the full life

cycle.

We then checked once a week after that until I got fed up of it and now it's

less often.

We stayed clear for around 9 months, DD recently noticed she was itchy again

and dry combed her hair with the nit comb and found one - so we are back

onto the full combing regime again :-( At least this time it was only 20 or

so, last time it was 100's of them on the first night.

In some research that was done the combing method was less effective than

the chemical treatments, but I suspect that this was probably because people

didn't actually do it throroughy or frequently enough for it to work - it's

a real pain to do 3 children every 3 days for 2 weeks.

DK's were keen to be rid of the 'visitors' so I didn't have too much trouble

getting them to cooperate - insited on having two clear sessions in a row

before reducing to weekly checks.

Both times DH and I were clear so I didn't do a second check on us - I have

almost waist lenght hair so it is a major undertaking to comb it through

both ways - really makes my arms ache! We had some debate about DH's beard

and he combed it through with conditioner as well- didn't trust me not to

scrape his face as I was keen not to let any get under the comb on his head!

Not sure it was necessary, but it made DD feel a bit better that her Dad had

to go through something worse than she did! DS1 (then 13) said it really

helped to clear up his dandruff, but I think this was just due to his mum

having a better wash and rinsing technique than he has...

HTH

Liz Goudie

HTH

Liz Goudie

[Guest guest]

> Both times DH and I were clear so I didn't do a second check on us - I have

> almost waist lenght hair so it is a major undertaking to comb it through

> both ways - really makes my arms ache!

We had some debate about DH's beard

> and he combed it through with conditioner as well-

> HTH

> Liz Goudie

We've played this game - easier now my hair is a bit shorter. & DH uses the nit

comb to groom his beard as a matter of course.

FWIW I found that the chemical shampoos were to fierce for the girls and their

eczema and so stuck to the tea tree route and everyone commented on how

beautiful their hair was. Remember to do it in sections. Although it is a bit

of a PIA combing really is the most effective method. Lice are fussy and the

combing damages them and a fit louse will not breed with damaged one, combing

damages the waxy casing and the nit does not develop.

Good luck

Caroline

Jersey

Germain

Jersey

British Channel Islands

49º11'30 " N

02º06'12 " W

WGS84