How To Get Rid Of Headlice

Although getting rid of head lice can seem like serious work at times, when you understand how they survive and live, it can help towards your understanding of them. Once you know this - it's a lot easier to get rid of them.

What Are Head Lice?

Head lice are basically small insects that can only survive on the scalp and hair of humans. Although they can survive off the hair for a short time, it's not long before they die.

They actually have the ability to close off their breathing when you are shampooing the hair to ensure that they don't drown!

When they can do things like that is it any wonder that head lice are rife?

Head lice feed and survive off of human blood that they take from the scalp, they mix their saliva into the blood that is full of chemicals that stop the blood from clotting. This method ensures that the head lice can feed until they are full.

Some people will have been plagued by this problem for years, children going through school can be a tough time when it comes to dealing with head lice. For others though, this can be a really traumatic time - it's probably their first time finding head lice and they will want to get rid of lice for good.

I remember the first time that a friend told me their child had head lice. I literally ran home to my daughter and went through her hair - I was greeted with head lice! I actually called my mum up and sounded like it was the end of the world. It was then a case of cleaning the house from top to bottom so that no one thought I was dirty. Beds were changed, towels boiled and clothes incinerated (ok, just washed too).

It really hit me hard, so I understand how other people can feel when they first experience this.

Identify The Head Lice - Do I Have Nits?

Let's be clear here, in order to say that you actually have head lice, you need to have seen a live, moving louse. Head lice are either brown or black (some with a reddish tinge) and CAN be seen with the eye.

You might well be alerted that your child has head lice from the school they attend. Normally there is a standard letter sent home informing you that head lice have been reported in your child's class and advising you to check their hair.

Other times, your child might be itching their head a lot. This is caused by the head lice piercing the scalp and releasing it's saliva. This is a good indication that head lice are present BUT should NOT be the reason that you treat head lice. You need to spot them first as lots of other things can cause the itching such as flaky scalp, a change in shampoo etc.

It can sometimes be VERY difficult to see the head lice if you have dark hair, thick hair or very curly hair. The best way to find out if you have head lice in these cases is to do the comb treatment below.

Then there are the NITS!

These are without doubt the biggest problem when it comes to getting rid of head lice. The nits are the eggs that the head lice lay when they reproduce. The head lice will lay the eggs on the hair close to the scalp. When they lay their eggs the eggs will appear a brown colour or sometimes translucent in appearance.

It's these eggs that are the hardest to kill.

Once the eggs have hatched, the eggs will appear white. On dark hair it can sometimes look like bad dandruff when there is a significant infection.

You can see how old the eggs are by looking at how far down the hair they are. Ones near the top will be newer, whilst nits further down the hair away from the head will be older ones.

You Should ONLY Move On To The Next Stages If You See A Live, Moving Head Lice. Nits Could Be From Previous Treatments

The Comb Through Method - Detection And Treatment For Getting Rid Of Head Lice!

The most important part with this method is to have a good comb. Those little plastic ones that they supply you with when you purchase treatments from the chemists will do nothing.

Seriously, the head lice and nits will just go straight through the gaps between the teeth of the comb. The best head lice comb that I have come across is the Nitty Gritty Nit Free Head Lice Comb - Single - it's designed to get rid of both eggs and lice.

Nitty Gritty Head Lice Repellent Spray 250ml

If you don't have to spend another penny on lotions and chemicals that don't work from now on, then it wont matter that you spend a little extra on one of these combs. The fact that it has rounded teeth was enough for me - no more crying when your kids see the comb coming out!

In all honesty this was the best investment that I ever made. You only need to buy it once too as it's guaranteed for life.

Nitty Gritty Head Lice Repellent Spray

There is also the Nitty Gritty Head Lice Repellent Spray that has become like a superstition with me - I dare not use it just in case we get them back again! Don't laugh, I'm being serious. My husband calls it my addiction and I don't think he's far wrong.

These are the two products that I wont be without, but you don't actually need to purchase either of them. The comb is VERY HIGHLY recommended though - you wont believe how well it works until you use it yourself. It's almost like selling your Morris Minor and getting behind the wheel of a BMW :)

Above you will see the images of the products and these are where I purchase mine from. I've searched the whole of the net trying to get them cheaper but can't. I'll keep looking though and be sure to post it here when I do.

The Method! Let's Get Started

Time: Around 15 Minutes For Shoulder Length Hair
Needed: Good Quality Comb! - Kitchen Roll - Section Clips

Wash the hair to be checked and add enough conditioner to remove any tangles. Remove any excess conditioner with a towel but do not wash out. Then just follow the steps below.

To begin with you'll need to section the hair off. Start at the bottom and pull only an inch or so of hair at the base of the neck. Every other part of the hair should be held away.

Once you have the bottom hair, use the comb (a good one) and apply pressure to the scalp to ensure that you are getting the hair from the scalp to the ends through the comb.

After you have pulled the comb through ONCE check the comb for any live ones! Wipe the comb with the kitchen roll to make doubly sure.

If you find a live head louse, make sure that you kill it! They can soon be off the paper and heading back into hair QUICK.

It will really help you if you have natural daylight to do this in.

Keep taking down one inch sections of hair and following the same instructions as before. Each time you pull the comb through the hair - wipe it clean and check for live head lice.

If you are using a plastic comb you will find that most of the nits will stay in the hair - this is why I recommend that you use the Nitty Gritty Nit Free Head Lice Comb as it generally removes all the nits from the hair too.

**TOP TIP**

If you follow the comb through method every two days you will eventually remove all live lice and many of the nits. Any remaining nits that hatch wont have time to mature before you are there again removing them.

This simply means that the head lice wont be able to reproduce - NO MORE HEAD LICE!

Shock - Horror! They Are STILL Alive And Running Rife Two Weeks Later - HELP!

This is the bad news. It seems that the majority of us are going out of our way to get our head lice problems sorted out. There are, however, a few parents who are not quite so quick to do this.