How To Get Rid Of Head Lice and Nits

I remember having head lice when I was a little girl, and my mother used to sit me in the kitchen sink and physically pick through my hair and crush the lice between her fingernails. I wonder now if that is where the phrase 'nit-picking' comes from?

Head lice and nits are a very common problem amongst pre-school and school-age children, but it doesn't stop at the children as head lice can quickly spread through the whole family, and the first time you are aware of it is when you head starts to itch like crazy!

My son regularly comes back from school with a lot of these little visitors that I do not care to invite into my home, so I thought I would share with you what I do to keep the little critters at bay.

First of all, lets clear up the confusion about the difference between head lice and nits. A head louse is a little six-legged insect that feeds on human blood. You can find plenty of head lice pictures by doing a search on the internet, and let me tell you, they are not the most attractive of creatures to look at! Just one look and you will want to be rid of them asap!

Nits are actually the eggs laid by head lice, and they do this by gluing each egg to a hair shaft. Believe me when I say that the glue they use is really strong, as you will find out if you try to remove a single nit with your fingernails - they just don't seem to budge easily.

Head lice are not harmful in themselves, but the action of regular scratching can lead to infection through the bacteria carried on the hands and fingernails.

There are a lot of treatments on the market that you can buy that promise to rid nits and head lice in a single treatment, but often these are made from harsh chemicals that I for one do not want to be rubbing into my son's scalp, plus these treatments do not prevent re-infestation, so you will end up repeating the treatment on a regular basis. This can also prove to be quite costly as these solutions are not cheap! There is also a risk of the lice becoming resistant to the chemicals used, so treating your child with these solutions becomes pointless.

I find that some of the chemical treatments just kill head lice but not the nits, so you have to keep using the treatment to kill the new hatchlings as they emerge. This is all well and good, but what if your child comes home with new head lice freshly caught from a school friend the day after you have used up the last of your solution?

I have found that using a nit comb to be the most effective way of keeping on top of the problem. OK this method does not kill head lice directly, but I get a great sense of pleasure when watching the little critters being washed down the plug hole in the bath.

Combing uses no harsh chemicals, it is easy to do as you can run the comb through your child's hair every time they have a bath or have their hair washed.

I use a metal comb purpose made for removing nits. There are a few on the market, but make sure you invest in a well made metal comb that removes nits as well as head lice, and do not settle for a cheap plastic nit comb. Plastic versions do not last very long and the teeth tend to bend and become misshapen after a short amount of time. This will make the comb ineffective.

Once you have your metal comb, all you need to do is your regular shampoo followed by plenty of hair conditioner. Just buy a big bottle of the supermarket own brand conditioner as this will save you tons of money. Use a wide-toothed plastic comb to work the conditioner thorough the hair and get out any hair knots.

Use the comb as instructed on the packaging to quickly comb out live lice and nits and wash the comb out after every stroke through the hair. Washing your comb will prevent you combing the lice back into the hair.

Another tip I have for you is one I got from a parent at my son's school. She uses a brand of well-known hair cream on her son, and swears it works to keep out head lice. She says hair gel works just as well, but her son prefers the cream. She has used it for over a year now and her son has not had any lice in that time.

There are other ways to combat headlice, find out how on our website where we regularly post advice about head lice and nits.

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