A hypothetical problem(!!)

[Sarah-b]

Imagine a person who has young children.
Now just say they have caught nits/headlice that are immune to all the obnoxious chemicals available at the chemist. And hypothetically imagine their mother catching the nits and then thinking she'd got rid of them, and then getting them again - ad nauseum.
Would anyone out there have any novel suggestions for that hypothetical person?

Sarah.

[Sarah-b]

[aquilegia]

Hypothetically speaking, there is some herb that a hypothetical mother can use. The hypothetical mother can make a tea of it and wash the hypothetical kids' hair.

But I can't remember which herb it is. I'll look it up in my book when I get home and tell you on Thursday (not at work til then).

[sandersj89]

I've no personal experience of this one (thank goodness!) but every time the topic comes up in the saturday telegraph, the columnist swears by the 'nitty gritty nit comb' and the feedback whenever it's mentioned is usually very good...

http://www.nittygritty.co.uk/ng/index.jsp

Also Tea Tree oil is meant to help.

Jerry

[Jesse]

When my children started school and nursery I was terrified of the prospect of them getting nits/headlice. I can't imagine anything more horrible and they say no matter how clean your childs hair is they still run the risk of catching it. So here is some information I found out and have stuck with. Each time I wash their hair I use a shampoo and conditioner that contains Tea Tree. The one I'm using at the moment is Alberto Balsam and it has Tea Tree and Mint in it. Apparently the headlice don't like the smell of it so although this won't chase headlice away once they've got them, it will help to prevent the headlice jumping into their hair in the first place. Touch wood, so far neither of my children have caught headlice, although now that I have said that out aloud bet one of them will get it soon!

If they already have headlice then apparently a lot of products on the market do not work effectively. My friends little girl has long thick hair and when she got headlice my friend battled for weeks trying to get rid of them with all sorts of products. In the end the way she succeeded was to heap loads of conditioner on her hair (pretend you're trying to smother/drown the headlice) and then use a double toothed lice comb and comb, comb, comb, comb you get the idea. Do this daily for a few days (I think she did it for a week) and you should be rid of them. Make sure you do everyone's hair in the family otherwise you'll get another outbreak.

I feel very itchy all of a sudden  :o

[Wicker]

Long past the young children of my own stage but do ahve grandchildren and these hypothetical pests (nits not g'children!) seem to become more rampant every year so have had our share of problems!  Electtronic comb was used a lot and provided comfort if nothing else but believe it did help.  However, really do hate to sound the "old woman" thing again but in the long run the old fashioned "bone" (nit) comb on wet hair every single night (and any other time you can fit it in!) does seem to provide the surest solution - as well as tying hair back or cutting shorter.

In saying all this - the hypothetical Mum can be as diligent as all get out but if there is one kid in the class/club/group whose family don't bother then the whole problem goes on repeating itself.  Sister an infant teacher backs this up and hairdresser says they now almost take it for granted because the beasties are immune to anything legal on the market.  Used to use forms of DDT on lead lice - no longer allowed of course!

Not the end of the world and the hypothetical family are not alone in their troubles!! ;)

[Doris_Pinks]

I feel for the hypothetical mother, having had someone very close to me, in this very room and chair in fact, that had it happen to her!
Have been battling the little darlings for years! one outbreak we had was so bad, and the bugs so big, that as I was combing them out of daughters hair, she wanted to play with them as in a flea circus.....shudder.............A combination of what everyone has says is good.

Have tried everything on the market over the past 11 years and have come to the conclusion that...

I do not want to put any chemicals on my childrens head!

Tea tree products help, I get mine from the health food shop so it is pretty "pure", stinks a bit, but you get used to the smell! One that is handy is from "Lanes". It is a non rinse conditioner, so the oil stays in your hair to ward the dear things away!

Get into the habit of DAILY doing the nit comb/conditioner routine in the bath. ESPECIALLY when they are back at school. (I used to get rid of them over the hols, only to find a week back and they were infested again.) This is singularly the best thing I find, to get rid of them, even using a regular cheap conditioner.

Always keep long hair tied up at school or when with friends.

Realise nits like clean hair, as well as dirty. I was once told they prefer it! And that they preferred blonds to brunettes, but my studies at home do not prove this!!! ;D  ;D  ;D

Check hair often, and if they scratch, nit comb!!!!!

If they have it, don't forget to wash all their bedding on a hot wash, just in case after you have nit combed one is lurking!

Oh and when we lived overseas, they were lice checked, if ONE nit was found they were sent home from school, and had to be passed by the dept of health before they could go back to school! I remember sitting one afternoon when my eldest was at nursery, trying to individually remove the eggs from each affected hairstrand, one by one, and her hair was white blonde!! She went to school the next day though! ;D  ;D  ;D
(Maybe they should do it it here, then there wouldn't be so much of it around!!)

Like Jess, I feel the urge to go take a shower and wash my hair immediately!
Dottie P. And her hypothetical now scratching friend!

[rosebud]

Hi sarah do use TEA TREE OIL, and a nit comb use nit comb on a very regular basis.  Works wonders no horrifying chemicals.
good luck.  Sarah do everyones hair in the home .
cheers Rosebud. ;D

[Palustris]

As an ex teacher I could tell you some stories about head lice, but won't. I had an arrangement with my barber (an old school friend) to tell me if he found any, though in all the time I taught I never actually got them. Agree with all the advice given, but would add that you really need to do EVERY person who comes into contact with the child, even grandparents. A study in Newcastle discovered that the primary source of re-infection was not School, but home occasional untreated contacts.
One upside of sorts, is that so far head lice have never been found to be the carriers of any nasty bacteria or virus, unlike fleas!

[teresa]

Oh this reminds me of a story my mum told of when I came home with head lice.
She took me outside and washed my hair with Jeyes Fluid. She said I did smell for a few days but never had the head lice again.
If anyone did it now they would be had up for crulty to children ha ha.
Funny I use teatree shampoo did not know it was good for the bugs nice to know.

[Doris_Pinks]

I also meant to say, make sure each person in the house has their own hairbrush!! And clean them regularly!

[Mrs Ava]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm think I should get some teatree oil shamps, and a nit comb.  Oh the parental highs!  ::)

[derbex]

Yup T Tree shampoo & Conditioner if your small one is as curley haired as ours -getting a nit comb through it ha ha ha ha.

I think Tescos do one and their shampoos seem to do well in Which tests &c.

Or rub some of the oil on.

The stuff you put on their (and your) hair is pesticide -the contents looked frighteningly familiar- Jeyes fluid is probably no more noxious.

Jeremy

[Sarah-b]

Thanks everyone!
Feel better knowing that hypothetical mum is not alone - will be very dilligent with nit comb from now on ...

[teresa]

Well they have been around for 50 years as far as I know and we havent rid them yet so I think in another 50 years they will be still with us like green flys cabbage whites and fleas we havent got rid of them either.
Oh for a perfect world no such luck. ;)
Teresa

[Palustris]

Of course you could always invest in a monkey and allow it to spend hours grooming the hair, as they love to do. they would very soon clear out the little buggits for you. Mind you would have to reciprocate and don't forget they swallow whatever they find!

[Doris_Pinks]

LOL Eric!

[Plocket]

As a parent of a small daughter I have taken note of all your advice - and am feeling itchy just thinking about nits! Thanks though - I'm putting tea tree oil shampoo on my shopping list now.....

[teresa]

With so many of you having children in schools how about advertising the benifits of Tea Tree Oil shampoo. In newsletters on school notice boards etc;  if it helps one other mum it is worth it.

[Plocket]

Good idea

[derbex]

Just like the children then Palustris, our is a bit of a climber and likes swinging on things too.

Jeremy