Let's talk about tackling nits! How to prevent or treat those dreaded head lice...

In today’s blog post, my son Gus and I are going to be talking to you about nits, also known as headlice.

They are a total pain. Most children get nits at some point in their life, but a lot of people don't know how to properly get rid of them. 

So I've got a few things to show you. I have got some Lyclear, some Hedrin and some tea tree oil conditioner.

Now I have found that both the Lyclear and the Hedrin products don't work particularly well at all, unfortunately.

A lot of the nits seem to be immune to them. I have treated my children with these products and even after leaving on for above and beyond the recommended time, upon combing the nits are still alive. 

However, I have found that tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner has been really good!

First and foremost, I start with a basic white fine comb, which you can get from any chemists. This is to initially detect the presence of any head lice.

Head lice are around the size of a sesame seed, so are very, very small. The eggs are even tinier, almost like a flake of dandruff. This is where the white fine combs really come into their own because you can see exactly what is coming off of your child's scalp. Be sure to comb nice and close to the scalp to really ensure you are getting a good thorough look. 

Gus doesn't have head lice at the moment! We’re just going to pretend that he does for the purposes of this demonstration! So, firstly comb through for detection.

Next up, in the past, I would have used Lyclear or Hedrin but now I prefer to slather on Tea Tree Oil conditioner.

After coating the hair with the conditioner, I would grab what's called a ‘Nitty Gritty’ comb. The Nitty Gritty comb has extra fine teeth that work to actually get the nits and the eggs out and away from the head. Section the hair into two halves, cover with conditioner and grab yourself some loo roll to wipe the comb after every stroke. The head lice will be transferred to the loo roll, so do pop that straight into the toilet and get well rid.

With regard to the regularity of combing, you do have to do this every day to start with, for at least 4 days, then every other day for 14. The life cycle of a nit from laying an egg to hatching is 7-10 days, so you do need to complete the cycle of removal to ensure nothing is left behind.

It’s also really important that you treat all hairbrushes, hats, towels, pillowcases etc. You don't need to strip the whole bed, but head lice are really difficult to kill a hot wash in the washing machine will do.

Prevention

Nits cannot jump, and they cannot fly. But if we were to touch heads, they would crawl across from head to head. My daughter Coco has very long hair, so I make sure when she goes to school, on a play date or a trip of some kind that it’s well tied back.

Nits also hate lavender and tea tree oil. Therefore, I have made a spritz that contains both! It acts as a natural repellent. Every morning before they go off to school, I give them a spritz of this when I know that there are nits at school and that has worked really well. It also smells quite pleasant!

I hope that you have found today's blog post and video helpful and thank you to Gus for being such a good model! Any questions do ask, I have learned quite a lot about the dreaded head lice over the years and would be happy to help where I can! 

Love,