Save Money on Dealing with Head Lice

It is an unfortunate fact of life that even the cleanest of families can now find they have unwanted visitors in their house. It is not only primary school age children who can pick up head lice in their hair, teenagers and adults are also at risk even by just ‘borrowing’ a comb to tidy their hair. In fact any close contact with hair can result in contagion.

Nits do not hold the stigma of the 1930’s when the nit-nurse would visit schools and combed through each child’s hair in turn.

It is an unpleasant task removing nits from a child’s head, and it is no use pretending otherwise.

It is possible to have this done professionally but the minimum cost per child is around £90. Bear in mind that there is absolutely no guarantee that your child will not become re-infected in as short a time as three or four days.

The following interesting facts will help throw light on the nit and its habits. Ugh..

1. A fully-grown head lice can crawl 9 in. in as short a space as a minute, and worse still, is genetically programmed to move onto new heads.

2. It is a myth that nits prefer shiny, clean hair – they are not so (nit) picky.

3. A louse has a life span of approximately 25/30 days.

4. The female louse only needs to mate once. She simply stores what she needs to make nits throughout the whole of her lifetime. She can lay up to ten eggs per day – usually between four and six.

5. A nit egg attached to a fallen hair will hatch and can live away from a host scalp for up to 48 hours.

6. The nits are small, about the size of a sesame seed and beige/white in colour.

7. Head lice live close to the scalp, where there is guaranteed warmth, food and shelter. They cannot fly, jump or hop and are spread when people's heads touch each other.

Perhaps you have received the dreaded letter from school saying ‘There has been an outbreak of head lice in your child’s class. Please make sure you take appropriate action.’

From these interesting facts, you now know the enemy you are up against.

The first step is either to consult either your doctor or your pharmacist. There are numerous products on the market and many can be bought on line or in your local supermarket. Some organic products are deemed to be woefully inadequate. On the other hand some people swear by Tea Tree Oil. You will also benefit by using a special nit comb to use before and after shampooing with whatever products you choose.

Last year a study found those who fine-combed their wet hair were four times more likely to remove head lice than those relying on products bought at the chemist. Kill any lice you find. Depending on how squeamish you are, this can be done with either tweezers or finger nails.

Bear in mind that nits prefer to live at the base of the head, near to the nape of the neck, so check underneath the collar on a blouse or shirt. Eggs are often found in the child’s ears. Also check the child's bedding for stray hairs first thing in the morning whilst the bed is still warm.

In reality, it will be necessary to check your child’s hair every week. Better safe than sorry.

If you do this job yourself it will be less of an embarrassment for you and your child and very much cheaper.

Many tips are given here - sort out which method is best for you and your circumstances.

Think positive - the sooner you tackle the problem, the sooner it will be cured.