Expert Dani Knapp offers pointers on how best to deal with the critters
More than 1.6 million primary school age children catch head lice each year in the UK. If you have children in that age group, chances are that sooner or later you will encounter lice.
| What are head lice and what do they look like? Head lice are small, wingless, greyish-white insects that live and feed on the human scalp. They have six legs with tiny hooks at the end of each leg for clinging on to the hair. A mature adult head louse is about the size of a sesame seed. How do you catch them? Despite what some people think they cannot jump or fly, only crawl. However, they are very good at moving extremely quickly from one head to another when the hair is touching. What happens once a louse crawls on to your head? Assuming it is an adult which has already been mating, it will start laying eggs straight away. An adult head louse can lay up to eight eggs every day and when those eggs hatch out seven to 10 days later each of those lice will start laying eight eggs per day once they are fully grown and the cycle continues. With the number of head lice multiplying daily you can see how an infestation can get out of control if it goes undetected. How can you tell if a child has head lice? It is really important to do regular weekly checks because less than 50% of people feel itchy when head lice are present.Head lice tend to stay very close to our scalps and will lay their eggs right at the roots of the hair, near the temples, behind the ears, at the crown and at the nape of the neck, so these are the areas you want to be checking. The eggs are tiny teardrop shapes, about the size of a pin head and will be securely glued to the hair shaft. Before they hatch, the ‘live’ eggs are a brownish colour, and once they hatch, the ‘nit’ which is the empty egg case, is a white or cream colour. Any eggs found more than about half an inch from the scalp will most likely be empty egg cases. Eggs and nits can often be mistaken for dandruff or flaky scalp. The easiest way to know if it is an egg is to try and slide it down the hair shaft between your fingers, if it won’t move without you using your nails then it is an egg. If you detect any live eggs in the hair, then there will definitely be head lice present. Why are all the treatments I have tried not working? There are many options out there when it comes to tackling head lice but over time lice have become resistant to the traditional chemical treatments from the chemist or supermarket. In addition, some products are designated unsuitable for young babies (under six months old), pregnant women and people with asthma or allergies Another reason treatments are not effective that many people are unaware of is that the chemical ones only target the live head lice, leaving behind the unhatched eggs. Unless you get the unhatched live eggs out, you just end up a week later back where you started with a new generation of head lice hatch out from the untreated eggs. So what is the most effective way to deal with head lice? There is no ‘quick fix’. It is all about breaking the life cycle and eradicating both the live lice and the unhatched eggs. The most effective way to do this is exactly what the NHS advises – wet combing using a comb with spacing between the teeth of less than 0.3mm. The Nitty Gritty lice comb was uniquely engineered for this exact purpose. With special micro-spiral teeth, it not only removes the smallest head lice but also, most importantly, it even removes the unhatched ‘live’ head louse eggs, allowing you to completely break the cycle. And there is no need to apply any chemicals because it works with ordinary hair conditioner! Before you start combing make sure to remove all tangles from the hair, then saturate the dry hair from roots to tips with conditioner. If the hair is long enough section it into four sections, like a hot cross bun. Work through the first quarter by taking about an inch of hair from the bottom of the section and combing from roots to tips. Remove any lice or eggs from the comb between strokes by wiping with tissue or rinsing under a tap. When you have removed all lice and eggs from that small section you can bring down some more hair from above and add it to that section and continue combing, repeating the process of adding more hair to the hair below until the whole quarter has been combed through thoroughly. You can then move on to the next quarter. (There is a video on the Nitty Gritty website showing this technique). When you have worked through all four sections and are confident you have removed all lice and eggs simply rinse out the conditioner. The time it takes to comb your child’s hair will obviously depend on their type of hair and its length. Short, straight hair can be quickly prepared and can be fine-toothed combed in a few minutes, while longer, curlier hair will take much longer. But do not try to rush it or you will miss lice and eggs and will end up right back where you started. Taking your time, be methodical and it will definitely pay off. If you are using an over-the-counter treatment with a regular nit comb you will need to repeat the process on days 5, 9 ,13 and 17 to clear the next generation of lice as they hatch. That is because these treatments will not kill the eggs and the combs do not remove the eggs. If using a Nitty Gritty comb just repeat the process every two to three days until you are finding no more eggs or lice. If you have been meticulous it usually takes no more than two combings to remove everything. Lastly, if you find live lice or eggs on any member of your household it is important that you thoroughly check each and every member of the house. How do we avoid lice in the first place? The first and golden rule is to tie back hair long enough to be tied back. This makes it much harder for head lice to migrate on to your child’s hair as the loose strands of hair won’t be so accessible when your child is in close contact with another child. You can also use a spray which deters lice. Nitty Gritty for example offers a defence spray which you spritz on your child’s hair each morning before school. Like mosquitos, head lice are drawn to the scent of blood, but the spray is designed to disguise that and so keep the lice away. The family business Nitty Gritty has been helping families tackle head lice for more than 25 years. For more information on tackling them see www.nittygritty.co.ukor www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/#things-you-can-try . |
