How do you get rid of NITS?

Question

My daughter keeps coming back from school with nits, i have tried everything from perscription to over the counter remadies but they dont work any one got any home remadies i can try? im desperate.

Answer 1

First of all I know getting the call from school to pick up you kids because of Lice sucks from first hand experience, The first time it happened to me I was mortified because it was after my 1st wife and I separated and I had custody of all 4 kids (still do)I thought I must be doing something wrong, keeping a dirty house whatever. DO NOT FEEL THAT WAY. Your kids can get it from other kids. But to answer your question, I found the over the counter stuff works really well, go talk to you local pharmacist, but getting the NITS out is a real ***** depending on the thickness, coarseness of your childs hair. Get a good NIT Comb, as for Home Remedies, the only one I have heard about but I have not tried and swear I am not making this up is to slather you kids head in Mayo and cover the head with a plastic bag for several hours. JUST REMEMBER, COVER THE HAIR ONLY NOT THE WHOLE HEAD! or else you will have eliminated not only the NIT problem but the NIT WIT as well

Answer 2

The nits are the eggs and are hard to get rid of because the chemicals in the shampoo only work on the lice (the things you see moving around)!

If my children get nits/lice I use lots of conditioner and leave it in their hair for at least an hour* - I then use a nit comb to remove the lice - you HAVE to do this at least twice a week (if not more frequently) because the lice hatch out and you're back to square one otherwise! Keep up this regime for about 2 weeks and check their hair regularly - if you see any signs of lice nip the problem in the bud!

*Insects breathe through their skin so by using thick conditioner you are stopping them breathing - sounds vile but having the things is more vile!

Use a Tea Tree shampoo as a deterrent - Tea Tree doesn't kill them - it just repels them!

I have read through some of the replies and someone mentioned using their dog's flea solution - Don't do that! What might be OK for dogs isn't necessarily OK for humans - to use a reverse example - we love chocolate but it isn't good for dogs also penicillin is good for us (unless we are unfortunate to have an allergy) but if a dog has even a small amount it can kill them!

Answer 3

Boots the chemist own brand
Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, followed by
Tea Tree Conditioner.
Then using a 'nit comb' comb through the hair.
The smell of the Tea Tree affects the nits, and the richness of the conditioner stops the nits 'clinging on' to the hair.
It really does work!

Answer 4

Yep, I have a foolproof one... I am a primary school teacher and find head lice to be an occupational hazard, this is a tried and tested remedy:

Use your normal shampoo, but mix a few drops of pure tea-tree oil in with it. Then after rinsing, use loads and loads of conditioner, and comb through thoroughly with a nit comb - the tea-tree oil will have killed most of them, the conditioner stops them being able to move around, so you can get them all this way.

If you have them really severely, as well as mixing in the tea-tree oil, you also mix in a teaspoon of Vodka - yes, really! This will get them all for sure.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Buy cheap conditioner and a couple of nit combs. Get her in the bath and wet her hair then put the conditioner in. Comb through front to back, left to right, right to left and back to front. Wipe the comb off with toilet paper and rinse it after every pass through. Use a clean towel then put it for a wash before anybody else uses it. You have to do this routine every night for about 6 days in order to interrupt the life/breeding cycle of the lice. My daughter gets them every now and then from school and they a bloody nuisance. She hasn't had them for a while since we had hair cut somewhat shorter. Good luck.

Answer 6

My daughter came home with these some time ago, and It took me three weeks to rid her of them, I bought all the stuff they sell and followed all the directions to no avail too. so on the last try, I just left the nit shampoo on alot longer than they recommend, instead of 10 min I left it on for almost 30, at that point i didn't care what the box said, The nits were finally gone for good!!

Answer 7

You could try the conditioner and comb method as it is kinder to the hair than over the counter remedies. Alternatively, you could add a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to the shampoo as it is a natural insect repellant? Just ensure that Eucalyptus is not ingested as it is a toxic oil, or gets into the eyes.

Answer 8

You have to keep treating them. First you have to treat her bedding every day. Keep all her stuffed animals in air tight plastic bags for 2-3 weeks at least. Throw away her pillow and get her a new one. Don't forget to wash and dry her coat, gloves and hats (if nothing else throw them in the dryer every day for at least 30 minutes on high heat.)

Get some cheep olive oil and a good lice/nit comb set. soak her head with the olive oil and put a plastic bag over the hair. Let the oil soak in for about an hour or so. Then comb, comb, comb, and just when you have had enough, comb again. (I always put a plastic trash bag on the floor under the chair to catch the drips while I comb, rinsing the comb out with every pull in the sink under hot running water) Be very carefull you don't get any critters on you...they do jump no matter what the experts tell you! Wash her hair out with regular shampoo. Comb through her hair every morning (for weeks) and do the oil thing once or twice a week until you are clear. It really takes 6-8 weeks to get rid of them once they get into your house. Keep vacuming alot, spraying funiture and mattress, if it helps, you get really good at it after a while! lol I have also heard that if you color your hair it will kill them (gotta love chemicals) and I heard that if you use a lot of hair spray they won't start as they can't stand sticky hair spray. I have also heard of using mayo instead of oil. No matter what you do you still have to comb alot. And keep it up. I know one mom that does the olive oil/comb method once a week to prevent them in the first place. (they got it really bad one year and she still lives in fear!)

If there is carpet in your child's class room tell her to keep off of it and talk to the teacher if it continues...they really need to treat the room and check all the kids in the class as well if you can't get it under contol over the holiday's.

Also reassure your child that it is not her fault. Thoes critters like clean hair. And they are getting resistant to all the stuff out there to kill them. I think that is why we have to go back to home methods. Hang in there...you'll get through it. Make sure you check all your family as well!! Good luck.

Answer 9

Head lice live & reproduce only on human beings & transmitted by direct or indirect contact such as sharing of brushes,hats towels & beddings.
* use a pediculicide shampoo towel dry the hair,remove the nits w/ a fine comb& repeat treatment in 7 days.
* teach the child not to share clothing , headware,brushes or combs.
* beddings & clothings used by your daughter shd be changed daily , laundered in hot water w/detergent & dried in a hot dryer for 20 mins. hope these can help!

Answer 10

It's not enough to just get rid of them in her hair. You have to get rid of them in her clothes, her bed, her coat, her hat, EVERYTHING. She may be getting reinfested at home, not at school. The whole house and everything in it should be treated. Check other family members, too. I would also talk to the school about what they are doing to prevent reinfestation there... are they checking all of the kids, not just the ones who might have nits? Do they have dividers between the kids' coat hooks? If your daughter's coat is stuffed next to another child's coat and there are live lice on either one, they will crawl, get on another coat and eventually into someone else's hair. Tell your daughter to NEVER wear anyone else's hat, coat, sweater, etc. To really get rid of lice, you need to treat the source of infestation... not just the child.

Good luck, this can get quite expensive!