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If you're not itchy now you soon will be ...Nits can be a real problems if you've got kids at school. But do you know how to spot them or what to do with them? Read our guide ... |
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| Nit facts | - Head lice are tiny greyish-brown insects, about 2.5mm long
- They live on blood which they get by biting the scalp
- Lice are equally likely to be found on clean or dirty hair
- They're passed on by head-to-head contact
- Hair grows at about 1cm a month; so a nit 2cm from the scalp was therefore laid about two months ago.
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As part of BBC Radio Cumbria's 'School week' CSV Action has been scratching around for information on nits, that age-old problem if you've got kids at school. What are head lice and nits? Head lice are tiny grey/brown insects. They cling to hairs, but stay close to the scalp which they feed off. They lay eggs which hatch after 7-10 days. It takes about 10 days for a newly hatched louse to grow to an adult and start to lay eggs.
Nits are the empty white egg shells which are left when the lice hatch. Nits can look like dandruff, but stick strongly to hair. Unlike dandruff, you cannot easily brush out nits. How can you tell if you have head lice? Most people get an itchy scalp. Many infected people have no symptoms, but can still pass lice on to others. Head lice are difficult to find just by looking in the hair. If you suspect head lice, it is best to do 'detection combing'. The experts recommend you do this to children's hair regularly, about once a week. How can I get rid of them? - Wash the hair in the normal way with ordinary shampoo.
- Rinse out the shampoo and put on lots of ordinary conditioner.
- Comb the hair with a normal comb to get rid of tangles.
- When the hair is untangled switch to a detection comb. This is a special fine toothed comb that you can buy at pharmacies.
- Comb through all of the hair.
- Check the comb for lice after each stroke.
- If you see any lice, clean the comb by wiping it on a tissue or rinse it before the next stroke.
- Comb over a white surface such as white paper. This is so that any head lice that are flicked out by the comb are easy to see.
- After the whole head has been combed, rinse out the conditioner.
- While the hair is still wet, use an ordinary comb to get rid of tangles.
- Repeat the detection combing in the rinsed hair to check for any lice that you might have missed the first time.
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| | | last updated: 13/03/06 | | SEE ALSO
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