Top tips for knocking lice on the head

The human head louse (‘pediculus humanus capitis’) affects around 20 million people worldwide each year. A head louse infestation (‘pediculosis’) is not a sign of bad hygiene or poor parenting. It just means your child has had head-to-head contact with someone with head lice.

Head lice are tiny (2-4mm long) wingless brown parasites that live in the hair and on the head of humans, feeding on blood from the scalp. While an itchy scalp – caused by the body’s reaction to the saliva from head lice as they feed – can be a sign of lice, the only way to confirm a head louse infestation is to find a live head louse, and this calls for a good detection method.

‘Detection combing’ involves combing wet hair, coated thoroughly in hair conditioner, in sections from root to tip using a special fine-toothed comb. After each stroke, check the teeth of the comb – if head lice are present, you should find one on the teeth of the comb.

There are many treatment options open to you. Insecticides are available over the counter in the form of nit shampoo, nit lotion, nit mousse or nit liquid. However, these synthetic head lice products contain toxic chemicals which can be potentially deadly. Insecticides are also now only around 30% effective as today’s strains of head lice have built up a resistance to them. And, while insecticides can kill head lice, they fail to break down the glue that binds head lice eggs (‘nits’) to the hair shaft. When these hatch, re-infestation occurs.

Natural head lice remedies are becoming more popular with the growth of the herbal market over recent decades. Nit-Nurse is a natural formula based on plant extracts and oils (including Olea europaea – one of nature’s healers proven to eliminate parasites – and Eucalyptus globulus – a powerful natural disinfectant) that eradicates lice safely and effectively.

This non-toxic head lice remedy breaks the head lice lifecycle by interfering with lice reproduction. In just 10 minutes, its active ingredients kill lice and dissolve the glue that binds nits to the hair shaft. Nits can then be quickly and easily combed out using the nit comb provided. Plus, Nit-Nurse’s mild formulation means it is safe to use in place of regular shampoo to prevent lice.