ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How To Get Rid Of Nits

Updated on November 28, 2011

How To Get Rid Of Nits

The first sign of head lice is often the presence of nits - the hatched, empty eggshell of the animal. Usually these are a good indicator that you or your child are infested with nits. While lice and nits are often associated with bad hygiene, this is not the case - lice will gladly colonize clean and dirty hair alike. Their main (and only) method of transmission is by crawling along a hair to another hair - head lice don't jump. Schools and other places of close physical contact are good transmission vectors for lice.

The most important thing when treating head lice is not to panic - it won't help you, and it certainly won't help your child. Before applying any kind of treatment, make sure that you have positively identified the nits, and have found live head lice. If the infestation has been going on for a longer period of time, there may be a rash at the base of the scalp as well as itching and irritation across the head.

This article will show you how to get rid of nits, and how to make sure they're really gone. I'll discuss various treatment methods - from the conventional (and currently best) to the more adventurous types. Be aware that for children, the only method I can recommend is wet combing; it has the least side effects - physical as well as psychological.

As usual, it is always recommended to visit a medical professional. They may be able to offer alternate and more efficient methods of treatment.

Source

The Wet-Comb Method

The simplest method of head lice removal is also the most effective: combing. Specifically, wet-combing. The only special equipment you'll need for this is a very fine-toothed comb - something you can pick up in any pharmacy.

The wet-comb method:

  • Wash the hair thoroughly, and apply abundant conditioner.
  • Comb the hair normally until the comb moves through it smoothly. Then switch to the fine-toothed comb.
  • Comb through the hair bit by bit, making sure to cover every inch. This should take at least 30 minutes.
  • Repeat every 3-4 days for two weeks - usually the fifth, ninth, and thirteenth day after the first treatment.

This method is effective at removing the lice directly, and the repetition will make sure you also cover any eggs that you may have missed.

The advantages of this method are that you don't need any medicated products, and that there are no side effects. It is also very effective, and is usually the method recommended by medical professionals. It is also the only method I will recommend to be used on children.

Medicated Treatment Options

There are three main options open to those who prefer chemical treatments. Please note that the method above is the most effective, and that the treatments outlined below are only provided for completeness.

Insecticide-based products: Insecticides usually kill by a number of means - most commonly neural damage. A few insecticides for head lice exist, and are available commercially either as shampoos or as sprays. Head lice have developed resistance to some of these, so be sure to ask your pharmacist which ones are effective.

Silicon-based products: Silicon-based products work by covering the lice and their eggs, and by cutting off their air supply. While undeniably effective, the treatment should be repeated a few times, since the eggs are somewhat resistant.

Alcohol-based products: Alcohol applied topically to the head has been shown to be effective, but can cause irritations and dryness of skin.

Final Notes

As an adult, the most effective method of getting rid of lice is simply shaving your head or cutting the hair very short. While this is usually not popular, it is unarguably effective, especially if you're dealing with a particularily tenacious infestation. I strongly recommend against shaving children's heads, as they will have to deal with their peers, and may suffer psychologically.

I am aware that there are natural remedies that can be used to get rid of lice (such as aniseed or coconut oil). Since they haven't been proven to be effective yet, and the wet-comb method is perfectly natural, I've decided not to include them.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)