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The Comb and Condition Method of Lice Treatment
You may be hesitant to use an over-the-counter lice treatment on your child’s head. If you are, several other methods can be effective in treating head lice. Head lice breathe through small openings along their abdomen. If those openings are covered by a sticky, slimy substance for more than 20 minutes to slow them down.
Combing alone will not get rid of head lice. They move fast and a comb running through dry hair is easy for them to avoid. The hair must be wet and be covered with a substance that will slow the lice down and loosen the nits on the hair shaft.
Anything that is thick and slimy will slow them down so they can be combed out. Parents have tried mayonnaise, hairstyling gel, Vaseline and vegetable oil. These methods work on the same principle. Cut off their air for 20 minutes and comb them out.
If you are planning to use this method, be sure to have a bowl of hot soapy water to dip the comb in after each pass through the hair. Tissues may also be used to wipe the comb after each use. If you plan to use tissue, have a plastic bag handy to dispose the tissues or flush them down the toilet. These methods are fine but you need to be aware they are hard to shampoo out of the hair. It may take up to a month for the residue of these treatments to be completely washed out of the hair.
Combing out nits is time-consuming and requires patience by the parent and the child. It will help if you pop in a video or provide some other form of entertainment to the child while combing out the nits. Wrap a towel around the child’s shoulder to catch any drips and it is helpful if they are sitting on a stool between your legs. Remove any hair accessories and comb out any braids.
Apply a liberal amount of hair conditioner to the head and gently massage it through to all the hair shafts. Plan to using a lot of conditioner, it must reach every hair shaft to catch the lice. It is not necessary for the whole length of the hair to be covered by conditioner because combing will spread it through the hair.
You are using the conditioner method to slow the lice down long enough for you to comb them out. Use a good nit comb. They are available at any local drugstore or grocery store. You may also use a new pet flea brush. The teeth should be close together so you can catch any lice found in that section of hair.
After applying the conditioner, use a large comb to separate the hair into sections. Starting at the neck area, comb each section with the nit comb and work toward the crown of the head. Eggs are commonly found near the ears and at the nape of the neck. If you start at the neck and work up, you will have a better chance of catching all the lice.
After you comb each small section, wipe the comb on a paper towel. You will be able to see any lice you may have found on that paper towel. Keep combing! You must continue to comb through the hair until you no longer see any lice or eggs on the paper towel after a comb through. It is important that you be thorough with this process. Any nits left behind will develop into adult head lice. Once you have completed combing and treating the hair, putting it in braids will help control a reinfestation.
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Wed 27 Aug 2008 19:27:10 CST | |