Bug Busting
Cressing Primary’s approach to the very common issue of head lice;
We recommend that every parent uses the conditioner and comb treatment on the same day. This means that there is less chance of the headlice crossing from one head to another because some have been treated and others not. Friday evening is the day agreed by parents; please check and treat your child every Friday so that we can work together to eradicate this problem, thank you.
Head Lice Treatment
Conditioner and a nit comb – the solution to reinfection
If all children or adults at risk put conditioner on their hair once a week and combed it out with a fine tooth comb, head lice would become a minor problem.
Conditioner and fine tooth comb technique
- Apply conditioner to wet or dry hair aiming to cover each hair from root to tip with a layer of conditioner.
- Detangle the hair using an ordinary comb.
- Immediately comb the hair with a fine tooth comb. The best comb for this are combs with cylindrical metal teeth, not flat teeth.However, plastic nit combs with conditioner are also effective at detecting and removing climbers with conditioner, but far less effective for eggs.
- Wipe the conditioner off the fine tooth comb onto a paper tissue and look for lice and eggs.
- Repeat the combing for every part of the head at least 5 times.
If you find less than 5 lice, repeat the conditioner and fine tooth combing daily until all lice and nits are gone. If you find more than 5 lice, consider using an insecticidal treatment from the Doctor or Chemist. Remember to retreat in 7 days, and to use conditioner treatment as above.
Why use conditioner?
Conditioner stuns head lice! The stunning effect seems to last about 20 minutes. After this time most lice are active again. Use conditioner on hair to increase the rate of detection. Applying conditioner to dry hair is best, but it will work on wet hair also. Older children should be encouraged to use conditioner and nit comb technique in the shower as part of their normal hair care. If they do this once or twice a week, newly invaded lice will be detected and removed before they have time to lay many eggs. Re-infection will be controlled.
Thank you for your help.