Lice treatment is not always successful, and many parents have to deal with the fact that head lice keep coming back. Yet many people also overlook the most crucial step in their battle against these parasites: combing lice and nits.
Combing with a lice comb is actually one of the best and most reliable treatment for head lice, and here how to use a lice comb.
Indeed, if there were a contest to determine the best lice removal method, for sure the lice comb would be the winner, not the lice shampoo. According to some British Medical Journal research, lice combs are the surest way to get rid of head lice.
However, there are certain rules you should follow when using a head lice comb and here are these rules.
- Make sure to choose a metal lice comb, not a plastic one. The best lice comb is made of steel and has very thin teeth. You can purchase these combs at CVS or Walgreens and you get to choose between several brands such as Licemeister, Liceguard or Nit Free terminator lice comb. Some people swear by the electric lice comb, which can remove adult lice very well, but they are more expensive and they do not remove nits.
- Combing out head lice requires some preparation. Wash your hair first, to make it softer and easier to brush through. Cover your shoulder and back with a white towel. It will protect you from lice going under your clothes. You can see them easily, when they drop on a towel. And brush your hair with a regular comb to remove any knots.
- The combing should be done from top downwards. Try to comb as close to the scalp as possible. Nits are located high up in the hair, very close to the head (usually within half an inch). Make sure to comb the hair lock by lock. This way you can remove most adult lice and lice eggs.
Do not just brush through the entire hair. Go lock by lock, selecting small portions of hair. You may braid them after you are done with combing each lock.
Or, you may move from one side of the head to another, separating the brushed hair from the un-brushed one. Clip it together with a clip.
Once you see you have combed out a lice or a nit, you should remove it from the nit comb. You may immerse it in the hot water or clean the comb, using the towel.
Comb the hair, until no nits or lice can be found on it. The combing and hair inspection should be done in clear light or sunlight. Else, you miss some of the parasites and leave them on the head.
The combing should be finished up by shampooing your hair and rinsing with warm water.
The areas of your head that lice favor the most are the back of the neck and behind the ears. So, these should be given a special attention. Lice feed on your blood and in those areas it is easier for them to get to it. Those areas of the head are the warmest, so most nits are laid there.
Some precautions have to be taken after the combing is over. Wash your clothes and clean the comb in hot or boiling water, if it is made of steel.
The combing out of head lice is not a one time treatment. It has to be done over and over again for several days in a row. Some live lice may lay more nits and you should not allow for those nits to hatch.
Lice combing is a time consuming task. It should be done thoroughly and may take a couple of hours every time you do it. It can be tiresome for kids, so make sure to provide them with some kind of entertainment during this process.
When you get re-infested with head lice, there is no need to purchase a new lice comb. Use the old one, and only make sure to clean it well every time you use it.
That seems to be working very well. I am a licensed cosmetologist and I used a nit comb and a Jeweler’s loupe so that I can see the actual lice on the nit comb. I continue to comb sliding from scalp to end of the hair and in every direction until I don’t see any more lice on the hair comb. I did use the coconut oil remedy and put some vinegar, shampoo, olive oil and tea tree oil but I used olive oil because my coconut oil was too hard to get out of the jar. I will use it tomorrow. My granddaughter must have given it to me.
I thought I must have an allergy to something but no it was lice!
Wow it was helpful. My daughter used to scracth her head so hard I thought it was a rash. I thought it was a rash so i let it pass. But it was lice and nits! Helpful. Thanks.????
So much information. Thank you so much. I hope it helps. We’ve been battling it for a month now and now I have it. We will beat this. Thank your for all this information.
Thanks so much for sharing, I’m trying this right now!!! We’re waiting for a couple of minutes (we picked 7 since that’s my little ones age and he enjoyed counting down with the phone in his hand – helpful tip). He keeps coughing saying the smell isn’t great but I keep reminding him that the smell is only temporary and that if this does work he won’t be scratching his sweet little head raw anymore. Crossing our fingers it works! Will be back to comment a review !
We are trying the vinegar technique right now. I hope it works. Last time we bought a $50 products but it killed everything. Yesterday my son said he thought he saw a head lice, so I spent over an hr combination thru with a lice comb. Nothing. So then today he tells me to come in the washroom, and (I had asked him to keep it if it happened again) lol and behold, there was another. This time I combed again and again, nothing.
But I saw it so, here we are. I too will post after its done. Wish us luck