The dreaded nits and lice
We’ve managed almost an entire nursery year, with no incidents of nits or lice for Little Miss Hair Helper. I was actually starting to feel pretty smug about it. Of course, as a parent you should NEVER feel smug about anything! I was practically asking for them wasn’t I?
On Friday, after swimming, we were due to hop straight into the car to head off on a little weekend away to East Sussex with our church. As I was drying Little Miss Hair Helper’s hair…I saw just one tiny little speck that made me stop and go “uh-oh”. On closer inspection, I realised that we had a (fortunately very mild) case of nits. I got out what I could, and not having anything else, popped some tea-tree oil into her hair. Tea-tree oil is a natural repellent for lice. As a precautionary measure I popped some onto Master Hair Helper’s head too – boys can get them too, these critters aren’t biased by gender. Needless to say, we made a stop past the pharmacy for a nit comb on our way to our destination. It’s best not to put any chemical treatments on unless you spot live lice.
The newest hair essential to join the Hair Helper family
I’d only ever seen nits and lice once before, so I had little idea of what I was looking for. I will say, it’s kind of like labour pain…you will know it when you see it! I’d also read a great article from our friends over at Mad House of Cats and Babies challenging some myths around the topic of head lice.
So far we are keeping on top of keeping the Hair Helper family clear of these critters with a nit comb and the tea tree oil. We will need to keep checking every couple of days to make sure we stay clear, as I haven’t yet found a live louse. I’m hoping it has made it’s escape from the tea-tree oil.
What do you use when your children get lice?
