At the thought or sight of nits in your hair, it’s off down to the pharmacy! It’s what we do especially as parents. But is shoving a bunch load of chemicals on ourselves or kids the only answer? Are there better options out there?
I don’t know about you, but getting that letter from school to say that there are cases of NITS again, sends shivers down me!
Our daughters hair has always been long and it takes forever to comb through it. If you think about children with frizzy hair, it must seem impossible to comb through never mind the fine tooth combs that you need to use.
Of course it is normally clean hair that can attract nits, but it still makes you feel terrible as you let the school know your dealing with them!
We have never been happy with the use of” Biocides” in some of these products. The last time we had to deal with this ( not that long ago). We ended up buying a product that didn’t sound too bad, but after 15 euros a bottle and having to buy two bottles for her length of hair. (You could still see the yukky things still crawling!)
Then a couple of days later back to square one. Plus the Nits had multiplied by then YUK !
WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TO HELP
It seems a nearly impossible feat to find products without something in them. I hope what we have found helps you in your choice of treatment.
I have come across a few other methods of getting rid of the head lice. This one below is an example of an electric method.
Yes we have tried this type before, a friend of ours who has six children found this method quite cost effective . You do have to look at the warnings . I have added these from the link.
Legal Disclaimer
It is not recommended for use by epileptics and those with a heart condition as the vibrations of the device may cause problems for some (when you touch the comb teeth in action there is a very slight tingling).
I don’t believe they kill the eggs, so you need to re- apply the comb. This is made by EPILADY
A comb, shaped to remove Hair Lice without chemicals, this looks good as it would cover more of the hair in one go. They are suggesting using it once a week in prevention as well. Good idea !
They also do other products.
This is the normal type we have used . At least it is metal, we have broken our fair share of plastic ones in the past! This has a lifetime guarantee.
This product says it without harsh chemicals, I will put some info below from their description. This is a shampoo.
I can not see a list of ingredients that I can copy to this page, though you can hover over one of the pictures provided to see a clearer picture of what it has in it.
- Repel Nasty Nits with Bertie’s Bug Basher Shampoo (1 x 250ml) – Formulated with essential oils to keep bugs away and keep hair nourished and fresh with notes of lemon and eucalyptus (perfume free).
- 100% Paraben Free and 100% Perfume Free – Bertie’s Blitzing Duo Pack was developed in the United Kingdom. It is made with essential oils and contains active ingredients to effectively eliminate and repel lice / eggs. Cure your child’s head lice problem the natural (and safe) way.
This one by PURESSENTIAL is a brand we are used to in France,and it is sold in our pharmacy’s.
I am much happier preventing something, than trying to get rid of this. This product is just from essential oils. A good description is given on the link.
HOME DIY WAYS OF GETTING RID OF HAIR LICE
We have tried a few ways ourselves, I include my husband in this too.
He has had huge patience, in combing our daughters hair in the past.
We have tried the method of using some TEA TREE OIL , mixed in with the conditioner .
This has worked but I think a lot of the success is from the comb and re- doing it every couple of days to catch the new Lice before they lay eggs.
Using Mouthwash to get rid of nits
The method of using a mouthwash to get rid of nits , i had seen this a few times, but not had a try. The recipe for this is by Fabulessly Frugal
We were getting so desperate we would have tried anything (non toxic)
This link to FIRST CRY PARENTING has 15 different homemade options worth a try.
This video Link is to MERCOLA which give another 3 safe ways in an easy to understand video.
NATURAL HAIR BRUSH
I have seen a lot of advice on brushing through your hair to remove any dust before going down a natural shampoo and hair care, I just wanted to see if there was some alternatives.
I love the fact it is natural but being a vegetarian I find the thought of this one a little “Jingly”. Not everyone is the same though. I find on my daughters hair, a good brush makes all the difference.
This brush is made from Natural Bamboo with a wooden bristle. This company seem to sell a lot of different products including wigs. You can click on their hair tools for more combs, hairbrushes etc.
USING HAIRSPRAY TO PREVENT NITS COMING BACK
I have heard that if you use some hairspray after getting rid of the nits, it can prevent them from getting near the scalp again. You can find some safer hairsprays and DIY ones made from fruits on this link to the blog on hair styling products.