DETECTION COMBING – WET HAIR METHOD

• Wash the hair in the normal way with ordinary shampoo.
• Rinse out the shampoo and put on lots of ordinary conditioner.
• Comb the hair with a normal comb to get rid of tangles.
• When the hair is untangled switch to a detection comb. This is a special fine-toothed comb. (The teeth of normal combs are too far apart and the teeth of ‘nit combs’ are too close together.) Some pharmacies stock detection combs.

 

– Bug Buster® detection combs are available on prescription. You can also get them by mail order from Community Health Concern (see under ‘Further help & information’, below).

– A nylon/plastic head lice comb should be used, metal combs are not suitable as the teeth are too close together. The lice can get stuck between the teeth of the metal combs and can be combed back into the hair.

 

• Slot the teeth of the detection comb into the hair at the roots so it is touching the scalp.
• Draw the detection comb through to the tips of the hair.
• Make sure that all parts of the hair are combed by working around the head.
• Check the comb for lice after each stroke. A magnifying glass may help.
• If you see any lice, clean the comb by wiping it on a tissue or rinse it before the next stroke.
• After the whole head has been combed, rinse out the conditioner.
• Repeat the combing procedure in the wet hair to check for any lice that might have been missed the first time.

 

If you find head lice you can chose to use a chemical treatment or can remove them by wet combing. The school nurse is able to give you advice on how to successfully treat head lice, some school nurses can prescribe treatment, however not all school nurses can do this, please check with your local team. If you are using a chemical treatment, this should be repeated after seven days to ensure any newly hatched lice are killed before they have a chance to lay any eggs.

Wet combing is a good way to clear head lice, although this takes time, it is effective.

 

Follow the instructions for the detection wet hair method as above, but you will need to do this at least once every four days. The number of sessions that you will need will depend on the last time you see lice.

• The first combing session should remove all hatched head lice but does not remove eggs. Therefore lice that hatch from eggs after the first session may still be present.
• Subsequent sessions clear newly hatched lice. Keep doing the combing sessions every four days until you have had three sessions where no lice are detected.
• Once you have had three sessions where you do not see any lice, it usually means that you are then free of lice.

 

Treatment is only required if live head lice are found, there is no need to treat all family members if head lice are not detected. Regular wet combing can help with early detection and treatment can be given promptly before spread to others. The use of preventative lotions and sprays are not proven to be effective in the prevention of head lice.

 

For further information contact your school nurse team or find information on line at

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/head-lice-and-nits

http://www.chc.org/homedir/whatisbugbusting.cfm

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Head-lice/Pages/Treatment.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/childhealth6-15/Pages/Nits.aspx