Dear DOLLY, I think I have nits. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them? J
Nits are very common, especially in schools. "Nits" actually refers to the eggs of headlice. Headlice are a tiny insect that live only on human heads. They lay eggs (nits) on the hair, about 1.5 cm from the scalp which hatch after 5 - 7 days. Headlice mainly cause an itchy scalp and they move from one head to another easily by swinging from one person's hair to the next when hairs contact each other. Enough of the biology lesson!
To find out whether you have nits, you will probably need someone else to look through your scalp. Nits tend to get laid behind the ears and at the back of the scalp, at the top of the neck. They are white or grey in colour, and firmly stuck to the hair with a special glue which makes them distinguishable from dandruff. Headlice can sometimes be seen moving around the scalp too. There are dozens of chemical and herbal preparations available in supermarkets or pharmacies.
Chemical preparations kill headlice and some herbal preparations might but none of them can kill 100% of the nits because of the special glue surrounding each nit. These nits can hatch after treatment so it's recommended to repeat the treatment after 7 - 10 days.
Don't overuse treatments because headlice can develop resistance to the chemicals. If you do have headlice, my suggestion would be to purchase a treatment and use as directed, as well as getting someone - perhaps a parent - to use a fine nit comb and go through your whole head physically removing any nits.
A treatment that seems to be almost as effective is using conditioner in the same way you would use a chemical or herbal treatment. Apply lots of conditioner which seems to stun the lice and stops them moving for 20 minutes. You can then use a nit comb to remove them. You will still need someone to go through your head and remove the nits.
Although lice and nits are a total pain in the neck, the good thing is that they don't cause any permanent harm. Everyone in the family should be treated too, and it's a good idea to wash pillowcases, hats and hairbrushes in hot water. Check out more nitbuster advice at www.health.nsw.gov.au/headlice/treatment/index.html
