Some of the lotions claim they can beat head lice in a day. The truth, asKaty McGuinness has found out the hard way, is never quite so straightforward.
The first notice this term went up in my children's school last week. "Second class - head lice. Treated and gone." Would that it were so straightforward.
A family's induction into the world of head lice is a sobering moment. When the little critters first visited our house I made a shame-faced trip to the chemist and spent the evening ringing anyone my children had come in contact with over the past week to apologise. The childminder threatened to quit because she and her boyfriend had fallen victim. I faffed around with some noxious lotion, believing the packet when it said one application would suffice. Foolish me. They were back in a week. Now I know a full-blown military campaign is required.
You have to understand head lice to fight them effectively. They arrive by head-to- head contact; they can neither jump nor fly. This is why infestations are most common among younger children, who tend to work very closely together at school, and parents who cuddle a lot. Lice are not a sign of dirty hair or poor hygiene.
They are, however, a brownish-grey and notoriously difficult to spot. Their eggs are dark brown or black and tend to be laid close to the scalp. Favourite places are the nape of the neck and behind the ears. Eggs adhere to the hair shaft using a glue secreted by the mother. Empty eggs are white.
A female louse can lay six to eight eggs a day and live for up to 30 days. The eggs take between seven and 10 days to hatch and a further two weeks to mature.
Bug-killing lotions, whether traditional chemical-based brands or newer, more natural products, may - and there are no guarantees - kill any lice on the head, but they are ineffective against eggs. So any parents thinking a one-off application and a quick fine comb to remove dead lice will sort out the problem are fooling themselves.
As your children are likely to have several infestations during their school years - and as lice are increasingly resistant to traditional pyrethoid compounds - do you really want to expose them to chemicals that may be carcinogenic and are advised against for people with asthma or eczema?
Any health shop will have a selection of natural products (some smell better than others: Nitty Gritty and Hair Wars are pleasant enough). You can also make your own by adding 12 drops each of rosemary, geranium, lavender, eucalyptus and lemon oils to 100 millilitres of sweet almond or sunflower oil. Alternatively, add 15 drops each of rose, geranium and lavender oil and 25 drops of tea-tree oil. Massage it well into the hair, wrap in cling film, then leave it for two hours before washing it out.
Whichever lotion you use, be rigorous:
Day 1: apply lotion, leave for required time, fine-comb to remove dead lice and any still wriggling, shampoo to remove lotion. When hair is dry, examine head thoroughly in good natural light, dividing hair into sections, and remove any eggs using nails or a comb such as the Nitty Gritty NitFree.
Day 2: examine for eggs, removing any you find. Wash and shampoo hair as normal. Apply a lot of conditioner and fine-comb through. This will catch any live lice that have escaped detection.
Day 3 (and every third day until all lice and eggs are gone, which may take two weeks): apply lotion again as for Day 1.
As an extra deterrent, two drops each of eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender essential oils in the rinse water may work; many parents find tea-tree shampoo to be helpful.
More information about the Nitty Gritty NitFree nit comb from www.nittygritty.co. uk or 0044-20-74600166