Removing Nits For Effective Lice Treatment

2008-05-26 Word Count: 400 Category: Health & Fitness

Whenever we talk about treating head lice, sooner or later the subject of nits is sure to come up. Everyone knows that head lice are small grayish insects seen around the scalp. They are moving and although tiny, are easy to spot. A nit, however, is smaller and far less conspicuous. Recognizing and dealing with them is a critically Important part of successful lice treatment.

Nits are the eggs of the louse which attach firmly to the hair shafts, usually near the scalp. They will look like tiny grains of rice and cannot be removed by routine brushing or combing. Unlike lice, they do not move around or cause itching, so they must be searched for and eliminated. If a single one remains, recurrent infestation is possible.

The most convenient way to remove nits from hair is by using a fine-toothed nit comb. Nits are scrapped of from the hair because the teeth of this comb are very small and close together. A shampoo can be used to kill live lice, and then nits can be removed using the comb, through every strand of hair. Most lice treatments don't kill nits, but some do. Do not ever skip this step.

Lice are easy to kill, and even non-toxic home remedies like petroleum jelly will work. Nits must be removed of manually since most treatments kill lice only. Once they have been removed, they must be disposed of carefully since they can live for days. Rinse them down the drain or flush them rather than throwing them in the trash so they cannot hatch out later and cause a recurrence.

A nit that happens to fall off into your bed linens, your furnishings, your garments, or your child's plush toys can lay its eggs there. The house must be vacuumed throughout and all possible items washed and dried. Steam cleaning can also be useful. Whatever you cannot clean must be wrapped in a closed sack for approximately 21 days.

For several weeks after treating for lice, the head should be closely inspected for nits and any found should be removed and killed. Check the hairline and nape of the neck first, but examine the entire head. Repeat the lotion or shampoo as directed on the label. Lice are an annoying problem, but this is one case where "nitpicking detail" is literally the key to successful cures.

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Whenever we talk about treating head lice (www.licenders.com/articles/98631-nitslice.php), sooner or later the subject of nits is sure to come up. They are the eggs of the louse, which attach firmly to the hair shafts, usually near the scalp. The most convenient way to remove them from hair is by using a fine-toothed special comb, after using a shampoo that can kill them. Not every lice treatment (www.licenders.com/) works though.