Nits - Hair Care For Children

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Anyone who has suffered from head lice knows that nits are a big source of frustration. Younger children often catch head lice at schools. This is because lice infestations spread easily from one child to another. Girls have more trouble with lice than boys do, because girls often have longer hair. This gives lice a place to hide.

The first sign of head lice is an itchy scalp. If you notice your child scratching, you should check for lice. Lice are very small insects. It is extremely difficult to see them crawling around on the scalp. The things to look for are the lice eggs. These are laid on the hair near the scalp. They are usually the color of honey and look a little like dandruff, except they must be picked off of the hair. They will not brush away.

To find the nits in your child's hair, have her sit down, and then use a brush to push all of her hair to one side of her head. Start pulling small sections of hair onto the cleared side of the head to examine closely for small insects, eggs, and skin irritations. Repeat the process on the other side of the head. A child who scratches her scalp may cause irritations to become infected. If you find anything that looks like it could be infected, take your child to the doctor as she may need antibiotics to clear it up.

If your child has nits, you need to know how to get rid of head lice. There are many head lice treatments you can buy, and often you will need to buy more than one to be successful. The initial step is to bag and quarantine for three weeks any bedding and stuffed animals. That way the eggs will hatch and die off without anything to feed on. Then you should wash anything else that will fit in the washing machine in very hot water. Other clothes that can't go through the washer must be dry-cleaned.

You can buy shampoo over the counter. It is a good product to start with, although some lice build up a tolerance for these chemicals. You might need to go and get a prescription shampoo that is stronger. You should repeat treatment about a week after you do the first treatment. This will help ensure the lice are dead.

Using a fine-toothed comb on wet hair, you need to carefully comb through the hair bit by bit, removing any eggs or insects you find. After being removed from the hair of the host, nits will die quickly. Any hair accessories (i.e.

About the Author:
Most parents will eventually need to know how to get rid of head lice. An itching scalp means carefully examining the head for the tiny insects or the eggs which glue to the hair shafts and resemble tiny rice grains. Effective head lice treatments must kill all live insects and all eggs.



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