Know your nits

It may still be the summer holidays, but now's the time to start thinking about problems that might develop when your kids go back to school in September. And one of the most common of those problems is an outbreak of head lice.

Your local pharmacist can provide all the advice you need on the subject, including how to detect nits and how to get rid of them. In the meantime, here's a quick guideÖ

What are they?

Head lice are the size of a pin when hatched. They have six legs and no wings, and are grey/brown in colour. They can't fly, jump or swim, so they can only spread by direct head-to-head contact (this explains why children are particularly susceptible to catching them while they are playing).

The most important thing to mention is that anyone can catch head lice. It's a myth that they like hair that isn't clean. In fact, they don't care if you have long, short, clean or dirty hair. Regular washing, however, may help you detect them.

How do you spot them?

If you know that there is an outbreak of nits at your child's school, here's how to check for them:

1. Wash your child's hair with their usual shampoo, then comb through using a wide-toothed comb. To make things easier, use conditioner after shampooing (but don't rinse it out just yet).

2. Once any tangles have been removed, switch to a much finer-toothed comb. You can buy a special nit comb from pharmacies - just ask your pharmacist to recommend one.

3. Comb through the hair, making sure that the comb gets right into the roots and then draws right down to the ends. After each stroke, check the comb for nits.

4. Rinse the hair to remove the conditioner. Then comb through thoroughly again while the hair is still wet.

Repeat the entire process regularly - and if you do find any lice, check the rest of the family's hair too.

How do you treat them?

Assuming you do find any live head lice, ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable product to get rid of any possible infestation (but don't use head lice products if you don't find anything). If the person being treated is less than a year old, or suffers from any allergies or asthma, or is pregnant or breastfeeding, tell your pharmacist.

Then follow the instructions on the label carefully, paying particular attention to how long you should leave the product on the hair and how often you should apply it. Then check the hair again about three to five days afterwards for any new lice that have just hatched, then again after 10 to 12 days.

For more information on head lice, call Community Hygiene Concern's Bug Buster help line on 01908 561928 or visit www.chc.org/bugbusting