How to get rid of lice – use THIS treatment to banish nits and eggs

While head lice are common in young children, adults are still susceptible to catching them. 

Dirty hair does not attract them, they are simple passed on via head-to-head contact. 

Lice can be difficult to spot, as they only grow up to 3mm long and they are dark brown in colour. 

But trails of their eggs or an itchy head can be a good indication they are present. 

The only way to make sure you or your child has head lice is by finding live lice or eggs, which are also known as nits. 

The best way to do this is to comb hair with a detection comb – a special fine-toothed comb. 

These are available to buy in pharmacies and online. 

If you find a head lice problem you do not necessarily have to visit your GP. 

The NHS states on its website to treat head lice as soon as you spot them. 

It says: “You should check everyone in the house, and treat them on the same day if they have head lice. 

“There’s no need to keep your child off school with head lice.” 

It recommends using lotions or sprays that can kill head lice in all types of hair. 

On its website it says: “Head lice should die within a day. Lotions and sprays come with a comb to remove dead lice and eggs. 

“Some treatments need to be repeated after a week to kill any newly-hatched lice. Check the pack to see whether they’r okay for you or your child to use and how long they should be left in the hair. 

“If lotions or sprays don’t work, speak to your pharmacist about other treatments.”

Products which contain permethrin, head lice “repellents” electric head lice combs and tree/plant oil treatments are not recommended because they are unlikely to work. 

If you would prefer not to use chemicals, the NHS says you can just use a fine-toothed comb to remove head lice, repeating every few days for two weeks.

In September this year it was reported an increasing number of parents are refusing to treat infestations.