Well first day back at school after the half term break, and for once I am actually not worrying as much about the dreaded head visitors. Yes I mean headlice, nits, bugs, crawlies, call them what you will. We have been using a product from Hedrin over the half term and it seems to be doing the trick in keeping them at bay for now at least.
This is the Protect & Go conditioning spray. It comes in a useful spray bottle which has a bottle lock when not in use. I use this on all my children's hair once a day in the morning before brushing and especially so with both my girls. It does not need to be used every day tho as the recommendation from Hedrin is twice weekly.
It works by disrupting the life cycle of the headlice and thus prevents an infestation. It's a water based conditioner which can be used on both wet and dry hair. It is formulated with non volatile ingredients and suitable for anyone and all types of hair.
The spray does not smell like nit lotions or been like tea tree (which none of us are too fond of) it has a very pleasant fragrance of orange & mango meaning hair will smell lovely after use. As well as keeping the lice away the spray also helps me manage Jordannas thick bushy curly hair, of which she has a lot of. I simply spray onto to her hair liberally and it acts as a detangler meaning it's easier to brush. It also seems to give a lovely shine to their hair and makes it lovely and soft.
Of course this may not keep the lice away forever. Should they return then Hedrin also have a good selection of headlice treatments. I have used their Treat & Go mousse, which can be used should any live lice be found.
Like most headlice treatments, this requires 2 treatments 7 days apart and it needs to be left on for 8 hours so it's best applied at night and rinsed in the morning. The good thing about this particular treatment is that in comes in mousse form and is not at all greasy. Whilst working it dries into the hair and children will forget they have it on. Once the lice are gone, the treatment should continuer with the Protect & Go product above.
Both of these products can be purchased from Boots, Amazon, Tesco, Asda and most supermarkets and chemists. Prices vary.
Hedrin have also provided me with some useful information on headlice to share.
Q&A with Christine Brown, former school nurse.
1) What ARE head lice? “Head lice are small wingless insects that live on the scalp, feeding from the blood. Baby lice are extremely small but mature within 10 days and only after that are they able to reproduce, with numbers growing more slowly than most people think. Females lay several viable eggs a day and adult lice can live for as long as a month.”
2) How do they spread? “Lice are spread only by head-to-head contact, so sleepovers, after school activities, playing with friends and visiting family are the most common places for children to pick them up and pass them on.”
3) How do you know if you've got them (as the child and as the parent looking)? “Although the best known symptom is the itching, although only about 30% are aware of it – the only true way of knowing is by regular checks with a head lice detection comb. Head lice can be uncomfortable, can prevent sleep and concentration, and can cause bullying. It’s best for parents to check for head lice using a comb made for the purpose – ideally white, so that lice can be easily seen and with teeth no more than 0.3mm apart. Research has shown that detection combing is nearly four times more effective than visual inspection for finding live lice. Lice are around 2-4mm long but immature lice are even smaller, living close to the scalp. Nits are dead or empty shells, which can be removed by hand or by combing.”
4) Why are kids more prone? And girls? “Children are more prone as they are in close contact with each other. Children aged 4 to 11 are most at risk but no one is immune. Girls and women do tend to be more prone as girls tend to play more closely together and women are the carers of the family. But there are certainly plenty of boys and men with lice.”
5) Any preventative measures? eg things to avoid, products to use ” Avoiding will not stop you from catching head lice! Hedrin have just launched a clinically proven head lice protection spray called Protect & Go. It’s a mango and orange scented conditioning spray which should be used at least twice a week. It protects children from the parasites by breaking the life cycle and killing lice before an infestation can be established. The spray is also kind to children’s hair and should be used as part of the regular cleaning regime, much the same as cleaning teeth or using shampoo.”
6) If you've got them, what should you do? “If you find live lice, firstly, don’t worry. Head lice are a normal part of life and there is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Research suggests lice have become resistant to pesticide treatments, so pick a non pesticide treatment which will work by smothering the lice and either stripping them of their waxy coating, causing them to dehydrate or blocking the openings to their air tubes, disrupting their ability to manage water. These physical modes of action mean there is theoretically no chance for the head lice to build up a resistance. Try a treatment containing dimeticone or octanediol, which are used in Hedrin’s treatment products. If you’re unsure about treatment options, speak to your pharmacist.”
7) Are treatments still as noxious and overpowering as I remember them as a kid, or are there gentler versions now? “No – the new insecticides treatments are odourless, non stinging, easy to use and kind to skin and hair.”
8) What's the key ingredient that kills them and is there a natural alternative? “With non pesticide treatments, the key ingredients in use are dimeticone, octanediol and isopropyl myristate. There is limited evidence to show that natural remedies, such as tea tree oil, mayonnaise etc are effective in eradicating head lice.”
9) Does the whole family need to be treated? “Only if you find live lice on other members of the family, never treat ‘just in case’.”
10) What would happen if you left nits untreated? “Nits are the hatched or dead eggs. They remain on the hair as long as the hair is on the head and having them on your hair will make no difference to the hair or to you. However, leaving head lice untreated thus leading to a long term untreated infection has similar symptoms to low-grade flu and can make a child irritable and can result in a secondary bacterial infection.”
11) Is it true they prefer clean hair? “Having head lice has nothing to do with personal hygiene. Head lice can live on all types of hair and no preference exists between clean or dirty hair!”
12) Does the 'nit nurse' still exist in schools? “No! Employing a nit nurse is not an effective method of controlling head lice. To adhere to best practice, each of the 5.5 million primary school children in the UK would need to be checked by the nit nurse once every week! So the likelihood of each child receiving a thorough check is minimal at best. Even if the nit nurse checked and found lice it would still be up to the parents to choose and use a treatment. Parents need to feel empowered to check for head lice regularly and feel confident about using an appropriate treatment when an infestation is found. The website www.onceaweektakeapeek.co.uk has some great advice for parents on managing and treating head lice.”
COMPETITION
I have a bottle of Hedrin Protect & Go conditioning spray (as above) to give away.
The competition is open to residents of the UK and will end Novmber 30 2014.
Enter here.
Posted with BlogsyWin competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com – See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/hedrin-conditioning-spray#sthash.9VO6Iblj.dpuf
Thanks for the giveaway, my only advice is for preventing head lice. Lots of conditioner each time hair is washed and for girls to have hair tied up for school and nursery etc
Thank you for this giveaway. My daughter literally only got them last week for the first time so this would be very useful for the rest of our house. We were recommended Vosene Shampoo and spray in conditioner as it has Tea Tree in which apparently repels Head Lice. Fingers crossed it helps in the future.
My girl has had head lice recently…..Grrr! Keep checking your child’s hair every few days….It’s easier to get rid of head lice when they are new then when they have laid lots of eggs….I’m itching now…hehehe
I always comb through conditioner in my daughter’s hair and have started using the Vosene Kids 3in1 Conditioning Shampoo with Natural Head Lice Repellents and so far so good
keep checking after bath time- they are getting harder to get rid off
use a defense spray each day and check regularly
its been a huge problem at my daughters school since she started back in September, I have had to treat her weekly and its cost me a fortune! check the hair by combing with conditioner
use plenty on conditioner.
we tie hair up for pre school normally up high or tight braids then spray on to repel any crawlers worked so far
great comp
I’ve got no advice, my sons just turned 2 and we’ve had the dreaded letter from nursery, so i’m looking for tips
tea tree oil is supposed to be effective but wouldn’t trust it 100%
I do not have an advice.I do not have kids yet.
I use gel on my sons hair and so far he hasnt had any
comb every day with a nit comb
I use a tea tree spray and fingers crossed none so far
comb with a nit comb
Keep girls’ hair tied back at nursery/school or parties to stop them spreading.
my top tip is to keep checking your childs hair often i check mine every night
Keep long hair tied back tightly – makes it harder for them to transfer heads
a good comb!
Lots of combing x
Regular use of a tea tree shampoo and conditioner should keep the nasty little critters away – as well as daily wet combing
Check your childs hair often, and with girls with long hair, tie it up or plait it and cover it in hairspray for school!
check your childs hair often and always wear hair up
my mum use to wash our hair with vinegar every so often,
Tie up long hair
leave in conditioner and hair tied back
plenty of hair spray and keep hair tied up
Nitty Gritty comb is fab used with conditioner. It won’t work in my little girls curly hair though so I have to use a lotion on her if she gets them.
Loads of tea tree spray
I comb through conditioner on my childrens hair every bath – no Nits!!! and I use a derrerant spray on their hair for school (smells of almonds)
tree tree conditioner
at least once a week go through with a nit comb and use tea tree shampoo/conditioner x