1. WHAT ARE HEAD LICE? 8.

HOW DO I WET-COMB MY CHILD’S HAIR

They are grey/brown insects, from pin-head or sesame Wash the hair with your ordinary shampoo. Put on
seed to match-head in size (1 - 3 mm long) that live close lots of any conditioner and comb it through with an
to the scalp on humans. The insects lay eggs. Each egg ordinary comb. This makes any lice really wet, which
is glued to a hair, often near the root. Lice and unhatched keeps them still. Then, using the detection comb,
eggs are hard to spot. slot the teeth of the comb into the hair at the roots
and draw the comb down to the ends. Check the
2. WHAT ARE NITS? comb for lice every time you do this. Make sure there
Nits are the empty egg cases left behind when the lice is good light, daylight is best. Continue until you
hatch out. They are usually pearly white. Both eggs and have worked through each section of hair and have
checked the whole head. Rinse off the conditioner
and repeat the combing while the hair is still wet.

3. HOW DO LICE SPREAD?

9. HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO THIS?
When two heads are touching for a minute or more, the lice
It is a good idea to get into a routine and do
climb rapidly through the hair from one head to another.
QUICK TIPS FOR WET COMBING CHILD’S HAIR it about once a week. This means you will be
or amble onto bedding or hats are usually dying and
• Buy the detection comb in a pharmacy Treating early helps cut down on the number
harmless. Lice caught on combs can re-establish if they
of people in the family, or who are close to the
• Hair should be wet, use regular shampoo are combed back on again within 48 hours.
child, who will get head lice.
• Put lots of any conditioner on
4. BUT I’VE SEEN THEM JUMP ON THE COMB
• Comb from roots right to ends of hair
10. WHAT DO I DO IF I FIND LICE?
• Work through hair, section by section, checking comb
each time off the comb.
family and treat only those who have them. Also let
• Have plenty light, daylight is best 5. WHO CAN GET THEM? people who have been in close contact with anyone
• If moving lice are found, check all family with lice know, so they can check as well.
Anyone with hair. They aren’t fussy about clean or dirty
• Do this every week hair. Children tend to get them more than adults, probably
because they put their heads together more than adults do. 11. WHAT DO I USE TO TREAT THE LICE?
QUICK TIPS FOR USING LOTION The best way to treat is with a lotion (not a
6. WHERE DO YOU GET THEM? shampoo or mousse). These can be bought over
• Treat everyone in family who have living, moving lice, Anywhere. Children get them wherever they mix with other the counter in a pharmacy. In the past, chemical
at same time children, this can be in the home, at school or childcare insecticides were used to treat head lice. Oil based
facility or other activity venue. products are now recommended, sold under
• Hair should be dry different brand names (Full Marks spray or solution/
• Pharmacist will advise on which lotion (See answer to 7. HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD HAS HEAD LICE? Hedrin spray gel). These products have a physical
Question 11, inside) effect, so the lice do not get ‘resistant’ to them.
The main symptom is itching, but you can have head lice Your pharmacist is the best person to advise you
• Read the instructions carefully for up to six weeks before you notice any itching. Only on which one to get. If you are buying products
• Work through hair section by section until all of about one third of children have an itch. The best way to outside of the Republic of Ireland, you need to
scalp has lotion on it – down to where you would put discuss this with the pharmacist before you buy.
ponytail band a week) by wet combing. Detection combs can be bought

• Repeat one week later

toothed, plastic teeth, set not more than 0.3mm apart.
 12. HOW DO I USE THE LOTION? 16. BUT MY CHILD IS STILL SCRATCHING
21. SHOULD I KEEP MY CHILD OFF SCHOOL?
There will be instructions on how to put on the People can scratch after treatment but it doesn’t mean
NO! Lice are unpleasant and some people
treatment, and how long to leave it on for, in the box – they still have lice. Check your child’s head to be
sometimes feel embarrassed if they get them, but
each of the products is slightly different. Put the lotion
on dry hair. Part the hair near the top of the head, put they are not a health hazard. There is no reason
lotion onto the scalp and rub it in. Part the hair a bit for your child to miss out on their childcare or their
some people scratch just thinking or talking about lice.
further down and do the same thing again. Do this over education just because of head lice.
and over again until all sections of hair have been done
and the whole scalp is wet. You don’t need to put lotion 17. SHOULD I USE A LOTION ‘JUST IN CASE’
any further down than where you would put a ponytail
band. Treat everyone with lice at the same time so that
untreated people don’t infect the treated ones again. moving lice. The treatments are safe but they shouldn’t
be over used. They can also make the itching worse.
Even if the preparation recommends only one
application, it is important that you put it on again a
week later. The reason for this is that no treatment is 18. I’VE HEARD TREE OIL IS GOOD FOR
guaranteed to kill unhatched eggs. The eggs that aren’t KILLING AND PREVENTING LICE
killed will hatch over about one week.
There is no evidence that it works and it can irritate your
2 days later: Check hair for living, moving lice. scalp. Nor is there evidence for alcohol, electric combs,
Once treatment is complete, continue with the weekly products sold to prevent head lice infection (repellents)
checking. or any other folk remedy.

13. WHAT IF I FIND NITS AFTER TREATMENT?

19. SHOULDN’T NURSES CHECK CHILDREN’S
HEADS?
the empty egg cases which are glued to the hair. They
No. This is not practical and it will not stop head lice
will be left behind on the hairs after you have treated but
this doesn’t mean the treatment has failed. spreading. It is much better for parents to check their
children’s heads regularly (about once a week) as
14. WHAT IF I KEEP FINDING LICE KEEP ALERT AND SPREAD THE WORD TO STOP THE
SPREAD OF LICE.
There could be 2 reasons for this. It could be However, public health nurses who go into schools and
because your child has been re-infected with lice, practice nurses in your GP surgery are available to give
or the treatment wasn’t carried out correctly. Check help and advice about head lice to parents.
the whole family again and treat all those with lice
again. Remember to spread the word to family and 20. WHAT ABOUT THE SCHOOL OR CHILDCARE
FACILITY-CAN THEY DO ANYTHING?
pharmacist for advice. HSE CHO1 Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo & Leitrim:
In the past, ‘alert’ letters have been sent out, but
these tend to cause stress to children and parents Date: 04/2017 Due Review: 04/2019
15. WHAT IF I STILL HAVE NITS
and sometimes outbreaks of imaginary lice. It is much
Nits (empty egg cases), on their own, do not need to better for all parents to check their children’s heads
Services and Public Safety, Northern Ireland, UK. used with
regularly. Alert letters to remind parents to check their
combing if you don’t like the look of them. They can be permission –some amendments
children’s hair will be sent out when there are a number
hard to remove because they are glued to the hair.
of children with head lice in the class. For more information contact your Public Health Nurse