If there is one common theme that appears time and time again in the blogs that I read, it is the curse of the head lice. I have read posts from the UK to the USA to Tanzania by parents who are struggling to exterminate the little bastards. Lice have become more prevalent over the years (primarily in girls) both across class and culture for a number of different reasons and schools seem to have lost their budget for the dreaded but effective “nit nurse”.
Recently I was asked to talk on the radio. I was very excited about that. My first ever radio interview. Until I realised it was to discuss my experience of headlice and nits. A nit expert. Which I have to say isn’t the sexiest subject on the planet to be an expert in.
Luckily for me the interview has been delayed. In the meantime however, Vosene Kids have asked me if I want to offer 20 samples of their 100ml preventative nit shampoo to any of you out there who want to share your nightmare nit story. Well, I don’t really, I’d much rather be offering you a holiday to New York, but this is an important battle we are all fighting, so until then…..
I wrote a blog about my experience a few years ago:-
“Just got text from friend saying “daughter has nits, check yrs”. This would be the daughter that has been sleeping at my house all week in various different beds, infesting about 25 pillows. Bollocks. I hate lice.
Not only that, but I’m going to France with my parents tomorrow and last time I was in France with my parents, my children had cockroach sized lice living on their head. I remember combing them out. They fell onto and in my handbag. I had to text a friend in the UK and ask “whats french for lice?”
“Not sure, but try langoustine” was her reply, shortly followed by “it’s poo”.
I had to go into a french pharmacist and say, in manner of crap English person who hasn’t got a clue – “avez vous any shampoin pour les poux dans mes enfants cheveaux?” (I was slightly worried that what I had in fact just said was “do you have any shampoo that will remove horse poo from my children’s hair?.
Anyway, share away please…..and don’t say I never give you things x
Aisling
October 19, 2010Nitty Gritty has been my saviour – “prevention is better than cure”. A “natural” blend of tea tree and lavender which you spray on your kids’ hair in the morning before school and it deters nits (they hate those smells I’m told) from “jumping” into your kids’ hair! I’m pretty certain it works because we’ve only had 2 nit “attacks/infestations” in 5 years, both occurring within 2-3 weeks of my having run out of “nitty gritty”. My herbalist friend tells me neem shampoo is another good deterrent. Both available from well stocked health food shops and “alternative-friendly” pharmacies!
Family Affairs
October 19, 2010Yes, I remember using that. Not sure about the smell though, although guess the lavender bit helps! Don’t like tea tree smell x