subject: Choose the Right Head Lice Comb [print this page] There is a big difference among head lice combs (also known as fine-toothed or nit combs) that are currently available on today's market.
But if you or your children have been unfortunate enough to have been infested with head lice and the accompanying discomfort and irritation of being constantly bitten and re-bitten by these nasty little critters, you need to choose the best comb available to use in the process of eliminating these pests.
If you have bought some over-the-counter treatment or shampoo, it might have come with a comb, and more than likely, it's a plastic one, which isn't the best. One reason is that the tines tend to bend and spread apart, allowing you to miss lice and nits. Also, the tines will sometimes break, and then the comb is no good at all.
Metal ones are superior, because they help crush the lice. And plastic combs tend to skip over the nits, which will be attached to the hair shafts with a "cement" like substance that they deposit. But plastic combs do work well to untangle the hair before switching to a metal one.
Another thing: If the hair is short, short fine-toothed combs work better; conversely, long hair is better combed through with long tined combs.
Still another consideration is the handle on the comb. Choose a comb that is tightly sealed between the tines and the handle; otherwise, as tiny as lice are, they could get in there and hide, only to re-infect all over again.
Metal combs also may be sterilized by boiling, which cannot be done with plastic.
Whichever comb you use, be sure to rinse the comb off each time after you've combed through a section of hair. And it is recommended to use very hot water to rinse the comb in, so that you don't risk combing live lice back into the hair.
To comb thoroughly, you will need to section off small portions of the hair to work with one at a time. It can be rather tedious, and you will have to do it all over again in ten days. You will want to wait at least that long, because lice eggs take about seven to ten days to hatch, if you missed any. And as small as those things are, that is a very real possibility.
Another important thing would be your combing technique. After you've combed through each individual sectioned off part of the hair, bend over and comb again from the scalp down, from side to side and back again, from back to front and front to back, still being sure to rinse the comb after each pass through.
Note: If the hair starts to dry out at any point during the combing process, wet it down again before continuing.
There is also on the market these days an electronic comb which zaps lice, but unlike the plastic or metal combs, which need to be used on wet hair, these electronic ones must be used on dry hair. Also, you have to use it every day for at least two weeks for five minutes at a time.
Whichever type of comb you choose, plan to use it only after you have applied a special shampoo or other natural remedy that kills lice and loosens them from the hair shaft. Otherwise, all you'll be doing is relocating these still-living pests, and that means that you still are infested, because no comb can get them all, no matter how good!
Finally, after all lice are gone, thoroughly disinfect every brush and comb in the house. And it is also a good idea to treat upholstered furniture where infested heads might have been... and, of course, wash all bed linens.
End note: If you cannot locate a metal comb locally, search online, where you will find many sources.
