Check your child's head every week. A child with head lice will almost certainly have them in the hair behind the ears, so this is the first place to look!
Don't be embarrassed! Anyone can catch head lice – but do let other parents know so that they can check their children too.
Don't panic! Ask your pharmacist for an appropriate treatment and apply it exactly as directed. Most treatments need to be applied twice, once to kill the adult lice, and then again about a week later to kill any lice that have hatched since treatment.* Treat everyone in the family who has head lice at the same time to prevent re-infection.
*New to the UK, NYDA® only needs one application to kill both head lice and eggs
What to use? Doctors recommend treatments with a physical mode of action (rather than insecticide or pesticide-based treatments). Products with a high dimeticone content – dimeticone is a type of silicone which is non-toxic – kill lice by suffocating them.
When comparing the price of treatments, a product that only needs one application can be better value than cheaper products that need to be applied twice.
What about bug-busting? Wet combing can be used to remove lice without using chemical treatments, but to be successful must be carried out methodically and repeatedly – every two to four days for at least 14 days. Done properly it is time-consuming, so try nit-combing while your child sits down with a book, TV programme or game.
This table may help you choose from the many head lice treatments available. Avoid products with an alcohol base for children with asthma.
|
Product |
Active ingredient |
Leave on time |
Repeat Treatment |
Comment* |
|
|
Derbac-M |
Malathion |
Organophosphate insecticide |
12 hours
|
After 7 days |
Recommended for people who have not previously used insecticide |
|
Full Marks Liquid Mousse* Lotion** |
Phenothrin
|
Pyrethroid-based insecticide |
12 hours
*30 minutes **2 hours |
After 7 days
|
Recommended for people who have not previously used insecticide *Contact time is less than the recommended 8-12 hours |
|
Full Marks Solution |
Cyclomethicone |
Silicone polymer |
10 minutes |
After 7 days |
Contact time is less than the recommended 8-12 hours |
|
Hedrin |
Dimeticone 4% |
Synthetic silicone, non-chemical |
8 hours or overnight |
After 7 days |
Ensure sufficient product is used to saturate hair |
|
Lyclear SprayAway |
Coconut oil/aniseed oil |
Non-chemical |
15 minutes |
After 7 days |
Contact time is less than the recommended 8-12 hours |
|
Lyclear |
Permethrin |
Pyrethroid-based insecticide |
10 minutes |
After 7 days |
Not recommended. |
|
NYDA |
Dimeticone 92% |
Synthetic silicone, non-chemical |
8 hours or overnight |
Not necessary if used as directed |
Effective against head lice AND eggs |
*Recommendations from ‘Clinical Knowledge Summaries', official prescribing information for GPs from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
