Full marks....more like no marks (Full Marks Mousse)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	Full Marks Mousse
Date:	23/01/05 (593 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Less mess, Smells nice

Disadvantages: Doesn't work

As the proud parent of four school aged children I seem to be waging a constant war against the headlouse. I have tried many different products but always seem to go back to wet combing method. The latest chemical weapon I tried was the Full Marks Mousse, so it seems a good idea, that I review that particular product.

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The packaging
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The mousse comes in two sizes, 150g and 50g. Both sizes come in a cardboard box that is predominantly white, the smaller size has a picture of one child while the larger has a picture of a family of four. This, I suppose is to indicate how many people it will treat.

The actual bottle that contains the mousse, looks very much like a hair styling product. Also contained in the box is an instruction leaflet.

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The ingredients
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The active ingredient in the mousse is Phenothrin which is a synthetic pesticide.
There are also the following in-active ingredients :

Emulsifying wax (non-ionic) USNF
Ethanol (denatured)
Citric Acid (anhydrous) Ph Eur
Potassium Citrate Ph Eur
Purified Water Ph Eur
Butane 30

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Who can use it
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Full Marks mousse is suitable for use on adults and children over the age of six months, however you as you can only purchase this from a pharmacy you should check with the pharmacist, just in case you have any conditions that this will have an adverse effect on.

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Who may not be able use it
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Obviously, you should not use this product if you have had a reaction to any of the ingredients listed above. You should also check with your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The mousse may also worsen eczema, so if you suffer from this it may be wise to consult your doctor.

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How To Use It
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The mousse is pretty simple to use, especially if you've used hair styling mousse before.

As a pre-caution I always wear gloves when I apply anything like this.

1. Shake the can
2. Turn the can upside down and spray onto your gloved hand ready to spread over the hair.
3. Apply enough mousse to completely cover the scalp, then work into the hair from root to tip.
4. Allow the hair to dry naturally, do not use a hair dryer.
5. Wait 30 minutes
6. Wash the hair with normal shampoo
7. While hair is still wet comb with an ordinary comb, then use a nit comb to remove dead nits and eggs.

You should then re-apply one week later.

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Warning
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This mousse is flammable, so do not allow anyone whose wearing it to go near any naked flame.

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Possible Side-effects
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The following undesirable side-effects may occur :

1. Skin irritation - this is very rare
2. Stinging in patients with eczema
3. Wheezing in patients with asthma.

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Our Experience
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Although the mousse is very easy to use and smells quite pleasant if a little chemically, it had the following results :

1. It made the hair very stiff and uncomfortable as it dried.
2. My youngest daughter, who has severe asthma, experienced slight wheezing (although not as bad as another brand that nearly put her in hospital)
3. Although it did kill some of the nits it didn't kill all of them and I found live ones the next day.

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Further Information
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This product is licensed to :
Seton Products Ltd
Oldham
OL1 3HS

The website for the product is :
http://www.headlice.co.uk/prodinfo.html

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Price and Availability
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This product is only available from pharmacies while the pharmacist is present.

The current selling price at Boots is:

50g (which treats one head) : £4.35
150g (which treats upto 4 heads) : £9.79

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Final Words
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This product seemed like a good idea when I watched the advert on the television. But, in practice it didn't actually work. Personally, I can't recommend it, especially as by continually bombarding our children's hair to these chemicals, we are increasing the louse's resistance to them.
My best advice would be to ditch the chemicals and get back to basics, using the wet combing method.

Summary: