Quick fire weapon against headlice (Nitty Gritty Comb)

Member Name: RPnecroranger

Product:	Nitty Gritty Comb
Date:	25/09/07 (671 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Removes lice and eggs during wet combing

Disadvantages: can be difficult to clean and can tear hair if used dry.

~What is a nitty gritty comb?~
A nitty gritty comb is a variation on traditional lice detection combs specifically designed to help parents and guardians detect and remove head lice.

~What is the difference between this and other lice combs~
Traditional lice detection combs are metal or plastic, with 1cm long teeth and about 0.2mm teeth and gaps, reducing the chances of missing lice and/or eggs (nits or casings) during wet combing.

A Nitty gritty comb has 3cm long teeth which are laser etched spirally. Used during wet combing this comb can remove both lice AND eggs quite effectively without use of chemicals. However if used dry (no water or conditioner) the comb can strip and rip hair that gets caught in the laser etchings.

Due to its nature it can often be difficult to remove bugs and eggs from the comb whilst combing, either rinse under a tap or use a firm paint brush to help get the crap out. I keep a paint brush in to chemically treat my children's hair as an effective way of covering everywhere.

~wet combing?~
Wet combing is nothing more than washing your child's hair, putting on lots of conditioner and then combing with a relevant comb. Public health department advise this as the best way to detect lice, so I recommend doing it at least once or twice a week even if your child ISN'T scratching, as lice don't always cause irritation. As a eradication method it is usually frowned on by schools who prefer more chemical treatments, which should not be done more than fortnightly.

Public health claim wet combing can be used as an eradication method; however, it can take between 2 - 3 weeks for a child to become clear, that's if they haven't been re- infected in the mean time.

~places to obtain~
Obtainable from most high street and neighbourhood chemists for about less than £10 a comb. It is also available from Amazon, Boots and the normal pharmaceutical / chemist type places. You can also by the nitty gritty lotion.

Direct from nitty gritty website (http:// nitty-gritty.co.uk) for £10.99 (inc postage)

Ebay may hold the occasional nitty gritty bargain.

~my personal uses of the nitty gritty comb~
With 5 kids to say we haven't had our fill of the little blighter's. We have built up quite a kit and routine to try keeping our family bug free.

Our kit actually contains a paint brush, 2 nitty gritty combs, a electric nit comb from boots and a stash of strawberry conditioner Asda had on special offer.
I must admit wet combing with a nitty gritty comb after using a standard traditional comb you will be totally amazed at the amount of eggs it strips off!!! It's amazing. During the last 'bout' we decided to wet comb each of them twice a day for 3 days. However by day 2 the nitty gritty comb had no more eggs or lice to catch, and a close inspection of their hair revealed they were perfectly clear.

Unfortunately, after going back to school the youngest was sent home the first day with... lice! I couldn't believe it.

Now our daily routine consists of: electric combing in the morning, electric combing on return from school, wet combing every night before bed.

~my view~
My personal view? The nitty gritty comb is an indispensable weapon in a parent/guardians arsenal against head lice. Nothing will ever replace parental/guardian alertness and diligence, and I am 100% sure some parents don't even check their child regularly if at all!

However if used as soon as a infection is detected, a nitty gritty comb can be a huge aid in eradicating the little beasts.

Summary: If there is a item a parent should be told to get when a child starts school, this is it