Apologies in advance if you find yourself scratching involuntarily while reading this review.


Our daughters brought home some unwelcome little "guests" from nursery a few weeks ago. Headlice, nits, call them what you will, it was my first ever encounter with this affliction and I was horrified, repulsed, appalled and embarrassed....I hot- footed it down to the local chemist who informed my that they were rife round the local primary school, where many of our daughters' classmates have siblings and I came home with their prescription. I applied the first treatment as instructed. It didn't seem to work. Not to put too fine a point on it, the next day the blighters were still very much in evidence.


I remembered that my friend had suffered a similar problem some months back and sought her advice. This was the product that she recommended.


The Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb is a metal comb with 33 long spiralled teeth which literally get to root of the problem by removing the nits and their eggs, eradicating the problem in one fell swoop. No chemicals, no potions, no medicines.


After wetting or dampening the hair, apply conditioner (any kind will do but tea tree oil is supposed to be a repellent to headlice so you may prefer to use one containing that or add tea tree oil to any conditioner you have to hand) and then comb through in the first instance with a normal comb to untangle the hair.


Then, working in sections, use the Nitty Gritty comb to comb through the hair in different directions, working until the comb is clean. And you will see the fruits of your labours!!


I stuck on a DVD and let the girls sit and watch the television and I combed...and combed....and combed.


It's comfortable and easy to use. The handle end has some rubber grippers and despite the unusual spiral construction it does glide through the hair easily. The tips of the comb are rounded so don't scratch the scalp. I kept a bowl of hot water to hand and I rinsed the comb and wiped it on a towel during combing.


So did it work? In a word, yes. A resounding yes. After one session of combing both girls were completely clear and have been for four weeks now.


And how did I know that it wasn't just the chemical treatment taking longer than anticipated to work? Because, curses, I also became infested with the blighters and, despite having very thick hair, I managed to also get myself clear of the little pests after just one session of combing.


I cleaned the comb between combings with boiling water to guard against any potential cross-infestation and I also washed all bedding, nightclothes and towels.


The comb comes with a lifetime guarantee. If it breaks or becomes defective in any way, just send it back and it will be replaced. Also if you are not happy with your purchase in anyway, it comes with a full moneyback guarantee.


I bought my comb in Boots for just under £10. This may seem expensive, but, believe me, it is worth every single penny! If you go to the Nitty Gritty website, they sell them direct for £10.99 (plus P&P) but they also suggest that you can ask to get the comb prescribed for free by your doctor or health visitor (http://www.nittygritty.co.uk/site/howtogetaprescr iption.asp). It is also available on Amazon from £8.30 (plus P&P)



I hope you never have to find out how effective this product is, but I for one, would wholeheartedly recommend this product to anyone unfortunate enough to require it.


And you can stop scratching now.