Head Lice Products
Treatments
Products that claim to treat an existing head lice infestation must only be used when there is clear evidence of a current infestation. You must, therefore, find a live moving louse before you begin to use treatment. Your healthcare practitioner can recommend an effective treatment to suit your individual circumstances.
Repellents
There are also products that claim to repel head lice, thereby preventing infestation. Many of those based only on essential oils are not supported by strong clinical evidence of effectiveness.
Nit Combs
There are many head lice detection combs available. These are often known as nit combs. Experts recommend rigid plastic combs over metal toothed combs for detection purposes.
How can I tell if a treatment has worked?
If you have used a treatment that kills lice but not the eggs, you may find dead lice in the hair, although the lice lose their grip on the hair when they are dead and will fall out during normal hair washing. If the treatment has worked, there will be no live lice remaining after the first treatment; however you must apply a second treatment after 7 days in order to deal with the unhatched eggs.
If you have used a treatment that kills the eggs as well as the lice, the eggs will remain in the hair after successful treatment. You can try to remove them with a nit comb, but they are extremely difficult to remove when they are still close to the scalp. Your healthcare practitioner may still recommend a second application after 7 days even if the treatment claims to kill the eggs.
Why do treatments sometimes fail to work?
Much will depend on which type of treatment you have used, but the following are common reasons for failure:
- The instructions were not followed properly
- The second application was not applied exactly 7 days after the first
- The second application was not applied at all
- Re-infection has occurred very soon after treatment
- There is resistance to the active ingredient in your area
Always seek the advice of a healthcare practitioner if you believe the treatment has failed.
Lyclear Creme Rinse
contains Permethrin 1%.
Always read the label