How to Get Rid of Nits Easily

Head lice are parasitic insects that live and feed off of your blood. They nest in your scalp and their infestation causes extreme itching and discomfort. According to the Mayo Clinic, "head lice are a very common problem, second only to the common cold among communicable diseases affecting schoolchildren." Lice eggs, or nits, are laid along strands of hair. It is important to remove all of the nits, otherwise new lice may hatch and re-infest the hair.

Things You'll Need

• Lice treatment shampoo
• Rubber gloves
• Hair clips
• Bowl
• Fine-toothed nit comb
• Tissues

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Instructions

• 1

  Read the directions on the lice treatment shampoo. It is vital that you follow the directions closely in order to be effective in killing the lice and nits.

• 2

  Wash your child's hair using the lice treatment shampoo. Leave her hair wet.

• 3

  Put on rubber gloves and have your child lean over a bowl to catch any nits or dead lice that may fall from her head during combing.

• 4

  Divide the hair in four sections with two in the front and two in the back. You will work on one section at a time, so clip all but one of the sections out of your way.

• 5

  Take a 1-inch section of hair. Place the teeth of the comb right next to the scalp. It is important to use a fine-toothed comb because a regular comb has teeth spaced too far apart to catch the nits.

• 6

  Pull the comb through her hair, from scalp to tip, several times. You will see the small, white-ish nits along the hair and in the comb. Continue combing until all of the nits are removed from the section of hair.

• 7

  Wipe the nits from your comb using a tissue, then discard the tissue immediately. Clip the combed hair aside.

• 8

  Repeat Steps 5 to 7 for your child's entire head.

• 9

  Discard the tissues immediately and have your child put on clean clothing. Soak the comb in boiling water before using it again.

• 10

  Inspect and comb your child's hair every day for the next 7 to 10 days.