The UK’s No.1 head lice brand has launched Hedrin Protect & Go, a clinically proven head lice protection spray which offers parents greater control in the battle against head lice. I have been using it on Eliza since she started school and I have been really impressed that she has not had nits since she started!
Hedrin Protect & Go is a fuss-free spray which, when applied twice-a-week, protects children from the parasites by breaking the life cycle and killing lice before an infestation can be established.
The Orange & Mango scented conditioning spray is also ideal for times when the risk of infection increases such as the beginning of a new school term, at children’s parties and sleepovers and following an outbreak letter from the school.
The protection spray contains an organic compound called 1,2 octanediol which disrupts the life cycle of head lice preventing their spread. It is easy to apply and dries naturally leaving the hair looking healthy and conditioned.
Christine Brown, school nurse consultant and head lice specialist, said: “Head lice infestations can be hugely frustrating for parents and children alike. An effective preventative solution that offers greater control and reassurance is not only a real breakthrough, but could drastically reduce the number of infections which currently affect as many as 1 in 5 school children. The spray is also kind to children’s hair and should be used as part of the regular cleaning regime, much the same as cleaning teeth or using a shampoo.”
Anyone can get head lice, although they are most common amongst children aged 4 to 11 due to their greater levels of close physical contact with friends. The best known symptom of head lice is itching, which can lead to a loss of concentration and sleep. Not treating head lice can lead to a loss of self-esteem and confidence, and a general feeling of being unwell.
Priced from £4.29 for 120ml, Hedrin Protect & Go is available from Boots, pharmacies and leading retailers nationwide. It is skin friendly and contains no known asthma triggers.
Answers from Christine Brown, ex school nurse and advisor to the Medical Entomology Centre
1) What ARE head lice? “Head lice are small wingless insects that live on the scalp, feeding from the blood. Baby lice are extremely small but mature within 10 days and only after that are they able to reproduce, with numbers growing more slowly than most people think. Females lay several viable eggs a day and adult lice can live for as long as a month.”
2) How do they spread? “Lice are spread only by head-to-head contact, so sleepovers, after school activities, playing with friends and visiting family are the most common places for children to pick them up and pass them on.”
3) How do you know if you’ve got them (as the child and as the parent looking)? “Although the best known symptom is the itching, although only about 30% are aware of it – the only true way of knowing is by regular checks with a head lice detection comb. Head lice can be uncomfortable, can prevent sleep and concentration, and can cause bullying. It’s best for parents to check for head lice using a comb made for the purpose – ideally white, so that lice can be easily seen and with teeth no more than 0.3mm apart. Research has shown that detection combing is nearly four times more effective than visual inspection for finding live lice. Lice are around 2-4mm long but immature lice are even smaller, living close to the scalp. Nits are dead or empty shells, which can be removed by hand or by combing.”
4) Why are kids more prone? And girls? “Children are more prone as they are in close contact with each other. Children aged 4 to 11 are most at risk but no one is immune. Girls and women do tend to be more prone as girls tend to play more closely together and women are the carers of the family. But there are certainly plenty of boys and men with lice.”
5) Any preventative measures? eg things to avoid, products to use “ Avoiding will not stop you from catching head lice! Hedrin have just launched a clinically proven head lice protection spray called Protect & Go. It’s a mango and orange scented conditioning spray which should be used at least twice a week. It protects children from the parasites by breaking the life cycle and killing lice before an infestation can be established. The spray is also kind to children’s hair and should be used as part of the regular cleaning regime, much the same as cleaning teeth or using shampoo.”
6) If you’ve got them, what should you do? “If you find live lice, firstly, don’t worry. Head lice are a normal part of life and there is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Research suggests lice have become resistant to pesticide treatments, so pick a non pesticide treatment which will work by smothering the lice and either stripping them of their waxy coating, causing them to dehydrate or blocking the openings to their air tubes, disrupting their ability to manage water. These physical modes of action mean there is theoretically no chance for the head lice to build up a resistance. Try a treatment containing dimeticone or octanediol, which are used in Hedrin’s treatment products. If you’re unsure about treatment options, speak to your pharmacist.”
7) Are treatments still as noxious and overpowering as I remember them as a kid, or are there gentler versions now? “No – the new insecticides treatments are odourless, non stinging, easy to use and kind to skin and hair.”
8) What’s the key ingredient that kills them and is there a natural alternative? “With non pesticide treatments, the key ingredients in use are dimeticone, octanediol and isopropyl myristate. There is limited evidence to show that natural remedies, such as tea tree oil, mayonnaise etc are effective in eradicating head lice.”
9) Does the whole family need to be treated? “Only if you find live lice on other members of the family, never treat ‘just in case’.”
10) What would happen if you left nits untreated? “Nits are the hatched or dead eggs. They remain on the hair as long as the hair is on the head and having them on your hair will make no difference to the hair or to you. However, leaving head lice untreated thus leading to a long term untreated infection has similar symptoms to low-grade flu and can make a child irritable and can result in a secondary bacterial infection.”
11) Is it true they prefer clean hair? “Having head lice has nothing to do with personal hygiene. Head lice can live on all types of hair and no preference exists between clean or dirty hair!”
12) Does the ‘nit nurse’ still exist in schools? “No! Employing a nit nurse is not an effective method of controlling head lice. To adhere to best practice, each of the 5.5 million primary school children in the UK would need to be checked by the nit nurse once every week! So the likelihood of each child receiving a thorough check is minimal at best. Even if the nit nurse checked and found lice it would still be up to the parents to choose and use a treatment. Parents need to feel empowered to check for head lice regularly and feel confident about using an appropriate treatment when an infestation is found.
The website www.onceaweektakeapeek.co.uk has some great advice for parents on managing and treating head lice.”
Thanks to Hedrin, I have a bottle of Protect & Go to giveaway to three lucky readers!
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Check often so you can catch them early 🙂
Check regularly. It’s easier to manage if you do it regularly as oppose to after when they are harder to get rid of!
check hair at least once per week
Check hair every night after a bath
Regular checks and avoid large groups of kids
Use a spray to make the headlice stay away!
We use tea tree shampoo and spray to help prevent them.
Plaited hair is great 🙂 Prevention always
check often 🙂
regular combing and conditioning x
a 2 minute comb through every day
keep hair ties back x
regular combing and conditioning xx
I keep my daughter’s hair tied up at school.
Keep long hair tied back and regularly check so you can catch them quick!
Regular combing and conditioning
Do it daily I always brush through with brush comb through after with not comb also for boys if you use gel in the hair they won’t catch nits x
i put my daughters hair up when she goes to nursery to avoid hair contact
Putting my daughters hair up into a style rather then leaving it down at school
check hair every night and hopefully if there is a problem catch them early x
The best you can do is keep boys hair short and girls hair tied up and hope for the best! Sadly there are too many parents who don’t check or treat headlice!
check an use tea tree
Check often and tie hair back
check hair often and using a nit comb every few days like It was a hairbrush, just to see if anything comes up
Keep hair short (easier as i have two boys!) And keep check x
My son has short hair. I check it each time I shampoo his hair
Check hair daily when brushing child hair. Keep some white vinegar at home it won’t hurt to use it with a shampoo if there is a outbreak at school.
keep young boys hair short. Use a repellent spray after every wash 🙂
Try to tie girls’ hair up as much as possible.
Check regularly, keep hair tied up and use preventative measure such as tea tree oil
keep hair tied up and check regularly
Conditioner and combing!
Comb, comb, comb
Not sure there is too much you can do to prevent it as they live on really clean hair too, so I think all you can do is to check regularly for any signs your children have picked them up using a fine comb.
keeping the hair short or if long, keep it tied up.
We’ve used this ever since Monkey started school and haven’t been touched by lice at all, although they are frequently in his class. So using this is my top tip!
Comb
Tie hair up and use a tea tree prevention spray
Hair up,with hairspray
Keeping my sons hair short and combed and checked after each wash.
I regularly use the Vosene Kids shampoo and spray in conditioner, with tea tree oil. I find it fab and “touch wood” my daughter has never had head lice!
Keep hair tied up when at school
For my girls I make sure I keep their long hair tied up in ponytails or even better, braids or a bun. We also use a little hairspray to keep stray hairs contained.
Use a daily prevention spray.
Tie hair back , use tea tree spray as a deterrent
Check your childs hair often
Keep hair tied up when at school
Keep hair tied up and check daily.
Check hair with nit comb regularly
check the kids often so you can prevent any major infestations before they begin
Wash children’s hair with a tea tree shampoo – and never forgot to once a week, take a peek and check for headlice!
I haven’t had to deal with this yet, so I don’t have any tips.
Regularly check hair with lots of conditioner and a nit comb!
tee tree shampoo and conditioner and check regular
Check often, dont stress
tye hair back for school
Check weekly and keep a bottle of hedrin in the cupboard.
thorough checking once a week
Tying their hair up at school seems to help – especially if it’s in plaits
check hair regularly,keep a bottle of Hedrin in the cabinet just in case & use tee tree shampoo & conditioner
check hair regularly,keep a bottle of Hedrin in the cabinet just in case & use tee tree shampoo & conditioner
Regular checking and lots of conditioner x
hair scraped back and plastered in hairspray.
regular checks and keep hair tied up where possible
Checking regularly and using a nit prevention shampoo regularly! x
Checking regulary 🙂
Regular examing ones head
Nit comb at least once a week and if you find any, nit comb every evening till they’re gone! I find the Vosene 3 in 1 nit repellent shampoo helps a lot 🙂
Pin long hair up!
electric nit comb and regular check
Regular checking is the only effective way.
Plaited hair for school,and tea tree conditioner and a run through with the nit comb weekly x
If the kids start scratching their heads, reach for the head lice comb. If you here in the school playground that they are about, keep checking everyday. The sooner you catch them the better. Always keep a treatment in the cupboard to treat ASAP.
The Nitty Gritty comb and some hair conditioner
Check weekly and tie hair up
Regular checking and keeping long hair tied back
Keep hair tied up for school
my 3 year old started school in september and despite 3 head lice letters we havent had any little visitors so far. My mum told me some techniques and fingers crossed weve been lucky so far. i wash her hair every week in tea tree shampoo her hair is plaited and put in a bun and spray with hair spray each morning. its worked so far and fingers crossed we keep the horrible little critters away x
Tee tree to protect hair ,long hair best tied up
conditioner and combing
Make your own spray from essential oils – tea tree, eucalyptus, geranium and lavender – lice don’t like them.
Bubble wrap headwear
check often and a nit comb.
Keep long hair tied up, and I have used Vosene defence spray which is scented to repel lice. Tea tree oil supposedly works too
Check regularly with a nit comb
Check kids hair regularly and heed advice from school when there is an outbreak
Keep long hair tied up and check regularly
Tea Tree and citronella
comb through hair once a day with white fine tooth/nit comb – will show up if there i anything in t he hair and early spotting means early sorting!
Nit comb & conditioner regularly after bath/shower
Definitely perseverance!!
Check kids hair regularly
Keep hair tied up, wash and use tee tree conditioner and comb regularly
Tie hair back – We’ve managed to avoid them so far, just waiting for the first case to strike!
Use repellant spray after every hair wash, use teatree shampoo to keep nits away
Check hair on a regular basis to catch the problem as early as possible.
Best defence is to examine your child’s hair and scalp regularly so you can catch an infestation early.
Conditioner and a nit comb on a regular basis
To check my childrens hair often especially when they have conditioner in when they are having their bath. Touch wood my children have never had nits, but there is always lots going round the school.
Check regularly, we also use the protect and go spray
I comb whenever I condition my children’s hair and I use a tea tree conditioner.
Make sure you check with a comb regularly, don’t touch heads with people
Add a few drops of tea tree oil to spray in conditioner spray daily before school
I always keep my daughter’s hair platted at school or playing with other kids.
Check regularly. It’s easier to manage if you do it regularly as oppose to after when they are harder to get rid of! xx
Take to kid to a trustful school
Nitty gritty comb and loads of cheap conditioner!
keeping hair tied up
I managed to get rid of my daughters head lice within a week using my essential oils receipe. It uses Tea Tree Oil, Eucalyptus and Lavender.. Checkout my article here (the section on head spray) https://mummyandchild.com/benefits-of-tea-tree-essential-oil/
Nice information thank you for sharing it.