Combing as a treatment
Whether you choose combing or product treatment as a treatment method, it is very important that you start the treatment as soon as possible, to avoid infesting others.
Furthermore, all head lice must be removed when combing the first time. If you do not remove all the adult female head lice the first time, it is very likely that the time of treatment is prolonged, as the risk of new eggs is high. If you comb correctly with a proper head lice comb, you will be free from head lice after 14 days.
There are several lice combs on the market, most of them with no real documentation behind them. Ask your local pharmacist or drugstore if you are in doubt about the correct spacing between the teeth, documentation about the efficacy of the lice comb etc. A poor lice comb means that you do not catch the head lice! Your time combing is wasted and the head lice will continue to proliferate in your hair.
This is how you treat for head lice by combing:
- Wet the hair or apply conditioner
- Use a hair comb or hairbrush to remove any snarls or tangles in the hair
- Switch to a head lice comb with the correct distance between the teeth (max. 0.08inch/0.2mm)
- Clip the hair up with bobby pins or hair clips and place it out of the way
- Part one inch wide section of hair at a time. Comb each section of hair from root to tip all around the head. Make sure to hold the right side of the comb towards the scalp (may be engraved into the comb)
- After each stroke, wipe the comb in a paper towel and check it for head lice. Make sure you have proper light in the room. Use a magnifier, if you need to
- Continue combing section by section until you’ve done the whole head of hair three times without finding any head lice
- Repeat step 1-7 every 2-3 day over the next two-week period
Combing has been a means of removing head lice for several thousand years. See how head lice combs have evolved over time
