DAD.info
Free online course for separated parents
Forum - Ask questions. Get answers.
Free online course for separated parents
DAD.info | Lifestyle | Sport, Health, Fitness & Grooming | Health | Nit Picking: How to Get to Grip With Nits

Nit Picking: How to Get to Grip With Nits

Many parents will experience the delights of their child picking up nits at some point in their school lives – sometimes more than once. DAD.info’s Simon Harris scratches his head and looks at some natty solutions…  

Image: © Amanda Coplans.

Ahhh, back to school. It’s that wonderful time of year that puts a smile on our faces. New uniform, satchel and shiny shoes. Off they go, skipping through the school gates, but when the home-time bell goes, our little darlings come out with a few more things skipping around .. on their heads. Arrrggghhh. The curse of those little scalp ticklers doesn’t take long to hit us all. Nits. Goddammit. Nits.

We’ve been infested with these blighters more times than I care to count. It has driven us crazy. The first couple of times, we just grabbed whatever product the chemist had to treat our daughter Mary, and we didn’t give it much thought. However, the more we needed to attack, the more thought we put into our arsenal. When my wife Jacqui was pregnant and then breastfeeding, we discovered that many products were out of bounds, which made us consider just what the heck is in this stuff that we’re so freely slapping on our kids’ heads. Because nits are so common, we just hadn’t thought about the obvious: these products are full of chemicals to kill these pests… er, so these products are actually pesticides! Not only that, nits are fighting back. Super nits. They’re getting more and more resistant to these chemicals so it doesn’t make sense to keep using them because they’re not very effective anyway.

Three mums who were as frustrated as us with all the lotions, potions and empty promises out there, decided to unhatch (sorry) their own invention. Nitty Gritty. It’s different. This lotion is totally natural; made from safe ingredients of lovely oils and no chemicals.

And the comb… let’s talk about that Nitty Gritty comb. It’s in a totally different league from the others. A super comb to tackle the super nits. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, so these ladies are pretty confident it isn’t going to snap, loose teeth or disappoint you. Considering how rife nits are, a comb that’s in it for the long haul is the first thing you need. Stainless steel with super long, spirally grooved teeth and a decent sized handle to get your grip on. It feels solid – and really is the only thing to get through Mary’s thick curly locks and sweep up all in its path… lice, eggs and empty shells. 

Now that we’re confident we’ve got the all clear, we’ve been using Nitty Gritty’s Defence Spray every morning. It keeps her hair shiny, untangled and smelling sweet – but more importantly, the smell repels nits so they’re not tempted to jump on board. So far, so good. I’m sure nothing totally guarantees they won’t return, but my weekly check with the super comb has so far proven to be all good on Mary’s hood.

Image: © Amanda Coplans

 

The Nitty Gritty Complete Nit Kit is £25.99 on Amazon and contains the Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb, Head Lice Solution and Defence Spray. 

 

To find out more bout Nitty Gritty, check out the website nittygritty.co.uk

 

Simon Harris is a father of two and director of Swyhpe, a creative motion agency based in London. 

Related entries

Blue Monday: A Survivor’s Guide

Blue Monday: A Survivor’s Guide

Monday the 16th of January marks ‘Blue Monday’- known as the most depressing day of the year. Mid-January feels bleak, landing in the middle of the grey, cold winter, after the jollity of Christmas has ended and long before the blue skies and warmer weather of spring....

How’s Mum doing?

How’s Mum doing?

Dads, have you asked the 'Mums' in your life how they are doing recently? New research figures published today have revealed that two thirds (66%) of mums say their mental health has been negatively affected by the pandemic and only 16% said that their partner was...

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION DURING LOCKDOWN

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION DURING LOCKDOWN

A viral tweet sent by an unemployed, divorced, but proud dad of twins has shone a light on an issue that is not always given enough attention amid the current endless news cycle: men’s mental health.   51-year-old father Edmund O’Leary, who lives alone,...

Latest entries

Fun and easy Easter activities for kids

Fun and easy Easter activities for kids

It's not always easy to think of ways to keep kids entertained during the Easter holidays! So, we have gathered together some great, simple ideas for Easter activities for kids to keep them busy. These activities also result in lovely items that they can decorate the...

How to help a bullied child

How to help a bullied child

For parents, bullying is always a concern. With our child's school lives being mostly a mystery, it can be hard for parents to keep on top of their social interactions, and know how to help a bullied child should they need to. The Anti-Bullying Alliance has found that...

Pin It on Pinterest