Most parents will be aware that head lice outbreaks are both extremely common and extremely annoying.
All it takes is for one child in the school to get them, then suddenly you’re spending every night for the foreseeable future combing and applying tea tree oil to your little ones’ heads.
Now it appears, though, that it may become even harder to rid your kids – and their schools – of nits.
Melissa Murray, science communicator from the Australian Museum’s Search and Discover department in Sydney, told Daily Mail that head lice are becoming resistant to traditional treatments.
The so-called ‘super nits’ have been shown to not respond to chemicals like Permethrin, Pyrethrin and Malathion that we typically buy over the counter, instead requiring new formulations to kill them.
‘The chemicals we’ve been using are becoming less effective,’ said Melissa.
‘Traditional products seem to be losing their efficacy as some invertebrates, such as head lice, can evolve and adapt to the chemicals that are being used to kill them off.’
That doesn’t mean there are no treatments that will work. Instead, we need to look less into these pesticide-based treatments and go more for ones that dehydrate the live.
Head lice expert, Ian Burgess, on behalf of Hedrin says: ‘It has been widely reported in the news that head lice have developed resistance against pesticide based head lice products – in particular those that include permethrin.
‘However, it is important to acknowledge that there is only one permethrin based head lice product on the UK market. Simply ensure you choose a non-pesticide treatment which will work by smothering the lice and either stripping them of their waxy coating, causing them to dehydrate, or disrupting their ability to manage water.’
Products that include dimeticone or octanediol are preferable ‘as they work physically to kill lice that come into contact with them when the hair is saturated with product.’
Ian adds: ‘Because they don’t rely on poisoning to work this means that there is theoretically no chance for the head lice to build up a resistance.’
These products include Hedrin 4% Dimeticone lotion or Lyclear – both of which are free of pesticides that lice may be resistant to.
Regular combing is also extremely important, as this will help remove any eggs that hatch later and keep heads nit-free.
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