Three Tips For Using A Nit Comb On Curly Hair

While lice prefer infesting people who have straight, fine hair, it's not impossible for them to affect curly-haired kids. Nit combs are ideal for getting rid of lice and eggs from straight hair, but it's harder to use these very fine-toothed combs on curly hair. If your curly-haired child has come home with lice, here are three tips for getting a nit comb through their hair.

Detangle their hair first

Before you try to use a super-fine nit comb on your child's curly hair, detangle their hair to get rid of as many knots as possible. Apply your favorite hair conditioner to their hair while it's either dry or damp, and let it soak in for as long as half an hour. You may want to use a hair dryer to warm up the conditioner to allow it to soak in better.

Once the conditioner has worked its magic, slowly work through small sections of your child's hair with a wide-toothed comb. Try to get as many knots and tangles out of their hair as possible, since pushing through knots with a nit comb will be painful for your child and frustrating for you. Once you're sure their hair is tangle-free, you can use the nit comb on their hair.

Flat iron their hair first

Another way to make the nit removal process easier for both you and your child is to flat iron their hair. Heat can damage natural hair, so use a heat-protectant product first and be careful not to use too much heat. Don't straighten a section of hair more than once since multiple passes with the flat iron will expose your child's hair to unnecessary heat.

Once their hair is straight, you can thoroughly comb it with the nit comb. You may need to repeat the combing treatment seven to 10 days later when any nits that you missed hatch. At night, cover your child's straightened hair with a silk scarf to keep it from curling back up again so that you don't have to re-straighten it if a second combing treatment is necessary.

Cut their hair

If your child's hair is very long, consider cutting it to make the lice removal process easier. Shorter hair is easier to comb, so it will make your job easier. Hairdressers don't cut hair that has lice or nits, so you'll need to do this at home. Buy a pair of hair cutting shears and trim your child's hair to a shorter length.; there's no need to shave their head or give them a buzz cut since it just needs to be shorter.

Once their hair is shorter, you can get to work with your nit comb. Using the comb will still be challenging, but since their hair is shorter, you won't have to force the comb through as much hair.

It's hard to use a nit comb on very curly hair, but these three tips can make it easier. If you're having trouble dealing with your child's lice at home, take them to their primary care doctor  at a place like Summit View Clinic for help and to get medicated shampoo.

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