If you’ve been following our series on nit eradication you’ll know it’s a two-step process. First you’ve got to kill the live lice with some kind of lotion or formula, which is fairly straightforward and then you’ve got to get rid of the eggs, which isn’t…
The traditional approach to egg removal is to use a nit comb - typically with long metal teeth to dislodge the eggs from the hair shafts and comb them out.
The problem with this approach is it takes a very long time and doesn’t work that well, but up till now at least there hasn’t been a better alternative. And, as we also now know, missing just a single egg in the process can lead to re-infection a few days after the initial treatment, so this is an important topic.
There are 4 problems with nit eggs that make nit combs ineffective
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They’re tiny and can pass between the teeth on the nit comb (as demonstrated in the video opposite)
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They’re difficult to see (because they can take on the pigment of the hair) which makes it tricky to work out where to run the comb
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They’re super sticky and can hold on to the hair shaft despite rigorous and repeated combing
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They like to live very close to the scalp making it difficult to get nit combs under them
Because we like a bit of science, let’s put this into context for you.
A nit egg is typically between 0.5mm and 4mm wide (about the size of a pinhead). A half-decent metal nit comb has gaps between teeth of approximately 0.3mm, so you will remove some eggs - particularly big ones - with a nit comb, but small sticky ones can pass through the gaps in the teeth.
The traditional approach to egg removal is to comb, comb and keep combing in the hope that eventually the comb will get all of the eggs out. It will work, eventually, but it can takes a long time and multiple cycles.
Through our research we have proven beyond any reasonable doubt there is a better way.
If you can see the nit eggs clearly with the naked eye then it’s far quicker, easier and more effective to use your fingers than a comb to remove them. So the question becomes ‘how do you make eggs visible to the naked eye?’ which is where ISpy glo-powder comes into play.
ISpy glo-powder uses the science of bioluminesce to make nit eggs glow under UV light. The powder bonds to the nit eggs exoskeleton and makes them visible to the naked eye so you can pick them out one by one with your fingertips. The video to the right shows a nit egg under natural light and then under UV light with ISpy glo-powder.
The process of egg removal with glo-powder is super-simple. Kill the live lice first, then brush the powder into the patient's hair - be sure to get it down to the roots. Shine the UV light and get picking. If there’s lots of eggs you might benefit from a second pair of hands holding the torch (which is included in the NitKit).
And of course be sure to have some fun with it too, I mean, who doesn’t want a temporary glow in the dark hulk tattoo?
RIP Nit Comb, you did well, but your time is up.
