When your daughter with long, curly hair gets nits

By Jo Abi|

Welcome to hell

My kids didn't get nits for the first time until about two years ago when there was an outbreak at the school they all attended.

They spent a few months passing it back and forth and my days were spent combing the dead head lice and their repulsive eggs out of the children's hair while they wriggled and complained.

It almost drove me mad.

Read more: Combing nits out of your children's hair is so last year

Eventually I took the boys to the hairdresser and had most of their hair shaved off.

For my daughter Caterina, eight, she was let of with a warning.

I told her that if she ever got nits again, she'd need to cut her hair much shorter than it was because there was no way I was going through that again.

It took the entire Alice in Wonderland movie to get the eggs out of her curly, knotted, tangled, messy head of hair.

Now, it is even longer.

Please see Exhibit A:

Not the curliest head of hair, but enough to make the removal of head lice very, very, very difficult.

It seems my threat to cut her hair if she ever gets head lice again did some damage. She regularly hallucinates that she has them, complaining of an itchy head and demanding I check for them.

Last night she complained again, and this time, she was right.

Her hair is riddled with head lice.

It was bedtime, so I had no choice but to lie.

I told her she didn't have nits and was imagining it. I told her to go to bed and I'd check again in the morning just to be sure but for now, I was certain she didn't have them.

My husband seemed to think it was funny. So not funny. Image: Provided

After tucking my trusting and innocent little girl into bed, still scratching her head, I texted my husband, telling him the terrible news and warning him not to tell her she had them while getting her dressed in the morning or she would have a complete and total meltdown, and I wouldn't be able to treat her nits until the afternoon when I got home from work.

I then Googled a professional service that removes them, because I just can't do it again.

I found a place called Head Lice Clinics Australia and booked her in for an afternoon appointment.

It will cost $149.

I would pay $549.

Worth. Every Cent.

I think Clark could sense my desperation. Image: Provided

I feel a bit guilty that I lied to her, but what choice did I have? There was nothing we could do that night. Even brushing her hair while checking for them was a chore and she squirmed and complained that I was hurting her.

There was no way she would sit through a late-night nit removal session, even if I put on Alice in Wonderland and fed her lollies the entire time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

For parents of children with long, curly hair, there's no more desperate a situation than when that long and curly hair is filled with disgusting, vile head lice.

Do have a story to share about your kids? Email me at jabi@nine.com.au.
