At MacGill we’ve learned that it’s the comb, not chemicals, that consistently and effectively get rid of lice. That means that lice and nits (eggs) have to be physically combed off of the head in order to prevent (or eliminate) a lice infestation. It’s even more effective when using the wet combing method, in other words, wetting and lubricating the hair to aid in the combing and removal process.

Physically removing lice and nits with the wet combing method truly works, but how? Let’s break it down. 

Basic Lice Vocabulary: 

Nits are lice eggs. They are hard to see and are usually cemented at the base of the hair shaft near the scalp. They are about 0.8mm by 0.3mm in size and take about one week to hatch. 

Nymphs hatch out of the egg. They look like an adult louse, but they are immature and much smaller – about the size of a pinhead. They become adults 7 days after hatching. 

Louse are about the size of a sesame seed and can lay up to 8 nits per day! They can live up to 30 days on a person’s head and they feed on blood several times a day. Without blood (once they are removed from the head) they will die within 24 hours.

It’s important to understand the different stages of the lice lifecycle because wet combing is all about removing lice and nits from the head before they can continue the lifecycle. Combing out mature lice before they can lay more eggs and removing viable nits before they hatch is necessary to prevent an infestation.

The Steps of Wet Combing:

1. Shampoo and rinse hair – leaving it wet. Lice freeze when wet, making it easier to capture and remove them.
2. Saturate hair with conditioner. Massage conditioner into the hair from the roots to the ends. Do not rinse it out. The conditioner helps keep the hair lubricated as you comb out lice and nits.
3. Comb through the hair with a wide-toothed comb. The wide-toothed comb helps evenly distribute the conditioner and removes tangles, so the lice removal comb can easily slide through the hair.
4. Comb through the hair with a lice and nit removal comb. We recommend the WelComb, which you can learn more about here.
5. Repeat every 3 to 4 days for about 2 weeks. It’s important to be thorough and continue to check for lice and nits. It takes a maximum of 10 days for the viable nit to hatch so by the last combing all lice and nits will be removed. Once you find no more lice and nits, you can stop the process.

REMEMBER: NO Product Can Kill Nits 

As you’re shopping for lice removal products, remember that there is no lice removal solution that can kill nits. The only way to prevent an infestation is to physically remove lice and nits from the head. No pesticide or oil is needed! 

The WelComb Lice and Nit Removal Kit 

MacGill’s A+ Choice product for lice removal is the WelComb Lice and Nit Removal Kit. Why? It has all the necessary tools you need for the physical removal of lice and nits, and nothing you don’t. You can purchase a WelComb kit here.

If you’d like more information on the wet combing method and the WelComb, please visit www.welcomb.com.

For specific questions on the WelComb, please call us at 1-800-323-2841.