Living in an apartment or terrace close to the city doesn't change how head lice spread, and it doesn't limit your options for getting rid of them either. We treat households right across the inner city the same way we treat anyone else, one specialist, one visit, everyone in the home checked and treated on the spot. Head lice move between people through direct contact, not through a building or a suburb, which means a case picked up at daycare in Surry Hills or a primary school near the CBD can turn up just as easily in a Pyrmont apartment or a Darlinghurst terrace a day or two later. Because chemical treatments have become less reliable as lice build resistance to common insecticide formulas, we rely entirely on physical combing instead, working through the hair by hand until every louse and egg has actually been removed.

A single treatment is rarely the end of it. We recommend a second comb 5 to 7 days later to ensure that head lice hasn't been caught from a friend, or whoever you might have infected. This also ensures that any eggs missed have not had time to mature, mate and begin the cycle again. We're happy to talk you through doing that yourself, or you can pick up a proper nit comb from us for $30 if you'd rather manage the follow-up at home.

We regularly treat households throughout the CBD, Haymarket, The Rocks, Pyrmont, Ultimo, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Woolloomooloo and Rushcutters Bay. Not sure what you're actually dealing with? Here's what real nits and lice look like, and how to tell them apart from dandruff. And if this isn't the first time, here's why head lice sometimes keep coming back even after treatment.