Review: Puressentiel Anti-Lice Treatment and Repellent

I hate head-lice. I'm sure no parent likes them but they have been the bane of my life for about the last four months. Thank the Lord that the kids seem free of them right now, but before Christmas I was spending so much on treatment and all different brands and I'm not sure if the products were not effective or if I had missed just one nit sack or such but basically I just couldn't get them out of one of my daughters hair and seeing as it is waist length, it was one major pain in the bum!

When I saw that the respected French brand Puressentiel had launched an anti-lice treatment and preventative spray, I immediately asked to sample and review the products and I'm pleased to tel you that I like what I see.

Anti-lice treatment -
I actually tried this on myself as whilst I could not find any evidence of a live head louse I have been itching for months and keep getting bumps around my hairline, so I was convinced I must have them and as this product is all natural I decided there really is no harm in my trying.

Unlike some products it had quite a pleasant smell and you can really detect the lavender, which is quite pleasant as it does not straight-away scream head lice like the smell of tea tree oil does. The four essential oils in the product also are soothing to the head and help to alleviate the itching, which was what I needed too.

The 100ml bottle only did one application as my hair is about 4 or 5 inches longer than my shoulders. So the cost of one treatment is £8.66 if you buy it from Amazon which was the best price I found (RRP £12.99). It therefore isn't the cheapest solution on the market but since research is showing that head-lice are mutating and surviving many different chemical insecticide treatments now, it is good to find one that the lice are unable to develop a resistance to and that doesn't have all the nasty side effects of silicone based products.

The solution comes in a bottle like you might get for hair dye and this means it is easy to apply and you don't get too messy. It is an oil based product so is oily on your hands but washes out well with any shampoo. It contains plant oils of coconut, calophyllum, jojoba, sunflower, sweet almond, castor, which act mechanically by obstructing the respiratory openings of the lice, larvae and nits. The lice are unable to develop resistance due to the asphyxiation mechanism.

I really like the fact that the product works in just 10 minutes and left my hair very soft after washing it out. The comb that is included in the pack is probably the best included one I've ever seen. It has fine grooves in each steel tooth, much like a nitty gritty comb and was very effective at combing my hair out.

Puressentiel products contain no dyes, preservatives or synthetic perfumes and are kind to the environment too.

For the record, I didn't actually have head lice and I actually now think maybe I had a sensitivity to a silicon based product that I used about a month ago when I was treating my girls. the redness and flaky, itchy scalp match the description for silicon sensitivity/allergy.

Preventative Spray -
This 75ml aerosol spray has a strong lavender smell and contains Citriodiol® from 100% natural origin (derived from lemon eucalyptus essential oil) whose repellent action has proved itself to be as effective as most synthetic chemicals.

It has been proven to work for 24 hours to repel lice and stop infestations and that makes it perfect for spraying before school. My daughter with shorter hair needs about 6 sprays and the one with waist-length hair about 12 sprays and the smell is quite strong, so it is good to do with a window open or even in the garden!

This handy spray cleanses the scalp and soothes itching using lavender floral water and lavandin, without leaving the hair or scalp feeling greasy or damaged. The spray retails for RRP £9.99 and I didn't manage to find it any cheaper than that.

It has 0% Neurotoxic repellents, is 100% natural in origin (No chemical agent - No silicone - No dimethicone - Preservative-free), is propellant gas-free and synthetic perfume-free.

Both products are suitable for children aged 3 years plus and they are available from Boots, Day Lewis, Lloyds pharmacy, Amazon and selected pharmacies nationwide.

Conclusion -
I am really happy with the Puressentiel products that I have tried out and I'd happily use the anti-lice treatment again and we will keep on using the preventive spray and see how it goes. Lets pray that is the lice infections over for at least 2017 for my family!


Disclosure: I received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Review - Lyclear head lice products

The dreaded head lice arrived in our house this week, it is that time of the year that I just dread!

Miss M and I tried out the Lyclear spray - as this is designed to get rid of head lice in one go and to be honest I can't be bothered with too much fuss. I just want them gone!

• The odourless spray kills 100% of head lice and eggs in 15 minutes. 
• You just need to hold the spray about 10cm from the dry hair and then cover all the hair and the scalp. Then a good massage from roots to tips paying particular attention to the neck and behind the ears and leave the product on for 15 minutes. 
• Following the application, you rub normal shampoo directly into hair before wetting it and then rinse with warm water and wash again. I'll be honest I had to wash our hair 5 times to get it clear of this oily solution, not sure if I used too much?
• Once it is all washed out you comb the wet hair with the Lyclear anti-lice comb to remove any lice or eggs. (great that you get a comb provided)
• It is available in a 100ml spray bottle which provides up to 4 applications depending on hair length.  Both Miss M and I have long hair and I think we will get 3 applications out of this spray bottle.
• The RRP is £11.99 from pharmacies and supermarkets. 
• The product is suitable for adults and children from 6 months.
• I'd definitely use this again as it did not stain our clothes and was not messy to apply.

Miss E tried out the Lyclear shampoo - this is similar to other products I have used before and to be honest I did not realise it was a different formulation to the spray until after I had used it.

• Lyclear Shampoo is clinically proven to kill 100% of head lice 
• You apply it by pouring onto the head and getting an even coverage and then massage in.
• Leave it on for 10 minutes then wash and rinse the hair thoroughly. I had to wash Miss E's hair just 3 times with this one to fully remove it and it left her hair beautiful and soft.
• As before you remove the dead head lice and eggs with the fine toothed comb provided, thoroughly cleaning the comb after each use. 
• Here is the downside that I had not seen before using this one - it needs to be repeated after 7 days. 
• Available in a 200ml bottle which provides up to 8 applications. Again I think perhaps I used too much as the bottle I have would not do 8 applications but Miss E does have very long hair. 
• RRP is £14.99 from pharmacies and supermarkets. 
• Suitable for adults and children over 2 years of age, however my little Miss E proved to be allergic to this formula and thus I would not use it on her again, just look at her face. It only contained mineral oil, perfume and foaming agents so it must have been the perfume or foaming agent used that her skin did not like. The other product did not contain either of those.

More information can be found at: www.lyclear.co.uk

Disclosure: I received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Review - Hedrin Protect & Go

I have to say that I dread head lice coming into our house. It is such a major pain in the bum to have to try and comb them all out of the girls hair, this is when I would not mind them being a bit more tomboyish and having short hair. Then you have the added problem that because we are a cuddly family I sometimes end up with them too!

In his first few years at school JJ managed to avoid catching head lice at all, that was the joy of having a boy who was not into close up games and had very short hair but within a short time of the girls starting they were both home with heads fully infected and then I found JJ and I had it too and all whilst we were away on holiday, just what we needed.

I have come to accept that the girls will probably come home with head lice at these once an academic year, in the past I have found that whatever I do they tend to still catch them as someone in the class will have them and you can bet your life my girls will have been cosying up with them!

My hope is that this year will be different, we have been sent a bottle of Hedrin Protect and Go to trial. Basically I need to use this spray at least twice a week or after every wash if I fancy) on the kids hair and it is clinically proven to break the life cycle and kill off the head lice before an infection can be established. Sounds good doesn't it and as Hedrin is a brand I trust and have used before I'll happily give this a go.

The spray is particularly good for times when infection might be a problem such as the beginning of school term (yes we have been using it for 2 or 3 weeks now in readiness!), sleepover parties and following an 'outbreak' letter being sent home from school.

I have to say I like the scent of the spray, it is mango and orange and has conditioning properties, the girls just think it is their new detangler. The bottle is large and looks as if it will last quite some time, it is easy to spray and has a lock on the spray too. After use (on wet or dry hair) the girls hair looks nice and shiny but not greasy, which is another plus point,

Priced from £4.29 for 120ml, Hedrin Protect & Go is available from Boots, pharmacies and leading retailers nationwide.  It is skin friendly and contains no known asthma triggers.  You can find more information at www.hedrin.co.uk  or like 'Once a Week, Take a Peek on facebook.

Disclosure: We received a bottle of Hedrin Protect and Go for the purposes of this review. I have not been instrcted what to write and I remain honest.

Thumbs up for Hedrin Once Lice Treatment!

A couple of weeks back I got an email asking me if I'd like to review some lice treatment and yes I tempted fete, I emailed back to say my children had been free of lice for some time now and I hoped it stayed that way, but why not - I'd take some for the future and hope I never need it!

Next day at school pick up I start to notice the familiar signs back on the doors 'please check your child for nits'.  Oh blast thinks I, I totally cannot be bothered to deal with those little critters again.  I check my three kids hair that night and breath a sigh of relief, all looks fine.  However, a couple of days later I notice that my little Miss E is having a good old scratch.  Check number two and oh yes, there they are!

Well what good fortune I said yes to receiving some Hedrin Once liquid gel ready for when I need it.  Little did I know I would be needing it within a couple of days of it arriving! After coming back from football with JJ at 6.45pm the last thing I needed was to have to deal with nits so I was super pleased to see that the Hedrin Once treatment works really quickly - 15 minutes in fact, or you cna leave it longer if that is convenient.

I covered Miss E's dry hair in the liquid gel, rubbed it all in well and sat her in front of the TV for about 20 minutes whilst I tided up the dinner things in the kitchen.  Then off we went to the bathroom and I covered her hair in shampoo as directed, while worrying that my shower might tun into a foam fest with the amount of shampoo I used!  Luckily for me the Hedrin Once contains anti-foaming ingredients to ensure this did not happen.

I washed all the Hedrin out and conditioned her hair and then we sat down for a good combing session. The Hedrin does not state there is any need to comb the lice and nits out but I like to be extra careful and always find it satisfying to see those dead lice and their egg cases removed.

We are now a week after I treated Miss E and I have been keeping a good check and have not seen any further activity.  I pray this is them gone once and for all!

A couple of tips for you if you are going to use this type of product, make sure you cover your child's shoulders in a towel as I find the oily gel does stain and also make sure you wash the shower throughly as of course it becomes slippery.

Ahh look at my good natured little girl!

Disclosure: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.