A Review of the LiceGuard Robi Comb

In the centuries old war against head lice, there are surprisingly few tools. There are pesticides, fine toothed combs, special tweezers, shampoos, conditioners, and more home remedies than you can drown a louse in. Unfortunately, none of these tools for fighting head lice really make your life any easier or give you any real sense of accomplishment. For the frustrated parent, the continual searching, combing, and picking through your kid's scalp for head lice can feel like a never-ending chore, with little sense of accomplishment beyond eventually hoping that your school gives your child a clean bill of health.

Imagine though that you could take your revenge on those little nit hatchlings. Imagine if you could rip that bug zapper off your back porch and turn those little parasites into lice crispies. Well, thanks to the LiceGuard Robi Comb , you can get your wish.

HOW DOES THE ROBI COMB WORK?

After placing a AA battery in the Robi Comb and turning it on, you run the Robi Comb through your child's dry hair. The Robi Comb emits a high pitched buzzing that lets you know it is operating. If the Robi Comb encounters lice in your child's hair, an electrical circuit is completed between the teeth of the comb, the buzzing stops, and the battery sends a shock through the little guys, killing them or stunning them temporarily.

DOES THE ROBI COMB WORK?

In a word, yes. I purchased the Robi Comb three days into my daughter's infestation. We used Rid and spent several hours picking through her hair, thinking we'd gotten every bit of lice out of her hair. After a couple of passes with the Robi Comb, the silence in the comb indicated we still had a ways to go. Pulling the comb away from her hair, we finally got a chance to see the little guys up close and personal, stuck to the tines of the comb. There was no movement, and the Robi Comb allowed us to easily wipe them away, which instantly starts the comb buzzing again. After a few days we were delighted that the comb sailed through her head without the sound stopping, meaning we'd killed all the little lice for good.

Additionally, there is a study posted online (found here) that describes in detail the effectiveness of the Robi Comb in dealing with head lice.

Unfortunately, the Robi Comb isn't perfect. Any sort of obstruction that completes the circuit, such as wet hair, dandruff, or an ear will stop the comb. These obstructions must be cleared or dried before the comb will work again. And as a warning to all parents, the shock from the Robi Comb does sting a bit, so watch their ears and don't set the metal directly on their scalp.

CONSTRUCTION

The Robi Comb reminds me of a 70's vintage Ronco product. It's a very basic, utilitarian design, with bland blue and white plastic, a metal comb, a basic on/off switch, and an ugly logo. It would be nice if the Robi Comb was rubberized or had a bit more grip to it. In our use, we dropped it several times on our tile floor when it slipped out of our hands. It held up very well to these repeated drops, though. The only problem we encountered was when we cleaned the tines as recommended by LiceGuard. It took using a hair dryer and continual brushing (with the enclosed cleaning brush) for several minutes before we could get the Robi Comb dry enough to begin running again.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND

The Robi Comb should NOT be your only method of dealing with head lice. While some parents frown on it, I recommend using Rid or a generic equivalent, or at the very least combining the use of the Robi Comb with very vigorous nit removal using a comb, tweezers, and some nit removal products if necessary. The Robi Comb is a great suppliment for these treatments and provides you with a nice tool for regular checking of your child's hair after the infestation is gone.

WHERE TO BUY

The Robi Comb was rather difficult to track down. My local Wal-Mart and CVS did not have it, so I wound up driving to a Walgreen's and purchasing the Robi Comb for the full retail price of $29.99. The Robi Comb can also be found online cheaper at Amazon.com or directly from LiceGuard , although waiting several days for it to be shipped just to save a few bucks sounds a bit foolish to me.

OVERALL

The Robi Comb by LiceGuard is an innovative and strangely satisfying way of addressing your child's head lice problem. Its simple but effective design provides parents with a valuable tool for both detecting and destroying head lice, and can provide peace of mind in the months following the lice infestation through its use as a diagnostic tool. Highly recommended.