HEAD LICE FACTS

We don’t know exactly when lice originated, but we suspect they have been around as long as humans have walked the earth. The earliest known evidence found by archeologists are dried up lice bugs and nits on the hair and scalps of Egyptian mummies! Head lice do not come out of the air, from the ground, or elsewhere in nature. They are human parasites that feed on human scalp blood and travel from one head to another. Head Lice are uniquely adapted to be on a human head exclusively, and use our hair to navigate.

Head lice can be spread whenever there is direct head-to-head contact with an infested individual. Lice may also be transmitted by items such as hats, hair ties, scarves, pillows, etc. However, this type of transfer is quite rare.

Lice cannot typically survive off of a human host longer than 24 hours and they are uniquely adapted for living in human head hair. They generally do not like to leave the protected environment created within head hair.

Head lice are most commonly found on or near the scalp, behind the ears and near the neckline at the base of the head. Symptoms include a tickling sensation or feeling something moving through the hair. An allergic reaction to the bites can cause itching (although 40% of the population does not itch at all). Viable eggs/nits are usually located within 1/4 inch (6mm) of the scalp.

The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is usually brown, dark or light gray. The color of lice vary based on your hair color. Against a dark background, they appear light, and against a lighter color, they look dark. Nymphs (baby lice) are smaller, and can be black, clear, or even blood red. Lice eggs, known as nits, look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear. Nits are literally glued to the hair shaft and are very difficult to remove.

The dehydration technology we use eradicates head lice. Our process kills lice bugs and their nits in one easy treatment, without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.

Nits are eggs and are laid by adult female lice, which usually take about a week to hatch into nymphs. Nymphs are immature lice that mature into adults about ten days after hatching from the nit. Adult lice can live about 30 days on a person’s head. If they come off the host, they usually die within 24 hours. Female adult lice lay 4 to 8 nits per day and can lay 100 or more eggs during their lifetime. The mother bug uses her saliva to glue the nits to hair shafts and they hatch in 7-8 days. It takes another 8-10 days for lice to mature. Females can mate 24 hours later and start laying eggs.

There is not a difference although a nit is usually referred to as the empty shell and the egg as a viable egg. Sometimes people refer to one or the other in relation to its viability.

Although a microscope would be able to show you whether an egg is empty or not, there is no way to tell whether a non-empty shell is viable or not.

Avoid head to head contact during play, sleepovers, or other activities at home, school, and elsewhere. Do not share combs, brushes or towels used by an infested person. Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, hair ribbons or barrettes. Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person used or wore during the previous 2 days using a hot water laundry cycle and high heat drying cycle. Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

It is very common for close family or friends of infested individuals to also have lice. It is suggested that you check everyone in the household. You do not want to treat anyone who does not have lice, however many clients who have a family member with lice will choose to have a dimethicone oil treatment. This treatment, which is completely non-toxic, is a quick and easy way to kill any small bug that may be in the hair, but is very hard to find.

Wash bedding (pillow case, sheet, fitted sheet, spread –mattress and pillows with pillow cases are fine) and recently worn clothing in hot water; place accent pillows or those without a pillow case in a dryer at highest heat setting for 20 to 30 minutes. Wash hair ties and scrunchies in washer as well. Do not boil hair brushes as you will warp them, simply place them in the freezer within a plastic bag overnight. Head lice cannot survive off the human head for more than 24 hours. It is recommended that you do not use pesticide sprays in your home; they will unnecessarily expose your household to harmful chemicals, and they simply don’t work.

You can place them on the top rack of the dishwasher or soak items in HOT (not boiling) water for 20 minutes. Better yet, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for 24 hours.