(the singular form of lice) has six legs, each with a curved claw that can tightly hold onto hair. Head lice crawl easily between hairs, but they cannot fly or jump.

Head lice feed on human blood only. A louse does not dig or burrow into the skin–it uses its needle-like mouthparts to suck blood through the skin.

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most people think of nits as viable eggs that will hatch into lice. Nits look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can’t be removed by brushing or shaking them off.

Although much smaller than lice, nits are often easier to spot on the head because they are “glued” to the hair and can’t crawl away. Lice eggs typically hatch 7-10 days after they’re laid. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear and stays firmly attached to the hair shaft.

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your hair). Hatched lice can either be adult lice and nymphs (baby lice).

The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice roughly 10 days after they hatch.

Lice feed on blood from your scalp several times a day. Although some lice have been observed living up to 2 days off the scalp, most lice die within 15 hours of coming off the head.

Head lice only live for about three weeks. An adult female louse will lay about five eggs each day. She attaches each egg with a cement-like material that does not wash out.

The eggs do not grow, move or cause any health problems. Once fully developed, the nymph breaks out of the egg, crawls onto the hair and leaves behind the now-empty eggshell. The empty eggshell will never produce another louse, but it will remain glued to the hair until it is broken or cut off.

The nymph will grow in size and shed its skin every few days until it has matured to become an adult. Only adult females can lay eggs.

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a child’s skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. They may complain, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads. You may also notice small red bumps or sores from scratching. For some children, the irritation is mild; for others, a more bothersome rash may develop. Excessive scratching can lead to a bacterial infection (this can cause swollen lymph glands and red, tender skin that might have crusting and oozing). If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.

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neck (it’s rare for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows).

A magnifying glass and bright light may help. But it can be tough to find a nymph or adult louse — often, there aren’t many of them and they move fast. Be sure to check with your child’s school nurse or childcare center director to see if other children have recently been treated for lice. If you discover that your child does have lice or nits, contact the staff at the school and childcare center to let them know. Find out what their return policy is. Many schools have a “No Nit” policy and will not let children return to school if they have nits in their hair.

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in close proximity. Louse eggs cannot move and are not transmissible. Head lice are rarely transmitted via a shared comb or hat, but transmission via shared baseball helmets is common.

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So will not sharing hats, helmets or close sleeping quarters with infested individuals.

Because 50 percent of the time people get infested from other family members, make sure everyone in your family gets checked (and if necessary, treated) when any family member has lice.

There are lice repellant products on the market. They contain essential oils that the lice don’t like to smell. In vitro tests show lice will stay away from essential oils used in those products.

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host). So lice that fall on a desk, floor or coat at school will not be alive the next day. And eggs that may come off a head will not survive.

Clothing, stuffed animals, theater seats and other items are not threats to spreading head lice. Bathing every day will not prevent or wash away head lice. Cleaning the home or bagging toys and clothing won’t help you prevent or get rid of head lice.
That said, washing clothes or bedding of infested individuals is not a bad idea. When doing so, make sure to wash them in hot water (130° F [54.4° C]), then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.

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