Pictures of Head Lice

Here are some pictures of Hair Lice:

Facts About the Lice Cycle: What you need to know

There are facts about the lice cycle that every one ought to know about. This might help you to get rid of lice infestation in scalps and hair. The most basic thing to learn about lice is that they are tiny, wingless parasites that reside on human scalp and hair and are transferred by direct contact.

They are usually about 1 to 3 mm long. They thrive in warm environments. Their main source of food is human blood and they get it by sucking after biting the scalp. These insects can reside in any person’s head; they do not have a particular preference for young ones, old, ones, race, etc.

One of the things about the lice life cycle that people must know about is the lice eggs. The eggs of the lice, similarly called ova or nit, are small and normally oblong in shape. It is laid by the female lice. Its covering is made up of a substance that is waterproof. These eggs can be found stuck in the hair near the scalp. These nits can be difficult to locate because they are small, about the size of a poppy seed. They also blend well with the hair. These eggs have a white color when first laid but it soon turns brown making it hard to distinguish the eggs in hair.

A female hair louse normally lays about 90 to 125 of these eggs during its stay on a human’s head. The eggs, after attaching to the hair shaft, take around one to two weeks to hatch. It is important to remove the lice eggs before they have hatched. This will stop the increase in the lice numbers and the occurrence of an infestation. It is important to know that many lice removal products do not kill the eggs. That is where a fine toothed comb, normally known as nit or lice combs, comes in handy. These combs can be used to remove the eggs, from the hair.

Another one of the useful facts about the lice cycle is that there is an in-between stage between the egg stage and the adult stage of the hair lice. This is called the nymph stage. This nymph stage can be compared to the adolescent stage for humans. During this period, the lice still cannot reproduce. They are also still tiny, smaller than the adult lice. In this nymph stage, the lice already rely on their human host to survive. They already suck blood from the human scalp.

Another of the useful facts about the lice cycle that people should know about pertain to the mature lice. The mature hair lice are the most bothersome when on the head. These mature adults typically live in a host’s head for about ten to fifteen days. This stage can last from 24 to 30 days, depending on several factors. These adult lice increase in warm environments. As long as it is warm, a louse can survive without residing on a human’s head for two to three days before it dies.

These adult lice are the ones that most people are afraid of because they can be easily passed on and can cause an infestation in other people. Most insecticides and lice removal procedures are focused on removing these adults. Whether a person has lice or not, what is important is that knowing these different facts about the lice cycle can aid in removal of these insects and prevention actions to stop an infestation now or in the future.

How To Comb Lice From Hair to Get Rid of Head Lice

Use of a fine metal lice comb to get rid of hair lice is one of the ways to get rid of them. Hair lice are insects that reside in the hair and on the scalp. They get sustenance by sucking blood from their human prey. These parasites crawl around in human hair and the females lay eggs that attach to hair strands. Lice often live around 10 to 30 days in the human scalp before they die. A single female louse, during her stay on a person’s scalp, can lay as much as 90 to around 130 eggs. When a there are a lot of females and eggs present in the scalp, an infestation can occur. At that point it is important to take a different means to get rid of the lice.

The mechanical way of lice removal is either pick them and the eggs out with a pair of tweezers which is almost impossible or to comb lice out of the hair with a fine lice comb. Sometimes these are called nit combs. Most combs for hair lice removal are metal, long-tooth combs. They are about 2 inches in length. The teeth of the combs are spaced very close to each other, closer than the commercially available fine toothed combs. Nit combs are used much like normal combs. However, these combs must be used in every inch of the scalp and in all directions to completely remove all nits and lice. Other kinds of combs available include electronic combs that are said to electrocute lice.

Some places sell a less expensive comb for lice that is plastic. This type of comb is more flexible; hence, it is less effective than metal combs. In using these combs, the experts recommend some guidelines for a more effective removal of all lice. One recommendation is that the combs need to be used over and over again for about 2 to 3 weeks, with each combing session lasting about 20 minutes or so. This is to ensure that the lice and all the eggs or nits are really removed from the scalp. It is important to clean the comb after every session. The lice that come off in the comb may be able to reside in the comb for about two to three days, despite not having any food.

The use of lice comb to get rid of hair lice is normally used in conjunction with other products and/or equipment. Only combing the lice and nits out may not be really effective, especially if there is already an infestation of lice on the scalp. Since the use of combs is a mechanical technique of removal, inspection for its effectiveness is done manually as well. Usually, the inspection entails looking at the different hair parts closely with the use of a magnifying glass.

With the magnifying glass, lice and their eggs can be easily seen and distinguished. Using hair conditioner is a helpful procedure when doing the removal of lice by combing. Conditioners make the hair softer and smoother. The lice and their nits have less of a hold on the scalp and the hair because of the conditioner. Using Insecticides can also be an effective supplement when you are trying comb lice out. These insecticides make the use of the nit combs more effective by killing the lice.

Use of a high quality metal lice comb, when used by itself, is actually the one of the safest ways to remove hair lice. This procedure, though very labor intensive, does not involve the use of chemical agents that can cause side effects such as itching and rashes on the scalp. Using non toxic home remedies in addition to the manual use of the comb to get rid of a louse infestation can be quite effective and less of a threat to the health of the child.

How To Kill Hair Lice

There are different methods to kill hair lice. Hair lice are tiny parasites that inhabit the head of a person. They are tiny, normally around 2 to 4 mm long, wingless creatures that crawl on the scalp. They live only on the hairs and scalp of humans.

They can cause different damages to the hair and scalp such as damage to the hair’s roots and hair loss. These parasites need a relatively warm environment to survive, which is why the hair in the heads of humans provide a perfect home for them. They also need a constant supply of food which is human blood. Lice sustain themselves by sucking the blood. Without the warmth and nourishment available on the human head, lice can often die in as fast as 48 hours.

Ways to kill hair lice involve different methods. Most methods are often focused on the direct removal of the lice from the hair and scalp. One method to kill hair lice is by use of natural ingredients. One such ingredient is rubbing alcohol. It has become one of the popular means to kill lice. The hair and head are completely saturated with rubbing alcohol. The lice are exposed to the rubbing alcohol in this procedure. In the process, the lice are expected to die. Another material used to kill lice is coconut oil. The saturated coconut oil is placed on the hair and scalp. The coconut oil is meant to suffocate the lice and the nits or lice eggs in the hair. After drenching the hair and scalp with most lice killing ingredients such as rubbing alcohol, a shampoo and a conditioner are suggested to be used to remove the dead lice and nits from the hair.

Another one of the ways to kill hair lice and effectively removing both living and dead lice is by using fine toothed combs. Use of these fine toothed combs is considered as the mechanical way of killing hair lice. These fine toothed combs are commonly called as nit combs or lice combs. Often, a visual inspection of the hair and scalp is done after using these combs. This mechanical treatment for lice normally takes several hours and should be repeated for a few days. The mechanical means of killing lice are often used alongside some chemical products that would make the use of these combs more effective in getting rid of the lice. These include pediculicide products, solvents and lubricants that normally kill lice by suffocating them.

Another of the ways to kill hair lice is by washing and cleaning. In this procedure, the focus is to kill the lice and stop the spread of it. Lice are transferred by direct contact, normally head-to-head. But it is also possible that lice are transferred when they temporarily reside on sheets, hats, caps and other surfaces. Cleaning and disinfecting possible sources of transfer of the head lice is a great way to kill the lice and stop them from spreading.

Plenty of different ways to kill lice are available to a lot people. And often, most ingredients and procedures for killing lice are effective if done in the correct manner. One important aspect in killing hair lice is to make sure that their eggs are killed as well. Their eggs or nits, normally attach to the hair tightly. They are hard to remove and wash off. If the lice killing procedures were done but only the mature lice were killed and not the eggs, then it would be likely that an infestation would occur again in the future once the eggs hatch and reproduce. Whatever way you use to kill hair lice, it is best to ensure that the mature lice and the eggs are all killed and removed to prevent further re-infestation.

Treating Head Lice

There are a number of misconceptions about head lice – both in their nature and in the best methods for their removal. Once you identify that there is a hair lice occurrence within your home, you need to intelligently face the issue and treat the problem correctly.

There are many wild stories about the nature of head lice and how they affect people. Hair lice do not transmit communicable diseases. Many people think that lice can jump or fly but they do not have wings so they can not fly and they do not jump but they do crawl. Lice are only passed from one person to another person through direct contact or through direct contact with infested articles.

Anything that comes in contact with the head could become a transmitter. This would include clothing, combs, brushes, bedding, towels, hats or even shower caps. Another false idea is how long they can live away from their host. Hair lice are totally dependant on their host for food and warmth. They get their only nourishment from human blood which they take in small amounts from the scalp.

Typically, head lice will live for up to thirty days but they can only survive away from their host for up to 48 hours. Another myth is that people with short hair are almost immune to lice. That is not accurate. Lice apparently do not have any preference to age of their host, race, or personal hygiene. Though girls generally have more hair and it is usually longer and they often have lice problems more frequently it is not because of sex or hair length directly but perhaps only that with the extra hair it is more difficult to discover them and to get rid of them.

Another incorrect belief is that they are carried by animals. Head lice are a human parasite and are not transferred by animals.

An important part of the treatment for head lice should take into consideration what the infected person has had contact with. The first step in treatment should be treating the person’s hair with medicated shampoo or home remedies of choice and then carefully combing out all of the nits and lice. The next step that should be taken would be in regards to what the infected person has come into contact with.

Items that can be washed in the washing machine like clothing and bedding should be washed in hot water. When you expose both the lice and their eggs (nits) to temperatures above 125 degrees F for 10 minutes or more it kills them. If items cannot be put in the washing machine, some can be put in the dryer on the hot cycle for 20 minutes with the same results.

Another option is dry cleaning fabric items which also kill both the lice and the nits. Items like toys and books or leather jackets etc. can be placed in an airtight bag for at least two weeks. You can also clean combs and brushes by placing them in hot water on the stove for about 10 minutes at 150 degrees F.

If you are concerned that heating brushes or combs in this way might damage them, you can place them in a phenol solution like Lysol and soak them for an hour.

Another important part of the treatment process is to thoroughly vacuum or clean carpets, car seats and interiors of cars, furniture upholstery and the mattresses used by the infected person. It is not recommended that your try fumigating your home and using insecticidal sprays on furniture or carpets for killing head lice.

Many people do not treat hair lice in the proper way. By not being thorough, they do not totally get rid of the problem which will then lead to another infestation. If you are careful and take proper steps to rid your home of head lice when they are first identified, you can be sure that you can stop the problem and prevent a re-infestation during the 24 day life cycle of the lice..

Head Lice Removal

You may be wondering: How can I be sure whether my child has head lice or not? Perhaps you have seen them scratching their scalp or possibly you have seen some suspicious specks in their hair. So, how do you know for sure, whether they have lice or not and if they do, then how in the world do I get rid of the nasty little parasites?

Hair lice are human parasites. They take their nourishment from small amounts of blood which they suck after making a small bite in the scalp. Infestations of lice are most frequently found on children from the age 3 to 12. They are not however, limited to children in those age groups or even to children. Adults also can fairly easily get lice if they are involved in situations that might be considered high risk.

It is not unusual for girls to get lice more often than boys but that does not mean that boys are immune to the problem. Noticing and finding head lice can be difficult. You need to be observant. As a general rule, bugs do not wander about on a persons head. Lice however, thrive there.

When you discover a small crawling insect about the size of a sesame seed and light brown in color on your child’s head, they likely have either a few or a whole infestation of lice. For some people, the lice eggs (called nits) can be harder to see. What you think is a nit, might just be a flake of dandruff or dried hair spray. If you see small white or light yellow or brown specks in the hair it should naturally arouse suspicion. There are some quick easy ways to tell if it is a nit or just a speck of something else. If the speck in the hair comes away from the shaft of the hair easily, it is not likely a louse egg. However, if it is difficult to remove from the hair shaft and is yellow or light brown in color it is probably a nit. After the eggs have hatched, the remaining shell they will appear to be either clear or white in color.

Once you have made a positive identification that there are lice in the hair, the job of removing both the lice and their eggs should be started in earnest. A common starting point is to purchase a medicated lice shampoo and apply it to all the hair on the head.

After rinsing the hair, while it is still wet, divide the hair into small inch wide sections. Start in a logical place to begin and using a fine toothed lice comb, carefully comb the hair from the end at the scalp all the way to the very tip of the hairs in that section. Then, clean the comb thoroughly and repeat the process with every section of hair. This procedure can literally take hours to complete so plan accordingly.

It is important to comb out the hair very thoroughly. Lice shampoos usually do a good job in killing the lice but any nits that are left behind may not be killed by the shampoo and can hatch, thus causing a reoccurrence of the problem. By making a point to carefully process every strand of hair, you will pretty much insure against the nasty possibility of a future infestation.

Some people try to remove hair lice from the head with tweezers. This can be done but it is much more difficult than with a good metal lice comb. You still need to section off the hair as with the comb and then carefully go through each section, one at a time. You may wonder, what do I do with the lice and nits that I get out of the hair?

After removing the nits from the shaft of the hair, they are not sticky so you want to keep that in mind. Hopefully any lice you remove with tweezers are either dead or dying but what do you do with them?. Probably the best method to dispose of these lousy remnants is to put them on piece of wide duck or masking tape … on the sticky side. When one piece of tape is filled up, roll it up and put it into a sealable plastic bag and throw it in the outside trash.

Remember to completely clean all bedding, furniture and other objects that may have become “infected” through contact. Vacuum the floors thoroughly as well as any upholstered furniture. Do not forget to vacuum the car! Wash anything that you can in the washing machine with the wash cycle set to hot. Any other objects that cannot be put into the washing machine can likely be put in the dryer on hot for 20 minutes. These procedures should get rid of and kill all remaining lice and nits and make it so you do not have to repeat the process seven days later when stray eggs begin hatching.

Head Lice Comb

Wondering what lice comb is best or if it makes a difference? It is important to get the right kind of lice comb to get rid of head lice from your child’s hair. These parasites are persistent and their removal needs to be taken seriously. Even though a head louse infestation is not a dangerous problem, it is contagious.

Hair lice are spread between people through personal contact or contact of infected objects. A louse can not jump from one host to another and neither can they fly. But, a head lice infestation is frustrating when you face it. There is a distinct social repugnance associated with having hair lice as well as the irritation of having an itchy scalp. Lice get their nourishment and live by sucking a small amount of blood from the scalp. Where they bite and suck, it causes itchy red bumps which are the cause of the irritation.

In order to remove the lice from the infected head, you will need to extract each mature louse and the nits or eggs that lice lay in the hair. Nits will appear as yellow, tan or brown tiny specks on the shaft of the hair. Right after the eggs hatch they are called nymphs and they will appear to be white or clear. Using a good quality lice comb is an essential part of a lice infestation treatment.

It helps a lot to have the hair wet when you are attempting to comb out the lice and nits. A proven “best practice” is to divide the hair into one inch sections and process them one at a time. Use a metal lice comb and comb the hair starting as close as possible to the hair follicle and then combing from the base to the end of the section of hair. Be sure to wipe off or rinse off the comb after each section has been combed. Continue the process going from one section of hair to the next until the whole head has been carefully completed. In seven to ten days, any eggs that were missed will hatch and become young lice so you will want to treat the hair again at that time to kill any living lice and repeat the combing process to get any newly laid nits.

Before you start combing lice and nits out of the hair, make sure you have a good quality metal lice comb. The best kind of comb for getting out all the nits will be metal and have long teeth that are finely spaced. Make sure that you get a comb that is solid metal or one where the space between the handle and the comb is carefully and thoroughly sealed. You do not want any nits hiding inside your lice comb!

Sometimes the plastic combs that come with the medicated shampoos are not fine enough or sturdy enough to be effective in removing all lice and nits since the lice eggs are attached firmly to the hair shaft and the plastic just bends around some of them. If you use a high quality comb and are diligent about combing the hair from the base to the tip and then cleaning the comb, they work very well. Lice combs are a lot simpler to use than tweezers which are used by some people to remove lice and nits. The comb is much more effective because with tweezers you have to see the lice and the nits in order to remove them which is not always possible plus it is a much more labor intensive process.

Another non-pesticide alternative and effective method of killing the living lice in the hair is to use an electric comb. The electronic lice comb uses a single AA battery. As you comb through the hair, at the moment the comb touches a living louse, it zaps the critter with a tiny electric charge that cannot be felt by the humans involved but it kills all the lice it touches. In addition, it combs the lice and the nits out of the hair. In almost all circumstances this is a much better way to get rid of lice in the hair than applying strong medications and chemicals.

Head Lice Treatments

Head Lice Treatment Methods

The first ting to do after discovering that your child has head lice is to get started with the treatment ASAP. In addition to actually treating the infected hair, you will also need to treat the items and facilities that may have also become infected though contact with the child. But, let’s deal first with the hair treatment.

Quite a few over the counter products are available in addition to prescription shampoos, creams and lotions. With all commercial products, be sure to follow the directions carefully to avoid safety hazards and make sure the treatment has a maximum chance of working. Most of the shampoo type products require you to shampoo the hair, wait a few minutes and then lather up in the shower and rinse the hair.

After rinsing treated hair, you will need to use a fine toothed nit comb (lice eggs are called nits) to comb out all the eggs and dead lice. Combing is a lot easier if you do it with the hair being wet. After seven to ten days then you should repeat the treatment process to make sure any newly hatched lice (called nymphs) are killed before they mature and lay more eggs.

Lice thrive on the head and do not live more than about 48 hours when separated from their host. But, because there is a risk of reinfection during that 48 hour period, areas of your home that the child came in contact with as well as objects will also need to be treated and cleaned.

A good place to start is by stripping the beds and washing them in water that is as hot as your washer can provide. If something cannot be washed but can be put in the clothes dryer (like pillows for example), a 20 minute treatment there on the hot cycle will kill the little parasites.

If something is not washable, taking it to be dry cleaned will expose the nits and living lice to chemicals that will also kill them. Some items like plush toys that cannot be cleaned can be put into a sealed plastic bag for two weeks to make sure the full life cycle of the lice has been passed and all lice are dead.

Carpets and furniture should be thoroughly vacuumed and so should any vehicles that the child has ridden in. Things like helmets and hair care items such as headbands, combs, barrettes, hair brushes should be soaked in rubbing alcohol for a couple of hours, put in a plastic bag in a freezer (below 5 degrees) or just thrown away.

Even though only one child in the family may have been found to have lice on them, the other children should also be treated just as if they also were infected. Lice are only spread through personal contact. They cannot jump, hop, fly or transport themselves – they make the transfer between people strictly by crawling (sometimes very quickly).

Finding lice on members of the family should be taken seriously. If the people and the home are not treated properly, the lice will thrive and can turn into an infestation rather than just a few lice that have been transferred from some neighbor or school friend. Teach you children to avoid sharing things like hats, combs, hair wear etc. Children should also be taught to avoid laying on each other or wrestling while playing. A few simple precautions taken consistently can almost certainly prevent a reoccurrence of the unpleasant situation.

Head Lice Home Remedies

Kill Head Lice With Amazing Home Remedies

When killing head or hair lice, the job should be taken seriously and should be carried out thoroughly and in the right manner. Most parents are not aware of what they are really putting on their child’s skin and body when they just start using commercial lice shampoo? Are you?

Even the well noted American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the Nix shampoo product as being the most effective treatment for hair lice but if you choose to use it, you are putting pesticides on you child’s skin. Because of the social repugnance often associated with head lice, many parents just want to use the strongest, fastest way they can think of to get rid of the pests. Many other parents, choose to take the healthy and safety of their children into consideration and look for more acceptable alternatives.

Certainly, you want to get rid of the lice and all their nits or eggs. If your child has allergies or even if you are just concerned about using chemicals on your child then you start looking for alternatives. Likely the simplest and most time tested home remedy to avoid the pesticides would be to use a fine lice comb and perhaps tweezers, and manually remove the lice and their eggs (called nits) from the hair. This is a time consuming process that needs to be done daily for several consecutive days. Even for those who use lice shampoo, the tedious process of carefully combing out the nits is still necessary.

There is another popular home remedy that uses something like mayonnaise, Vaseline or Olive Oil on the hair to smother the lice. When this greasy substance is left on overnight under a shower cap (to keep the mess contained and in place) the remedy works quite well. This is a messy process but many experts believe that part of the reason this works is because when going through the process of cleaning up the hair afterwards, it actually removes the bugs and the nits all at the same time. When using this method, it is often helpful to rinse the hair with Vinegar which helps dissolve the residual grease that was used and it makes it harder for any elusive eggs to stick to the hair.

Another non-pesticide treatment you might want to consider is using a medication named Ulesfia. You would need to ask your doctor about this because it does require a medical prescription. When using this product, the hair needs to be saturated and left on for ten minutes before being washed out. This product also needs to be applied again in seven days to kill any freshly hatched lice from nits that may have been left behind. It basically works by suffocating the living hatched lice.

There are other home remedies that have been reported to have worked to rid the hair of lice. These would include remedies made from herbs or spices or essential or aromatic oils. The most common of these is likely the tea tree oil remedy but these methods like other home methods are not regulated by the FDA and their effectiveness is not certain.

On the preventative side of things, do a little research and become familiar with how to identify adult lice, nymphs (young lice) and nits in the hair and do periodic inspections of young children, particularly if they have frequent interaction with other children. With knowledge and careful inspections you can avoid any unnecessary inconvenience of treating children when there is not a need to do so. Take preventative measures to avoid the problem altogether.

If girls wear their hair up and if it has gel in it, these procedures reduce the chance for lice transfer from one child to another. Teach your children about lice. Lice are only transferred by direct contact from one person to another. They have no wings and do not have the ability to jump. Teach you children to avoid activities that could cause direct transfer like climbing on and wrestling with each other, sharing combs, hair brushes, hats, hair ties, bows or any other item that might have direct contact with the hair or scalp. When your children take these preventative steps, the likelihood of another “attack” is brought to a minimum. Education, awareness and good personal interaction habits are the best prevention available.