Can you have lice eggs but no lice?

Children can have a few nits without actually having a case of head lice. Usually children have no more than 10 to 20 live lice. Good lighting is important when you are checking. Head lice move fast and are hard to see.

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Why am I only finding lice eggs?

If you spot nits, but do not see any lice, it is possible that they are hiding and scurrying from the light as you search the hair and scalp; they can move quite quickly! Focus your search to their preferred hideouts, behind the ears and at the nape of the neck.

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Why do I have eggs but no nits?

2. If what you are finding are lice eggs then the most likely answer is that your child has lice bugs as well, you're just not seeing them. And, if you don't have any lice bugs in your hair right now, you are likely to have them crawling around very soon because those eggs are going to HATCH.

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Do all nits turn into lice?

Their full life cycle, from egg until death, lasts a maximum of 35 days. The eggs are called nits and hatch into small insect forms — called nymphs — which then grow into adult lice.

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How do I know if all the nits are gone?

After each treatment, checking the hair and combing with a nit comb to remove nits and lice every 2–3 days may decrease the chance of self–reinfestation. Continue to check for 2–3 weeks to be sure all lice and nits are gone.

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Nits But No Lice Tutorial

33 related questions found

What happens if you don't get all the lice eggs out?

If you do not comb out all the remaining nits, they will hatch and restart the cycle in 7-10 days from that point. That's why we recommend 3 treatments over a 12-day period of time. This stops the life cycle of lice. These are nits at different stages and a louse.

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What do unhatched nit eggs look like?

If nits are yellow, tan, or brown, it means the lice haven't hatched yet. If the nits are white or clear, the lice have hatched and just the egg remains. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they're laid.

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What do empty head lice eggs look like?

Eggs that still contain a louse embryo are brownish in color, while the empty egg shells are white to grey. As the hair grow approximately 1cm a month, eggs that are about 1cm from the scalp are more than likely to have already hatched or to contain a dead embryo.

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Do you see lice or eggs first?

What came first, the head lice or the egg? The answer is pretty simple. The louse.

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Are lice eggs noticeable?

Look for nits near hair follicle about ¼ inch from scalp. Nits (eggs) will be white or yellowish-brown. Nits are often more easily seen than lice, especially when the person has dark hair.

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Can lice eggs hatch if not on hair?

Head lice survive less than one or two days if they fall off the scalp and cannot feed. Head lice eggs (nits) cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they do not remain under ideal conditions of heat and humidity similar to those found close to the human scalp.

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Can dead lice eggs stay in hair?

Nits and their shells may remain in the hair for some time but won't be viable. Many prescription head lice treatments target nits along with adult head lice. If you used a product like this, no combing is necessary unless you can't wait to get rid of the dead shells.

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What colour are empty lice eggs?

Head lice eggs (nits) are brown or white (empty shells) and attached to the hair.

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Do I need to wash bedding everyday with lice?

It's essential to wash all bedding after a head lice treatment. The heat from a hot water cycle will ensure that no surviving lice can find a host again.

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What looks like lice but isn't lice?

Some common bugs that can be mistaken for lice are ants, bedbugs, and fleas. A few things all these bugs have in common is they're small in size, can be dark colored, and can give you an itchy head. A few things that can be mistaken for lice nits are dandruff, hair product, or dirt.

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What are things that lice don't like?

Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.

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What can be mistaken for head lice?

Dandruff, hair casts, globules of hair spray, and scalp conditions such as psoriasis or eczema may easily be mistaken for nits.

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How did my lice just disappear?

Head lice sometimes go away on their own because there are not enough insects to maintain the infestation, or they may persist for an indefinite period without treatment. With proper treatment, the infestation usually goes away within about two weeks.

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What if lice are still alive after treatment?

After Treating with Lice Medicine

If some are still present but moving slowly, do not shampoo again. If lice are still active and no dead lice are found, call your health care provider. These lice may be resistant to the medicine.

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Are lice eggs always white?

Nits often appear yellow or white although live nits sometimes appear to be the same color as the hair of the infested person. Nits are often confused with dandruff, scabs, or hair spray droplets. Head lice nits usually take about 8–9 days to hatch.

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