Use a Lice Comb to Check for Lice It is very helpful to use a combination of removal with your fingers and using a comb. Fingers are best for pulling out
Eggs and nits also stick to the hair shaft, so they don't come off easily. If you try to pull one out of the hair with your fingers, it won't budge—it will move only if you use your nails to get behind it and force it off. If you can easily remove what you think is a nit, then it is not really a nit.
Run your fingers along the hair shaft to see if you can easily move the suspected nit. If it truly is a nit it will not slip or fall off the hair shaft. If it does move, it most likely is not a nit as nits need to be pulled off the hair shaft with your finger nails or a good lice comb. They are difficult to remove.
Head lice hold tightly to hair with hook-like claws at the end of each of their six legs. Head lice nits are cemented firmly to the hair shaft and can be difficult to remove even after the nymphs hatch and empty casings remain.
Most commonly, head lice are spread by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person. They may also be spread by sharing personal items such as combs, brushes, other hair-care items, towels, pillows, hats, and other head coverings.
Use a Lice Comb to Check for Lice
It is very helpful to use a combination of removal with your fingers and using a comb. Fingers are best for pulling out nits that are still stuck on after combing through with a lice comb. You can usually grab more bugs at a time if you add oil and comb through.
What kills head lice instantly? No methods have been found to instantly kill lice, though tea tree and lavender oil combinations in carrier oils have proven to be effective and time-efficient.
Signs of Lice
Some symptoms of lice are a tingling feeling on your scalp, intense itching, and possible bite marks near your neck, ears, or scalp. If you notice any of the symptoms you should check yourself for lice.
Items that cannot be laundered such as headgear, earphones, and bike helmets, can be placed in a plastic bag and put in a freezer. If the freezer is 5°F or lower, all lice and eggs should be dead within 10 hours. Also, keep items and areas off-limits to people for 48 hours to limit exposure to any live lice.
Head lice eggs are oval, and the size of a pinhead. They are firmly attached to the hair shaft and cannot be brushed off. (A live egg will make a 'pop' sound if you crush it between your fingernails.) The easiest and most effective way to find head lice is to use the conditioner and comb treatment weekly.
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.
Nits (eggs) are tiny white specks attached to hairs close to the scalp. Unlike dandruff or sand, nits can't be shaken off the hair shafts.
New eggs are attached to the hair shaft very close to the scalp. Eggs that still contain a louse embryo are brownish in color, while the empty egg shells are white to grey.
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.
You cannot get rid of pubic lice by washing or shaving, as the lice only need a minimal length of hair on which to lay their eggs. Therefore you do not need to shave your pubic hair. You can treat yourself at home with an insecticidal lotion or cream which is available over the counter from a pharmacy.
There are instances where a lice infestation can be felt and others where it cannot. In cases where the lice can be felt, one feels them crawling on their heads. It is important to note that the feeling of a louse crawling on one's head triggers a sensation of something tickling the head, thus discomfort.
Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits. Only items that have been in contact with the head of the infested person in the 48 hours before treatment should be considered for cleaning.
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.
It is not usually possible to get rid of lice in one day, as an infestation needs to be treated. However, there are treatments that can help get rid of lice and symptoms caused by lice more quickly.
Left untreated, head lice can lead to secondary infections, which can be serious. Bacterial infections, such as impetigo, can occur when scratched bites become infected; this can have serious consequences if not treated properly.
Females are usually larger than males and can lay up to 8 nits per day. Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head. To live, adult lice need to feed on blood several times daily. Without blood meals, the louse will die within 1 to 2 days off the host.
Some of the other identifying symptoms of lice bites include: Minor red bite marks or sores that occur from scratching the bites. Red bumps develop on your head, neck, pubic area, shoulders, etc. A tickling feeling that something is moving on your head, body, or hair.