There are no over-the-counter or prescription treatments that totally kill both lice and nits. Nits cannot be washed out or brushed out of the hair. They must be picked or pulled out with a special nit comb or by hand.
Either washing done with a water temperature of at least 50 degrees C or drying is necessary to kill head lice and nits.
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.
Fine tooth combing in dry hair is as good as wet combing to detect lice. The most reliable way to check is to wet comb because soaking wet lice stay still. In dry hair lice move quickly away from disturbance.
Comb dead and any remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine–toothed nit comb. If, after 8–12 hours of treatment, no dead lice are found and lice seem as active as before, the medicine may not be working.
Wet combing with cheap conditioner and a fine-tooth head lice (nit) comb is an effective way to find and remove head lice, if done properly.
Use fingers to separate hair and create a part. The part should allow you to clearly see the person's scalp. Look for lice crawling on the scalp where the hair is parted or on the hair shaft. The lice will be dark in color and the size of a poppyseed.
It could take up to three weeks to get rid of all lice and nits. Make sure all members of your household check and receive treatment for head lice if one member of your household has head lice, as lice easily spread from person to person.
Typically, 10–15 head lice are found. The number of lice often depends on personal hygiene, for example, how often the person bathes, shampoos, or changes and washes his/her clothing.
Spinosad (Natroba).
Spinosad is approved for adults and children age 6 months and older. It can be applied to dry hair and rinsed with warm water after 10 minutes. It kills lice and nits and usually doesn't need repeated treatment.
Lice and nits can live on pillows and sheets. Lice glue their eggs to the hair strands of their host. However, if a piece of hair with an egg falls out while the lice host is sleeping, an egg could end up on pillows or sheets.
Treating head lice. With the hair wet and full of conditioner, it is difficult to see whether any lice or nits have been removed. However, dry combing, which is easier to do, allows success of louse removal to be seen and has been successful in ten out of ten separate infestations.
Smothering agents: There are several common home products that may kill lice by depriving them of air and smothering them. These products include petroleum jelly (Vaseline), olive oil, butter, or mayonnaise. Any of these products may be applied to the scalp and hair, covered with a shower cap, and left on overnight.
It's important to wash any machine washable items. Clothing, bedding, towels, stuffed animals, etc., that came in contact with the lice up to two days before treatment needs to be washed. It's important not to let anyone else come in contact with these items until they have been properly cleaned.
Nits are often confused with other things found in the hair such as dandruff, hair spray droplets, and dirt particles. If no live nymphs or adult lice are seen, and the only nits found are more than ¼-inch from the scalp, the infestation is probably old and no longer active and does not need to be treated.
After beginning treatment, continue combing at least once a day while you still see live lice. Then continue to comb your child's hair every three to four days for at least three weeks after you see your last live louse. This is because nits can take up to two weeks to hatch.
Using the Nit Comb can take 1-3 HOURS in order to get out all nits and lice from the hair.
Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp). Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes. Do not share combs, brushes, or towels.
An adult louse is grayish white or tan and about the size of a small sesame seed. Lice move fast, so you're actually more likely to see their eggs than the lice themselves. Louse eggs are called nits. Nits look sort of like dandruff, except they don't brush or fall off as easily as dandruff.
Do not use a conditioner. It can keep the lice medicine from working. Rinse well with warm water and towel dry. Do not use the towel again until it has been laundered.
Make sure hair stays wet with conditioner during combing. Metal or plastic nit combs are available at your local pharmacy. If the comb tugs the hair, use a wide toothed comb first and more conditioner, then try the nit comb again. combing without conditioner, until no lice are found.
Sometimes it will be easier to remove the nits if you wet the hair with white vinegar while you are combing the nits out. Vinegar helps loosen the "glue" that holds the nits to the hair. Separate and comb small sections of hair at a time.
Put the fine- toothed head lice comb flat against the scalp and draw the comb through each section of hair from the roots to the ends. Wipe the comb after each stroke onto white tissue or paper towel, checking each time for head lice and nits. Comb each section of hair at least 5 times. Wash the hair as normal.