Removing the dead nits is not essential or urgent. However, it prevents others from thinking your child still has untreated lice. Nits can be removed by backcombing with a special nit comb. You can also pull them out one at a time.
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. Do not retreat until speaking with your health care provider; a different pediculicide may be necessary.
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.
Nits can stick to hair even when lice are gone (for example, after treatment that kills the lice). You should only treat if you see live lice, not if you only see nits.
Generally, if no live crawling insects are seen three weeks after the treatment, it's safe to assume that they are gone. Nits would have hatched by that time if they were alive. Nits and their shells may remain in the hair for some time but won't be viable.
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.
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.
Head lice eggs (nits) are brown or white (empty shells) and attached to the hair.
Shaving the head does not cure lice. The itching should go away within a few days, but the medicated treatment will need to be repeated in 5 to 7 days to kill any new lice that may have hatched since the first 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.
Detection combing can be carried out on dry or wet hair. Dry combing takes less time, but wet combing is more accurate because washing with conditioner stops head lice from moving.
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.
There are two reasons for a recurrent lice infestation: The lice treatment you used didn't work. You or someone in your family came in contact with lice again.
Live lice eggs are small brown or tan coloured dots on hair shafts close to the scalp. These can be incredibly difficult to spot. Broken egg shells, or nits, are easier to spot. It's common for parents to mistake nits for dandruff.
Nits that are attached more than ¼ inch from the base of the hair shaft are almost always non-viable (hatched or dead). Head lice and nits can be visible with the naked eye, although use of a magnifying lens may be necessary to find crawling lice or to identify a developing nymph inside a viable nit.
Symptoms of head lice or nits
Scratching can make the scalp look scaly or have crusty spots. When you look closely at your child's hair, you might see small, oval-shaped, white or brown-black nits attached to the root of the hair, near the scalp.
Feces — Look for lice feces on the scalp, which are tiny black specks. If you see them, examine the rest of the head for live lice. Eggs — Female lice typically attach eggs 1/4-inch from the scalp. There can be from a few to several hun- dred nits in a child's hair.
4 You cannot get rid of lice with a hair brush or with a hair dryer. 4 The best way to find head lice is by using a fine toothed lice comb on hair that is dry, wet or wet with conditioner. 4 Only treat when you find a live louse on the head. Contact your local Public Health Nurse if you have any questions.
A preventative shampoo and spray can break the life cycle. A shampoo that kills lice before they can lay eggs is critical for closing the “bridge” from one head to another. Ladibugs experts recommend parents seek effective, pesticide-free options.
Head lice do not have wings or jumping legs, so they cannot fly or jump from head to head. They can only crawl. People catch head lice from direct head-to-head contact with another person who has head lice. This can happen when people play, cuddle or work closely together.
DO NOT over treat. Some louse shampoos can be neurotoxic and overuse can damage the nervous system. Wear gloves when treating more than one person with head louse shampoo. If more than two treatments are required to control an infestation, talk to the School Nurse(s) or the Health Department about alternative methods.
After treatment, your skin may still itch for a week or more. This is because of your body's reaction to the lice. Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety.