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. To use the wet detection method: wash the hair with ordinary shampoo.
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.
If your child's hair is too hard to comb – too fine or long or thick or curly to get a comb through over and over again – you're going to have a hard time getting the lice out using a comb.
A quick blow dry will not suffice to rid your hair of a lice infestation. The truth is that lice can withstand heat from a blow dryer and hot water, which is why you may have washed and dried your child's hair a few times before realizing that a head lice infestation has even occurred.
Using the Nit Comb can take 1-3 HOURS in order to get out all nits and lice from the hair.
Lice and nits can be removed by wet combing. You can buy a special fine-toothed comb (detection comb) online or from pharmacies to remove head lice and nits.
Remove nits with a comb
Even if a shampoo promises to kill eggs, removing the nits by hand can speed up treatment and reduce the risk of a reinfestation. For the most effective egg removal, use a nit comb on the scalp every day for at least a week.
One method that people have attempted to use is a blow dryer or hair straightener, thinking the heat would dry up and kill any lice. This idea is heading in the right direction, and while desiccation can be used to kill lice, it's important to note that a regular hair dryer or straightener will not treat lice.
Avoid sleeping in the same bed as the person with an active lice infestation. Avoid sitting where the person with lice has sat in the past two days. Wash linens and clothing in hot water and dry on high heat. Place stuffed animals, pillows and items that cannot be washed into an airtight bag for two weeks.
Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs.
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.
If they are full then they will be plump and shiny. What does a dead lice egg look like? A dead lice egg will be white or grey. As they are empty, they will be flat and dry.
No. The two treatments 9 days apart are designed to eliminate all live lice, and any lice that may hatch from eggs that were laid after the first treatment. Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp.
Nit combing is best achieved by using a good quality long-toothed metal nit comb. Take the first section and spray on some detangler or clear conditioner and then detangle. Once detangled nit-comb it thoroughly.
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.
Not everyone feels lice moving around on their scalp, but some people do. Dr. Garcia says that most of her patients say they “don't feel anything,” but others may get a creepy, tickling sensation as lice move around their head.
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.
Hair gels, hairspray, oils or other non-medicated products do not kill lice or their eggs. Cutting your child's hair or shaving their head to get rid of lice won't keep them away. Lice stick to short and just “grown in” hair too.
Lice on pillowcases can be killed by heating the pillowcase by immersion in water at > 60 degrees C, by a hot wash, or by 15 min in a hot clothes dryer.
As previously discussed, hair color may kill the bugs, but with a full-blown infestation, can lice survive hair dye? Yes, they can. You may be successful at getting rid of some of the bugs with hair dye, or you may even use hair dye to get rid of all of them.
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.
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.
Using a Nit Comb Effectively
A nit comb (Like this one) is a fine-toothed comb that helps to pull out both head lice and their eggs. It's a good product for head lice removal, but even better if you know how to use it most effectively. A metal comb can be more effective, but a plastic comb works well too.