Time – The person who is inspecting for head lice needs to conduct a careful and thorough search. Weekly home head checks are recommended. Strong source of natural light, high intensity lamp, or strong flashlight – Nits reflect ultraviolet light, so natural light (near a window or outside) are the best.
He's made that awful nit-combing job easier, he says, with a special shampoo. It's got a chemical in it that binds to louse eggs, making them glow “a bright bluish white, quite pretty,” under an ultraviolet--or “black”--light.
Ultraviolet (UV) light treatments may have potential to reduce lice population growth, either by causing direct mortality of attached lice stages, or by rendering lice eggs or larvae inviable.
Lice eggs are not easily identifiable by the naked eye because they are too small when you're looking for head lice removal. You can use a special light known as the Wood's lamp. Under Wood's lamp, lice will appear blue. Normally, where the lice are located, close by should be the eggs.
The diagnosis of a head lice infestation is best made by finding a live nymph or adult louse on the scalp or hair of a person. Because nymphs and adult lice are very small, move quickly, and avoid light, they can be difficult to find. Use of a magnifying lens and a fine-toothed comb may be helpful to find live lice.
HAND SANITIZER "STUNS" LIVE LICE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME MAKING IT EASY TO BE REMOVED WITH NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER WILL DISSOLVE THE "GLUE" THAT HOLDS NITS TO THE HAIR MAKING THEM EASY TO REMOVE WITH A NIT COMB. HAND SANITIZER CAN BE USED DAILY.
Heat Method:
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
If you are thinking you can kill those lice and nits with a hair straightener, think again! It is true the heat will kill the lice but most of them live very close to the scalp. This spells danger for your child's head. It also isn't going to get rid of all of the nits.
Fresh eggs are a golden-brown colour and are plump and shiny before they hatch. Hatched or empty eggs are white and flat. As the hair grows the eggs are further down the hair shaft. It is important to look out for both brown nits and their white eggs.
Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice) are grayish white or tan in color. If you look at an adult louse (see lice pictures), you may be able to see its abdomen filled with the red human blood it has been feeding on. Lice eggs (called nits) look like tiny yellow, tan or brown dots before they hatch.
The adult head louse has six legs and is about the size of a sesame seed. Descriptions of their color vary, but generally they range from beige to gray and may become considerably darker when they feed. Lice often appear to be the same color as the hair they've infested, making them hard to see with the naked eye.
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. Look for nits near hair follicle about ¼ inch from scalp. Nits (eggs) will be white or yellowish-brown.
Common signs and symptoms of lice include: Intense itching on the scalp, body or in the genital area. A tickling feeling from movement of hair. The presence of lice on your scalp, body, clothing, or pubic or other body hair.
Body lice generally are found on clothing and bedding used by infested people. Sometimes body lice are be seen on the body when they feed. Body lice eggs usually are seen in the seams of clothing or on bedding. Occasionally eggs are attached to body hair.
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.
1. Can vinegar kill lice eggs? Vinegar is one of the classic home remedies for lice. However, if you are trying to find out how to get rid of nits using vinegar, you should know that using vinegar to kill nits or lice eggs is totally ineffective.
Washing clothes in hot water (>60°C) for >10 min kills clothes lice and their eggs (30).
Listerine contains alcohol that kills lice. Applying a dilute vinegar solution afterward can loosen the glue that holds nits to the hair shaft and make them easier to remove. Lice also could be smothered with coconut oil.
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.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
Many people with head lice have no symptoms at all. It's impossible to diagnose head lice based on symptoms alone since the only symptom that matters is the presence of lice. However, experiencing the following symptoms suggests it is time to check the scalp: frequent unexplained itching of the head or scalp.
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.