If no nymphs or adults are seen, and the only nits found are more than ¼ inch from the scalp, then the
Eggs that still contain a louse embryo are brownish in color, while the empty egg shells are white to grey. As the hair grow approximately 1cm a month, eggs that are about 1cm from the scalp are more than likely to have already hatched or to contain a dead embryo.
Head lice eggs (nits) are brown or white (empty shells) and attached to the hair.
A dead lice egg will be white or grey. As they are empty, they will be flat and dry.
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.
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.
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.
Can someone have nits but no lice? It may be possible to have nits but no lice. If a person cannot find any nymphs or adult lice in the scalp and the nits are more than a quarter of an inch from the scalp, these may be dead and from an old infestation.
If you recently experienced a head lice infestation and upon a post-treatment head check, you find nits but no lice, it is possible that these nits are leftover from that infestation and are no longer viable.
Nits take about 1 week to hatch (range 6 to 9 days). Viable eggs are usually located within 6 mm of the scalp. ) and become adults about 7 days after hatching.
Dead nits are often black in colour and are found well away from the scalp. Nits are laid on the hair shaft within 1cm of the scalp and take about 7-10 days to hatch into head lice. They will only hatch in a moist, warm environment such as the scalp.
Nits will remain alive off the host for up to 10 days; they will not hatch at or below room temperature (68 degrees F).
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.
There is no way to look at a nit with the naked eye and determine if it is dead or alive. And although some people claim it does, popping them does not prove that one way or the other either. They are just too small. The only proof is when they don't hatch 7-10 days later.
Third moult 10 days after hatching. Emerging from their third moult as adult lice, the female and slightly similar male begin to reproduce. Female lays first egg one or two days after mating. Female can lay approximately three to eight eggs per day for the next 16 days.
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.
Therefore, because a nit must incubate under conditions equivalent to those found near the human scalp, it is very unlikely to hatch away from the head. In addition, if the egg were to hatch, the newly emerged nymph would die within several hours if it did not feed on human blood.
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.
Head lice can take some time to get rid of completely. For example, most treatments for lice only kill live lice and leave the eggs unaffected. This means multiple treatments may be necessary to kill all the lice from the eggs.
Wet-Combing breaks up the reproductive cycle by combing out all lice, nymphs and nits before they have a chance to mature and reproduce. Head lice cannot become resistant to this treatment as no pesticides are used. We recommend discontinuing the use of potentially dangerous pesticides when treating head lice.
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.