Head lice are often an inevitable part of childhood – they are easily spread and it can be tricky to get rid of them.
Here’s what you need to know about the icky creatures – and how to banish them.
• These nasty little creatures inject saliva into the scalp to suck up the blood up to five times a day.
• An adult louse can survive on the head for about a month.
• If they are away from the scalp and unable to feed, they die within one to two days.
• After mating, the female louse attaches her eggs to the hair shaft. In cooler temperatures, the eggs will be left close to the scalp. If it’s warm, they’ll be attached further down the shaft.
• The female can lay from 50 to 100 eggs, producing between three and six a day.
• The egg cases are brown and can be hard to see unless you have very fair hair.
• The eggs hatch after about eight days, leaving behind an empty egg case, which looks white and is easier to see.
• About 10 days after hatching, the louse reaches maturity and the cycle begins again.
• Head lice can’t jump or fly. They travel by crawling along hair shafts and move from person to person when their heads touch.
• It can take several weeks for symptoms to develop after being infested. The first sign is usually an itchy scalp.
• Lice like to congregate around the nape of the neck and the skin behind the ears.
• If you have lice, you may also notice red-brown spots on your skin – this is digested blood that has been excreted.
• Head lice don’t carry infectious diseases but heavy infestation can lead to dermatitis or impetigo, a bacterial infection that can result in crusted sores. You can also end up with tender and swollen lymph nodes.
• Because they’re hard to see, often the only way you spot lice and nits is to comb wet hair using a special nit comb.
• Treatment often consists of applying a chemical insecticide, which has to be used at least twice to make sure you have got rid of all the lice and eggs. The chemicals can be very strong and you need to make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not overuse.
• Physical methods of removing nits and lice can be used in conjunction with insecticides or on their own. Wet the hair and if you’re not using a chemical treatment, cover the hair in conditioner, then comb with a nit comb. Work through the hair in sections.
• Physical methods can take half an hour at a time and may need to be done every day for several weeks.
• Only consider the lice gone when you comb the hair three consecutive days without any sign of lice or nits.
• People also use natural oils, such as tea tree oil.
• If treatments don’t work, it could be due to not following instructions properly, lice becoming resistant to insecticides or becoming reinfested during treatment. Make sure nit combs are properly cleaned after use.
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