Boise Schools Health Services

Health Services

Head Lice Information

Important Facts about Head Lice

Lice are insects about the size of a sesame seed; they do not jump or fly.
Lice live for about a month. The adult females lay up to 10 eggs (nits) per day. The nits hatch in 7-10 days, and the newborn lice (nymphs) are almost invisible. In about a week, the nymphs have matured and start laying their own eggs.
The eggs are yellowish white, oval shaped and appear glued to the hair shaft. The egg is actually wrapped around the shaft.
Symptoms are itching, red bite marks on scalp, and occasionally swollen head or neck glands.
They are highly communicable (catching) and are usually transmitted by head to head contact, or by contact with clothing, combs, or brushes, hats, helmets, costumes, earphones, pillows and stuffed animals.
There are thought to be more than 10 million cases in the U.S. every year.
Lice can infest anyone. In fact lice are known to prefer clean, healthy heads.
Lice are most common in 5-12 year olds because their play habits can lead to head to head contact, and sharing of clothing, combs and scrunchies.

Chemical Removal

Live lice are killed by the chemical shampoo or cream rinse that can be bought in the drugstore. You only need one application to kill the live lice, but manual removal of the eggs (nits) is also an important step. Pesticide shampoos/rinses are not recommended for prevention. Use these products only as directed. Children under the age of two years and people with asthma, allergies, seizures, pregnant and breast feeding women should consult their physician before applying the lice pesticides.

Manual Removal
Live lice move quickly on dry hair. They are typically light brown. They can be caught using a lice comb, tweezers, or fingernails, or by "sticking them" with double-sided tape wrapped around your fingers. The NPA (National Pediculosis Association) believes that mechanical removal with a comb is the safest and most effective alternative. Combing removes both the lice and the nits.
Nit Removal
Nits are tiny yellowish or grayish-white oval eggs attached to the hair shaft at an angle. They are the size of poppy seeds. They are most often found at the nape of the neck and behind the ears very close to the scalp, but can be found anywhere. They do not wash off or blow away. Nits may be confused with dandruff, hair casts, or dried gel, but these brush off. Although it can take time, you must remove all the nits to ensure effective treatment. Nits can be removed with a special comb. Combing is best accomplished on damp hair, and using conditioner can make it easier.

Helpful Hints

Nit removal, done properly, will take time. It may help to allow your child to watch TV or read a book.
Work under good light on wet hair (use conditioner or warm vinegar). Visibility is key. Even if eyesight is not a problem, you may want to use "drugstore" reading glasses or a magnifying glass.
Use a regular brush or comb to remove tangles, then divide the hair in sections and fasten off the hair that is not being worked on.
Use a good lice comb or fingernails, go through each section of hair FROM THE SCALP to the end of the hair. Rinse the comb by dipping in a bowl of warm water or holding under running water and dry with a paper towel to remove any lice, nits or debris between combings. Dispose of lice/nits carefully (i.e. in the trash or toilet).
Look through each section of hair for live lice or attached nits. Go on to the next section until the entire scalp has been completed.
Rinse out the conditioner and then repeat the combing process for the whole head again until no more lice or nits are found.

Clean the Environment

Although an essential step in treatment, it is not necessary to turn your house upside down in an effort to get ride of lice. Lice depend on human blood to survive and typically die within 24 hours without a host (nits also dine off humans). Some cleaning is necessary to remove a possible source of re-infestation.