Facts of lice

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What are head lice?
Why are they such a problem?
Where can head lice be found?
How does someone get head lice?
How can you detect if someone has head lice?
Do I need to treat everyone in the house?
Should I notify my child's school?
What is the difference between eggs and nits?
Where are eggs found?
What do the eggs look like?
How long do the eggs take to hatch?
Do head lice prefer clean or dirty hair?
Do they prefer girls or boys?
How many eggs does a female head louse lay?
How long do head lice live?
How many head lice are usually found on an infested person?
Can head lice jump or fly?
Do head lice spread diseases?
Can head lice survive on pets?
Who is most likely to get head lice?
Do head lice bite?


WHAT ARE HEAD LICE?
Head lice are small, wingless, greyish-white insects (they turn a darker grey after they have fed on blood) with flattened, elongated bodies with oval heads. A mature adult louse is about 2-3 mm and lives on the scalp.
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WHY ARE THEY SUCH A PROBLEM?
Every civilization in human history has tried to get rid of head lice. But they're still here. That's because head lice are very, very good at what they do - and because most over the counter treatments prove ineffective at removing an entire infestation (head lice, nits AND 'live' eggs) quickly and easily. And if you don't get rid of the 'live' unhatched eggs, you end up right back where you started. That's why the Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb really is such a huge breakthrough - because it's the only product to get rid of the 'live' unhatched eggs as well as the live head lice.
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WHERE CAN HEAD LICE BE FOUND?
Head lice spend their entire 30-35 day lifespan in our hair, clinging tightly onto it as soon as they emerge from their eggs. They tend to stay very close to our scalps in order to feed directly from our blood. They often lay their eggs near the temples, behind the ears or at the crown or nape of the neck where it is nice and warm.
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HOW DOES SOMEONE GET HEAD LICE?
Head lice are very good at moving from one host to another during head-to-head contact. When your hair is touching someone else's, even for a few moments, there is an opportunity for head lice to migrate. This is why they are so prevalent amongst primary school children, as they tend to have lots of head-to-head contact.
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HOW CAN YOU DETECT IF SOMEONE HAS HEAD LICE?
Sometimes there is no sign of infestation until nits – the hatched empty egg cases - start to become visible as they grow out in the hair, often these little white specks in the hair are the first thing that parents notice. Once the lice have hatched they will start feeding on the scalp, which can cause itching, so if you see a child itching their scalp this is often a telltale sign that they have live lice in their hair. BUT it’s important to know… not everyone itches. So it’s important to carry out weekly visual check for nits, eggs and head lice as part of your child's weekly haircare routine. The best time to do this is when you are washing your child's hair, because in dry hair live lice will move rapidly away from the area being examined making it much more difficult to spot anything live. Detection will be easiest with a small amount of conditioner on the hair, as this will immobilise the lice. Gently touching the Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb to the scalp glide the comb from the scalp down to the tip of the hair. After each stroke check the teeth of the comb for live lice or eggs. Fully grown head lice are about the size of a small ant, but newly hatched eggs can be as small as a pinhead. If you are inspecting on dry hair make sure you do so in good light - by a window or under a desk lamp is ideal. Also look for eggs glued to the roots of the hair very close to the scalp. Nits are often mistaken for dandruff or flaky scalp, the easiest way to know if it is a nit is to try and slide it down the hair shaft between your fingers, if it won't move without using your nails then it is a nit. Please note, if you are doing a visual inspection on dry hair do not use our comb on the dry hair, it will be completely ineffective at removing anything and may get stuck in the hair. It needs the lubrication of our oil based solution or regular hair conditioner to allow the teeth to glide through the hair.
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DO I NEED TO CHECK EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE?
Other than primary school aged children you do not need to routinely check all members of the household unless you have reason to suspect they have been in contact with someone with head lice. If you do find any signs of head lice, eggs or nits on your child we always recommend that you check every member of the household, as well as other close family members who are regular visitors, such as grandparents - Remember, not everyone itches when head lice are present. If you find signs of an infestation do not panic, using our Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb with either hair conditioner or our Nitty Gritty Aromatherapy Head Lice Solution is the easiest and most effective way to remove all head lice, nits and 'live' eggs from anyone who shows signs of being infested.
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SHOULD I NOTIFY MY CHILD'S SCHOOL?
If you haven’t already been notified by your child’s school about a head lice case in the class then we do recommend that you let them know that you have found and treated head lice on your child and ask them to notify all parents of that class so that they can check and treat their own children to put a stop to it spreading further. You can also direct them to the SCHOOLS tab on our website where they can download a PDF on how to check, treat and prevent head lice, which they can pass on to all parents in the school.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EGGS AND NITS?
Most people refer to all eggs, both live and hatched, as nits, this is technically incorrect. You have 'Live' head louse eggs, which are found very close to the scalp (within a few millimetres), each egg is glued to an individual hair strand as soon as they are laid, they are brownish in colour so can easily be camouflaged in the hair. Nits are the empty egg cases, which are a white or cream colour, they remain glued in place on the hair as it grows out after the lice have hatched. They are usually found slightly further away from the scalp. Nits are often the first visible sign of a head lice infestation.
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WHERE ARE EGGS FOUND?
Female head lice attach each egg with a glue like substance to the root of an individual hair strand, very close to the scalp, so that when they hatch out, they are close to their food source. They like to lay their eggs near the temples, behind the ears and at the crown and nape of the neck. Any eggs found more than about 1/2” from the scalp will be the nits (the empty egg cases), which remain glued to the hair shaft and grow out as our hair grows.
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WHAT DO THE EGGS LOOK LIKE?
They are very small (about the size of a pin head) tiny teardrop shapes, that will be securely fastened to the hair shaft. Before they hatch the 'live' egg will be a brownish colour, making them very difficult to spot in dark hair. Once they hatch the 'nit' which is the empty egg case is a white or cream colour. Nits are often mistaken for dandruff or flaky scalp, the easiest way to know if it is a nit is to try and slide it down the hair shaft between your fingers, if it won't move without using your nails then it is a nit.
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HOW LONG DO THE EGGS TAKE TO HATCH?
Eggs take approximately one week to hatch but can take anything from 6-10 days.
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DO HEAD LICE PREFER CLEAN OR DIRTY HAIR?
No, head lice have no preference for clean or dirty hair. They are tough, resourceful little creatures. You can't wash them out, and there is no scientific evidence to indicate that either washing or not washing the hair will do anything to prevent an infestation.
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DO THEY PREFER GIRLS OR BOYS?
Head lice have absolutely no preference for boys or girls. But school-age girls do tend to have more hair than boys and more head-to-head contact, which makes it easy for the lice to spread from one head to another, this is why we often find they are more common amongst girls. They then tend to pass them onto their other family members when they have head-to-head contact.
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HOW MANY EGGS DOES A FEMALE HEAD LOUSE LAY?
Once a female head louse has matured (which takes about 15 days from the egg being laid) it will continue to lay up to 8 eggs per day for the remainder of their 30-35 day lifespan. When any infestation is left untreated each head louse can lay up to 150 eggs in their life cycle.
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HOW LONG DO HEAD LICE LIVE?
Head lice typically live for about 30-35 days. They can only survive for around 24 hours once removed from a human head, though.
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HOW MANY HEAD LICE ARE USUALLY FOUND ON AN INFESTED PERSON?
Once a female head louse has matured (which takes about 15 days from the egg being laid) it will continue to lay eggs throughout their full 30-35 day lifespan. When any infestation is left untreated each head louse can lay up to 150 eggs in their life cycle. Not everyone itches, and there is sometimes no visible sign of infestation until the nits (empty egg cases) grow out in the hair, so there can be hundreds of head lice on one person's head during a prolonged infestation. However, most infestations are picked up earlier on once the eggs begin to hatch, the average number of lice found on an infested person is around 30.
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CAN HEAD LICE JUMP OR FLY?
No. They don't fly, jump, hop or skip. But they do move very swiftly from one human head to another during everyday head-to-head contact.
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DO HEAD LICE SPREAD DISEASES?
No. Their presence can aggravate some existing scalp conditions, but they don't communicate or carry any diseases.
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CAN HEAD LICE SURVIVE ON PETS?
No. Head lice can only live on humans, moving directly from one person to another during head-to-head contact.
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WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO GET HEAD LICE?
Anyone who has hair on their head is able to be a host to head lice. School-age children tend to spend time in large groups, with lots of head-to-head contact, so they are the most likely to become infested, but they then pass it onto the other members of their household.
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DO HEAD LICE BITE?
Technically speaking head lice don't actually bite. They attach to the scalp and use needle-like feeding tubes to suck blood. This is painless, but their saliva and faeces often cause an itching allergic reaction. Scratching can then lead to broken and inflamed skin, which can cause further discomfort.
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Do remember...
Head lice are annoying, but they are not dangerous. Don't ever let them make you or your children unhappy. With our wonderful Nitty Gritty NitFree Comb they are easily treatable, without any pain or drama.
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