What do lice look like in hair

Head lice feed on blood and therefore stay close to the scalp where there is an abundant supply of food. After the nits hatch, they move from the hair shafts to your scalp to find sustenance. They might also live in your eyebrows or on your eyelashes. When fed, head lice can live for up to a month, but they will die within a day or two if they are not able to feed on blood. Instead, they crawl around in your hair and on your scalp to get nourishment.

Lice are spread through close personal contact. The parasites crawl onto your clothing, hairbrushes, hats, towels, and any other personal belongings. If a friend or family member shares your comb or scarf, the head lice can crawl onto the new host and lay eggs, spreading the infestation.

Female head lice can lay several eggs each day. Household pets and other animals do not spread head lice to humans. Some people experience the uncomfortable symptoms of head lice before noticing them in the hair, while others are asymptomatic. Head lice bite you in order to feed off your blood. You might develop sores or red, raised bumps on your scalp from scratching your head without realizing why you are itchy at first.

Other symptoms that alert you to a case of head lice include a ticklish feeling on your head, especially at night. The head louse is a nocturnal creature and is more active in the dark than during the light of day. A visual inspection of your hair and scalp is usually effective in detecting head lice, though the creatures are so small that they can be difficult to spot with the naked eye.

Parting your hair in small sections and literally going through each section with a fine-tooth comb is a painstaking but necessary step to find and remove head lice. A bright light and a magnifying glass are useful tools to aid in the detection and diagnostic process.

Head lice are treated through manual removal with a comb as well as special shampoos containing chemicals that kill lice. Even if just one nit or adult louse is found, treatment is advised to reduce the threat of a full infestation. Shop for lice combs. Shop for lice-killing shampoos. Clothing, bedding, and towels must all be washed in hot water to control the infestation.

Vacuuming carpets and furniture upholstery is another component of the treatment process for head lice. However, these products are classified as "natural" so they aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration FDA , and their safety and effectiveness haven't been tested to FDA standards. Until more research proves the effectiveness of head lice prevention products, the best approach is simply to take thorough steps to get rid of the lice — and their eggs — so that you don't have more lice to deal with.

However, it's not realistic to expect that you and your child can eliminate all the types of contact that may result in the spread of lice. Your child may have nits in his or her hair but not necessarily develop a case of head lice.

Some nits are empty eggs. Nits that are farther away from the scalp are probably from an old infestation, but should be removed to prevent a recurrence. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Head lice Open pop-up dialog box Close. Head lice Head lice occur on the scalp and are easiest to see at the nape of the neck and over the ears.

Head lice Open pop-up dialog box Close. Head lice Head lice feed on blood from the scalp. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Devore CD, et al. Head lice. Unlike dandruff or other similarly colored flecks, they will not be easily brushed out. Adult lice lay nits close to the scalp where the temperature is perfect for keeping the eggs warm until hatching. This close proximity also makes it hard to remove nits even by cutting or shaving hair.

Not all lice treatments are created equal. Some treatments only treat adult lice and require a second treatment in hopes of catching the nits when they hatch. At Lice Clinics of America, we use an innovative technique that uses no harsh chemicals and kills both head lice and nits the first time!