Frequently Asked Questions About Head Lice
Find factual information about head lice, including how they spread, how to identify infestations, and safe treatment methods.
1. What is Pediculosis?
Pediculosis, or head lice, are tiny, wingless bugs about the size of a sesame seed or smaller. They have six legs with tiny claws and live only on human scalps. Head lice can range in color from light brown to gray. While annoying, head lice are not life-threatening.
2. How widespread are head lice?
It is difficult to track head lice cases because head lice are not considered a disease, and therefore, public health departments and the Centers for Disease Control do not routinely track the number of head lice cases. However, schools and manufacturers of lice products estimate head lice cases at 12- 25 million infestations a year in the United States alone. Most of those infested are children under the age of twelve.
Head lice have been infesting humans since the cave days.
3. How do you get head lice?
Head lice do not hop, jump, or fly. They migrate through direct contact with an infested person and their belongings.
Pets do not transmit head lice, and poor personal hygiene does not cause an infestation. In fact, head lice prefer clean, healthy heads.
Head lice do not live in, nor spontaneously generate from, the dirt, trees, or the air. They live on the human head!
4. What are the symptoms of head lice?
The most common symptom of a head lice infestation is persistent itching, particularly around the ears, back of the neck, and crown, but some people never itch at all. Repeat infestations can cause some individuals to become super-sensitive to bites. Secondary bacterial infections can occur with excessive scratching. See a doctor if this occurs.
Diagnosis of head lice is usually made by finding nits (lice eggs). Nits are tiny, whitish, oval eggs firmly attached to one side of the hair shaft at an angle. Viable nits are usually, but not always, found within a half-inch of the scalp.
Hint – if you can blow or flick it off, or if it crumbles in your fingers, it is not a nit.
5. How do you treat head lice?
Getting rid of head lice is a three-step process. You must kill all the live lice, check for and remove all the nits by combing and manual nit picking, and do a reasonable job of cleaning the infested person’s belongings and home environment.
Please make sure you have head lice before treatment. Many people misdiagnose head lice and treat themselves or their children with chemicals unnecessarily.
6. What are Pediculicides?
Pediculicides are the pesticides used to eliminate head lice. Familiar over-the-counter brand names include: Rid, Nix, Pronto, and Clear. These products contain insecticides (pyrethrin or permethrin) and should always be used with caution. Check with your pharmacist or doctor to determine which product is safe for your family. Never use these products if you are pregnant or nursing, or on infants under 6 months of age. Follow the directions exactly when using them.
Misuse of these products, i.e., leaving them on longer than the directions state or applying more treatments than specified by the manufacturer, puts children at risk for overexposure to chemical pesticides.
Also, children with allergies may be at a higher risk for allergic reactions to pesticides.
A prescription medication called Kwell should never be used. Kwell contains Lindane, a powerful neurotoxin and possibly carcinogenic pesticide, which can cause serious side effects, including seizures and even death. Consumer Reports has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to remove this pesticide from the market. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to Lindane toxicity.
7. Are head lice becoming drug-resistant?
People should also be aware that, according to entomologists, any insect over time can develop resistance to pesticides. It is not surprising, therefore, that many consumers, health professionals, and entomologists report that head lice have become resistant to pediculicides.
However, failure to follow directions, non-compliance, and failure to pick nits manually can also result in a persistent head lice infestation.
Predictably, consumers are frustrated and confused as to how to proceed.
8. What should I do if I have used pediculicides and still have head lice?
If you have used a pediculicide correctly and still have live lice or new nits, you probably have a persistent case of head lice. According to the Palm Beach County Head Lice Task Force and the Head Lice Treatment and Prevention Project at Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing, persistent head lice is defined as three incidents of live lice found over 6 weeks.
If you have head lice that have resisted treatment, do not continue to use additional chemical treatments in the hopes that they will work. They will not, and such chemical treatments were never meant to be used repeatedly.
Instead, try a treatment program called Head Lice to Dead Lice. This pesticide-free treatment has proved extremely successful in eliminating persistent head lice infestations. The Five-Step Battle Plan outlined in both the video and book incorporates the use of olive oil as a smothering agent. The smothering program is non-toxic and has a high success rate when followed as directed.
Lice breathe through holes in their sides. When you cover these holes with olive oil, the lice will die. However, it takes a while for them to die because head lice can shut down their systems for hours. That’s why you need to know exactly how and when to use a smothering program.