Frequently Asked Questions, or

Everything You Didn't Want to Know About Head Lice*

*(And hoped you'd never have to ask...)

WHAT ARE HEAD LICE?

Head lice are small, wingless, grayish-white insects with flattened, elongated bodies and somewhat oval heads. They are about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF SOMEONE HAS HEAD LICE?

Lice cause intense itching of the scalp. Parents and teachers should watch for children who scratch their heads constantly or excessively. In such cases, check the scalp for nits or lice. If you're not sure what to look for, ask for help from someone who can positively identify the eggs or the insects.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF HUMAN LICE?

There are several species or kinds of lice that feed on people. One species feeds specifically on the head and is called the head louse.

CAN HEAD LICE SURVIVE ON PETS?

No, head lice are obligate parasites of humans, i.e., they must feed on humans in order to survive.

HOW LONG DO HEAD LICE LIVE?

Head lice may live for several weeks on a human host, but they rarely live more than 24-48 hours when removed or repelled from a person's scalp.

CAN HEAD LICE HOP OR JUMP?

No, head lice cannot hop, skip, jump or fly. Their legs are perfectly adapted for one thing—grasping on to and traveling along a person's hair shafts.

DO HEAD LICE SPREAD DISEASE?

Head lice are not known to transmit any disease agents. However, secondary infections may result if the skin is broken by repeated scratching.

WHAT ARE “NITS”?

Nits are louse eggs. They are small (about 1/32 inch), white to cream color, and oval in shape with a distinct cap. Nits are often the first sign of a head lice infestation.

WHERE ARE NITS FOUND?

Head lice glue their eggs to the base of the hair shaft, frequently behind the ears or at the nape of the neck.

HOW MANY EGGS DOES THE FEMALE HEAD LOUSE LAY?

A female head louse produces about four eggs per day and a total of about 88 eggs during her lifetime.

HOW DOES SOMEONE GET HEAD LICE?

Lice are transmitted by close personal contact with an infested person or by sharing their articles of clothing and personal items such as hats, headbands, scarfs or caps, combs and brushes.

HOW MANY HEAD LICE ARE USUALLY FOUND ON AN INFESTED PERSON?

Typically, only about 10-15 head lice are found. The number of lice depends on many factors including how often a person cleans their house or changes their clothing, but surprisingly a lack of personal hygiene is not the largest factor. Head lice actually prefer clean heads to dirty ones since a clean scalp has less dirt and oil to dig through for a blood meal.

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO GET HEAD LICE?

Head lice have been found on people of all ages, races and socio-economic levels, even the royal family of England. Children, particularly those of elementary school age, are most likely to get head lice because of their close contact and social interactions with each other (e.g., sharing hats, combs and brushes).

HOW CAN I CHECK MYSELF OR MY CHILD FOR HEAD LICE?

Because infested people usually have only at most a dozen or so lice, you can easily miss finding them. It is important that you carefully and thoroughly inspect the person's head, particularly the back of their neck and around their ears. Dandruff, oil droplets in the hair and even flakes of hair spray can be confused with nits. Using a bright light and a magnifying glass can help.

WILL SOAP AND WATER KILL LICE?

Shampooing with regular non-medicated shampoos is ineffective at removing an active infestation. Washable clothing, hats, head bands, bed linen, towels and other personal items (such as brushes and combs) should be washed in hot (120^oF or higher) soapy water, then dried in a clothes drier for at least 20-30 minutes. Non-washable clothing and items such as stuffed toys can be effectively deloused simply by isolating them in a drawer or a plastic garbage bag for 2-3 days.

WHAT MEDICATIONS ARE EFFECTIVE AGAINST HEAD LICE?

Over the past five years an increase in the number of cases of head lice has been noticed throughout the United States school systems, along with a decrease in the effectiveness of conventional pediculicides. “Products out there just aren't working like they used to,” says Dr. Teri Meinking, a leading head lice researcher at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. “I know the lice have developed resistance. Some of these lice will walk around in a dish containing 5% permethrin”. A 1999 head lice study conducted by Dr. Richard J. Pollack of Harvard showed a roughly 90% survival rate in head lice taken from American children and treated with permethrin, the active ingredient in the leading conventional pediculicides, versus a roughly 1% survival rate in head lice harvested from children outside the US who had never before been treated. Their study also showed that lice resistant to permethrin at low doses are also resistant at high doses—strongly suggesting that strong prescription formulations of permethrin at a high 3-5 percent are unwarranted.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO KILL THE EGGS?

Mechanical removal of louse eggs helps reduce the number of lice that might hatch on the scalp. Since children who are declared “nit-free” can return to class sooner, removing nits has a positive impact on their morale and lessens disruption to their school activities. Special combs such as the TermiNITor™ Head Lice Comb by ACU-LIFE can be effectively used for mechanical nit removal.

DO I NEED TO SPRAY MY HOME WITH AN INSECTICIDE IF SOMEONE IN MY FAMILY HAS HEAD LICE?

No, head lice need a regular blood meal to survive and therefore cannot live in cracks or crevices like cockroaches or other household pests. Spraying furniture, carpets and bedding with an insecticide may kill an occasional stray louse, but serves no real purpose other than providing some margin of psychological comfort. Family members who are already being treated with an effective preventative like Lice Off would be exposed unnecessarily to pesticides.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD BE DONE IN THE CLASSROOM TO GET RID OF LICE?

The need for delousing measures in a school depends largely on the age of the students and the layout of the classroom. As in the home, vacuuming carpeting and/or sleeping mats can help. Mats with vinyl or other non-fabric coverings can be cleaned with hot, soapy water. Clothing or personal items that students have left in a closet, storage area or desk should be removed and deloused. Application of insecticides in the classroom is not necessary and is strongly discouraged.

HOW DO I USE LICE OFF?

Initial treatment For Infestations:

1. Add 20 drops of Lice Off! to a half cup of unscented or mildly scented conditioner.
2. Mix well and apply liberally to the hair and scalp, taking care to massage down to the base of the hair shafts. The combination of conditioner and Lice Off!™ should stun any live lice clinging to hair shafts, causing them to let go and curl up into a defensive ball for protection.
3. Straighten any tangles with a wide-toothed comb, then thoroughly comb through all the hair and across the entire scalp with a high-quality stainless-steel nit comb. Wipe excess conditioner containing lice and eggs onto a paper towel or toilet paper and dispose of appropriately.
4. Wash and rinse combs thoroughly with hot soapy water and disinfect with isopropyl alcohol. Repeat if necessary.
5. Add 15-20 drops of Lice Off!™ per ounce to a mildly scented or unscented shampoo and conditioner. Shampoo out the excess conditioner and re-condition as usual.

Preventative Treatment:

• Add 15-20 drops of Lice Off!™ per ounce to a mildly scented or unscented shampoo and conditioner and shampoo and condition as usual. Use daily to avoid future head lice infestations.
• Add 5-10 drops of Lice Off!™ per ounce of water to a spray bottle to use inbetween hair washings if you usually go longer than one day between washings. Spray liberally on hair and scalp, especially behind the ears and the base of the neck at the hairline, taking care to not spray directly into the eyes. A thorough combing with a high-quality nit comb at this time should enable an easy capture of any live lice or eggs.

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People need to know that there is a safe, effective alternative to the potentially harmful chemical pediculicides usually prescribed for head lice. We urge you to share this Lice Off!™ Information with your school nurse, administrators, family and friends. A software package compliant with Adobe PDF is required to view this file. The free Adobe Acrobat reader can be downloaded here.

On to: Head Lice Biology and Treatment Options