Frequently girls get lice more often than boys (likely because of their long hair being able to carry more and hide them better). This does not mean that boys are any less likely to get them if they are in contact with an infested individual. Discovering head lice can be difficult unless you are regularly checking for them. Although few bugs are found on a person's head, lice are parasites and that is where they want to live and thrive.
If you notice a little crawling bug approximately the same size as a sesame on your child's head, they likely have lice - especially if the insect is yellow or light brown. Sometimes the lice eggs (called nits) can be harder to notice than the moving bugs, unless you are looking for them carefully. However, what you think is a louse egg, may just be a little bit of dandruff.
Head lice cause a tickling feeling of something moving in the hair, itching, and sores on the head. If you discover little white or light specks in the hair it should create a red flag for you. There are some reliable ways to figure out if a speck is an egg or if it is only dandruff. If the speck in question, separates from the shaft of the hair easily, it is probably not a nit. But, if the speck is hard to get off of the hair strand and if it is yellow or light brown in color it is likely a louse egg. When lice nits hatch, the remaining eggshell looks clear or white in color.
After you are sure that there are lice in the person's hair, the task of killing and getting rid of both the lice and nits should be taken seriously and started ASAP. A place to start the process is to purchase a good long toothed metal lice comb and the ingredients for either a medicated lice shampoo or your favorite proven home remedy.
After the hair has been treated and rinsed but still during the time it is wet, separate the hair into small sections about an inch wide. Begin a fine toothed lice comb as described earlier and carefully comb the hair from one end to the other. Start at the end by the hair follicle and comb to the very end. At that point, wash off the comb (or wipe it completely clean) and then do the same thing over and over until every section of hair has been processed. This may take a few hours if the hair is thick and long
Be very thorough in this process of sectioning and combing the hair Lice shampoo does a pretty good job of killing the lice but remember, the eggs that remain are often not killed by the shampoo so they can still hatch and create a whole new infestation.
It is very important to treat and / or clean bedding, furniture and any additional things that might have been "infected". Vacuum all floors as well as possible and do the same for the furniture and the car! The link below will sure help you treat your head lice problem.
I hate head lice. They are so itchy and irritating.
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