Head lice can run through schools like wildfire, so odds are good that your child will pick up a case of lice at some point during his childhood. You can minimize your child's odds of picking up lice by teaching him to avoid sharing combs, brushes, hats and scarves.
A lice infestation has nothing to do with personal hygiene or household cleanliness. The only factor in a lice infestation is exposure, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. After treatment with a medicated shampoo, you may wish to remove dead nits, which are lice eggs, from your child's hair.
Step 1
Determine whether what you are seeing on your child's head are actually nits. According to the National Pediculosis Association, it is easy to mistake hair debris for nits. Common hair debris mistaken for nits include dandruff and desquamated epithelial cell plugs, also known as DEC plugs. DEC plugs are white, irregularly-shaped clumps produced by the oil glands on the scalp. Nits are oval-shaped and attached to one side of the hair shaft. They can vary in color from white to brown and are smaller than a sesame seed.
Step 2
Brush your child's hair to remove tangles and knots. Any combs or brushes used on your child's head while she has live nits or lice should be soaked in medicated shampoo or washed in water heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit or more, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Step 3
Comb through your child's hair with a nit comb. A nit comb is a fine-toothed comb especially made for nit removal. Most nits will be closer to your child's scalp than to the ends of his hair. Lice lay their eggs on the hair shaft about 1/4 of an inch from the scalp. Nits that appear further along on the hair shaft are dead nits.
Step 4
Check each household member's hair for one week after lice treatment to ensure no one has active lice. If live lice are found, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends treating with medication shampoo and combing through with the nit comb.
Tips and Warnings
- Nits can remain attached to hair shafts long after they are dead. There is no medical reason to remove them.
- Vacuum floors, carpets or furniture where you child may have laid his head while he had live lice to prevent infection of family members or reinfection of your child. Wash bedding and stuffed toys in water that is 130 degrees Fahrenheit or or higher to prevent reinfection.
Things You'll Need
- Fine-toothed nit comb
