Looking at the pictures of head lice can teach you a lot of things. First, knowing what these critters look like will help you identify them when you do get head lice. Second, seeing those pictures will help you recognize the symptoms of head lice. Third, it gives you an idea of why head lice are so difficult to get rid of. It gives you a glimpse into their strengths and their weaknesses so you’ll know how to get rid of them.

Head Lice Transmission

Head lice do not have wings to fly nor jump, they can only crawl. This is the reason why head lice can only be transmitted through physical contact. Head-to-head contact is one the primary reasons of head lice transmission. They can crawl from head to head in just few seconds.

You can also acquire head lice through indirect contact. You can acquire them by sharing clothing, hair accessories, combs, and other objects which can have contact with your hair like pillows or towels. However, lice eggs can only live 1 – 2 days away from their host.

That’s why doctors often recommend that you don’t share personal items like these. If you or anyone in your family has head lice, it’s best to keep their personal items away from other things in the house to help head lice transmission.

Importance of Early Identification

One of the worst things about head lice is that they keep coming back. And it doesn’t help that most of the head lice treatments out there aren’t as effective as they claim.
Early identification of head lice infestation is very important because it helps make treatment easier and it helps prevent complications. Yes! Head lice can cause complications. Some people develop allergies from lice bites. Some scratch their scalps so hard due to the itch to the point the skin could break and cause wounds. And if these wounds are left untreated, it can cause infections. It may even come to a point wherein you need to shave all your hair off to treat the infection.

That’s why it’s important to look at pictures of head lice. Know what they look like, especially the nits. Visible nits or lice eggs are usually the first symptom you see with head lice infestation.

Head Lice and Nits Magnified

You can’t identify these lice from afar. You really need to look closely near the scalp to find these lice, with a magnifying glass if necessary. They’re usually found at the hair shafts near the scalp and they like to huddle behind the ears of at the nape where it’s warm and comfortable.

By looking through a magnifying glass, you can clearly identify how head lice and nits would look like and compare them to the larger, blown up pictures. Below are brief descriptions of what head lice look like in its 3 life stages.

Adult Head Lice – Head Lice Pictures

Adult head lice are 2.1 – 3.3 mm in length (female louse are larger than male louse). They are about the size of a sesame seed or a pin head. Their rusty color changes to opaque after feeding on blood. They have antennas. Their oval-shaped bodies have 3 pairs of legs with claws at the end. These claws are perfect for clinging. They can live for up to 30 days and lay 8 nits per day.

Nymph – Head Lice Pictures

An immature louse is referred to as nymph. They have the same features as the adult lice but only smaller. They are three times 3 – 5 times smaller than adult head lice. They are yellow in color before they turn rusty. Nymphs become mature after 7 – 9 days.

Lice Egg – Head Lice Pictures

Head lice eggs pictures are mistakenly referred to as nits. Nits are empty lice eggs. Lice eggs are found near the scalp because they need heat for incubation. They are glued on the base of the hair shafts using the substance called chitin making them stubbornly clinging. They are about 0.8 – 0.3 mm in length. Their color is white before they turn yellowish. They will hatch after 6 – 9 days.

Nits – Head Lice Pictures

Nits or empty lice eggs will remain on the hair shaft for few weeks. They cling weakly compared to lice eggs. Their yellow color will turn to pale white which are often misidentified as dandruffs. They size will shrink smaller than lice eggs.

Treatment for Head Lice Infestation

Once you’ve identified the signs of head lice infestation through the pictures, you should start treatment right away. It’s best to look for treatments that are gentle on your scalp. Your scalp is just as sensitive as your skin, sometimes even more so. What you put on your scalp could affect the growth of your hair.

If you want to use lice killing shampoos or creams, perform an allergy spot test first before buying the product. This will let you know if your scalp can tolerate the treatment. Or you could also use home remedies for head lice, they’re cheaper and safer. They’re not as convenient to use as a lice killing shampoo and the treatment period lasts longer but at least it won’t damage your scalp.

Another treatment option that’s becoming more popular is lice treatment salons. What they do in a lice salon is they treat your hair and use a nit comb on each section of your hair. You’ll need several sessions to remove all your head lice and you need to show up every session to make sure that the lice don’t come back. They’ll even take pictures of head lice that they got from your head to keep as a souvenir!

My sister is busy preparing her three kids for the opening of school. Then, she hears a commotion in the backyard. My niece and nephew are busy trying to pull each other’s hair. My sister pulled them apart. She asked them why they are doing that. The eldest, my niece said she found some hair lice in the head of her little brother. The middle child, my nephew was very angry at her sister because of that. He said that boys do not have head lice. He said only girls get it. The youngest child, my other niece was giggling; she is still a baby so she does not really understand what her siblings are talking about. When my sister learned what happened, she immediately looks at the head of her daughter and her son. The eldest was telling the truth after all.

Being Familiar with Head Lice

First of all, what are head lice? They are insects that are mostly found in the head of human beings. Their size is like the sesame seed. They are wingless. They move very fast through the hair. They feed on our blood. Depending on the blood they ingested, the color of lice can be light gray or dark brown. They have six jointed legs that have claws in the end which enable them to cling to the hair strands. You can find their eggs attached to the hair strands that are close to the roots. They are most common in children with ages ranging from 3-10 years old. The lice are usually found near the nape and behind the ears.

Fallacies and Myths about Hair Lice

My sister and I both experienced having head lice and she has her own beliefs about head lice. Other people too have some misconceptions about hair lice and some of them are:

Myth No. 1 – People can get head lice while playing under the sun.

Lice are wingless creatures. They cannot fly to your hair. You cannot get it while you are under the sun. If that is the case then everyone who stays under the sun would have acquired lice. You can only get lice by direct contact to a person who has it. That is why it is most common in school-aged children because they like to play a lot with one another. You can get head lice by being close to another person who had head lice when you are playing or using the combs and hair accessories of the infested person.

Myth No. 2 – People can get lice if they did not take a bath.

Contrary to beliefs, head lice would prefer to stay on hair that is shampooed and clean. They can survive in clean environment.

Myth No. 3 – People who are rich will not get head lice.

Lice do not choose the person that they infest. It does not matter if you are rich or poor. It also does not choose between boys or girls. Girls are more prone to the head lice than boys. It does not mean that boys do not get it, it is just that head lice are found more in girls.

Finding Hair Lice Treatment

There are several ways for you to treat hair lice. The treatment may have different effects for a person that is why you have to choose what will work best for you.

Natural Lice Treatment

Natural lice treatment or home remedies are the first one that you can consider in treating head lice. As I have mentioned shampooing does not rid lice. The thing to do is to wash your hair with shampoo then you add drops of tea tree oil after shampooing. You can also rub mayonnaise on your hair. Leave it for two hours covered with a shower cap. Wash your hair. Rinse very well. Comb your wet hair thoroughly with a lice comb. Adult lice and eggs will be removed. You can use Vaseline or petroleum jelly if mayonnaise is not available.

Head lice Shampoo and Medication

Sometimes lice can be a bit stubborn and no matter how many times you put mayonnaise or olive oil they still would not be removed. It is time to use the head lice shampoo and head lice medication. They can be bought over the counter in any drugstores. Some of the known medications are Pyrethrins and Permethrins.

There are also prescription medications recommended by doctors. They are to be used with caution. Doctors stressed that the person who will use these types of treatment should follow the instruction carefully. When the product is misused it can be toxic and harmful especially for kids.

When my sister learned about all this information she immediately treated the head lice infestation. She opted to use the home remedies because she has a small child. She also made sure that all the things used by her children would be properly cleaned to rid of the hair lice.