FAQ’s of Lice and LiceDoctors | All About Nits and Lice

Are lice dangerous and do they carry disease?
No, lice can cause itching and a rash, but do not carry disease.

What do lice look like?
Adults are about the size of a sesame seed, have 6 legs, are wingless and have a brownish tinge.

What do nits (eggs) look like?
Nits are laid on the hair shaft, close to the scalp and are glued to the hair shaft. They are oval in shape. They look brown when placed against a white background and are encased in a translucent shell.

How long does it take for a nit to hatch?
Nits take 8-12 days to develop and hatch.

How many nits does a louse lay?
A louse lays up to 6-10 eggs a day and can live 30 days before it dies. That means each bug can lay 180-300 eggs before it dies.

How long can lice live off of the head?
Lice feed on human blood from the scalp up to 3 times daily and will die within 24-36 hours when off the head.

Do I need to bag all of my children’s toys?
That is overkill, because the bugs will be dead within a day off the head. The night of the treatment, you will sleep with oil in your head so if there are any bugs in the house and they try to get into your head, the oil will suffocate them.

Do I have to throw away pillows from the bed?
No. Lice are not like bed bugs. They can not live in the bedding. You can wash the sheets the day of the treatment to wash away any bugs that may have crawled off the head.

What do I do with our combs and brushes after treatment?
You can boil them for 3 minutes or leave them in the freezer overnight.

What do I do to clean the furniture or the car after treatment?
You can wipe down the car seats and sofa with a cloth or lint brush. Keep in mind that the bugs will die within a day or so. At LiceDoctors, we say, “It’s the head not the house” that makes the difference.

Why has there been such an increase in the incidence of head lice in recent years?
There is an increasing resistance among lice to the chemical shampoos/pesticides and, in addition, some of the more efficacious chemicals have been removed from the pesticides due to their harmful side effects. Today’s lice are so hearty/resistant as to be dubbed “super lice”.

How are lice transferred from person to person?
Head to head contact is by far the most common way to transfer lice. Lice can be transferred through objects like caps, helmets, and hair brushes, but this is less common.

If my child has lice does that mean her hair was dirty?
No. Lice like clean hair. If there is too much oil in the hair, it is difficult for the louse to adhere to the hair.

What prevention tips should parents use?
Parents should check children’s hair weekly for lice. When possible use natural sunlight as it makes it easier to see lice. Put long hair in a bun or braid and cover with hair spray, gel, or mousse.

Does everyone feel itchy from lice?
No. A person may have several lice and be asymptomatic or may have one louse and itch a lot.

Do I have to tell my child’s friends and her school?
The choice is yours but it is better to let his/her friends know so that they can check to see if they have it. If they do, they need to eradicate it for themselves and so that they don’t give it back to your child.

What is the school policy regarding nits and allowing children back to school?
The American Pediatric Association has recommended that schools drop “no nit” policies as children were missing too much school. The association states that by the time a case is discovered, the child has been in school already for at least 2 weeks. Some schools maintain a “no nit” policy while others have dropped it.

Do pets carry lice?
No. Lice and nits only live on human’s heads.